Golden advice: how the college application process is adapting to the global pandemic, and how it affects your chances of landing your dream school.
Taken from French, bouleversé is a fine candidate to describe the state of the world at the time of writing: overturned, overwhelmed, shaken to its core and stricken from top to bottom.
As the novel coronavirus touches all corners of the earth, even the most rigid institutions – stock markets, healthcare services, and governmental bodies – see challenges to their authority and integrity. When we emerge from this pandemic, we will see policy amended, customs reworked, jobs reshuffled. And if there is any silver lining, humanity will be united by a sense of mutual compassion, as these circumstances have spared very few, and a newfound appreciation for many liberties previously taken for granted.
In a media sphere consistently covering the woes of tourism, brick-and-mortar retail, and other industries most impacted by the novel coronavirus, it is not immediately transparent that higher education has shared the brunt of this pandemic. Late March’s COVID-19 Relief Bill set aside an astounding $14 billion for American colleges and universities, many of which already boast impressive endowments. But this monetary relief will only go so far – according to the New York Times, the financial injections cited as necessary by higher education leaders nationwide amounted to a collective $50 billion. The spring semester has, in part, been lost, and the cash flows contained within – from room and board fees to athletic program revenues – have been blocked, on top of demands for tuition refunds.
Financial pressures aside, the pandemic challenges the identity of a university on the most foundational level. Shorthand for the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium (“community of masters and scholars”) the university, etymologically speaking, is a physical community built on the student-professor dynamic. While online delivery of learning has salvaged collegiate instruction in large part, it is a temporary and ultimately inadequate recourse.
But it might be here to stay – at least beyond the semester end as we see it now. A Boston Globe article reports that many Northeastern universities face the tough decision of extending online instruction through the end of the calendar year – or delaying instruction altogether until Spring 2021, at which point reconvening on campuses might not pose a substantial risk.
But either way, institutions of higher education are grappling with a distressing question: when this is all over, will students even return? The same financial strain that affects these institutions burdens the students who pay to attend them – and schools nationwide would be remiss to expect that they will see consistent enrollment post-pandemic, as students receive new financial aid packages and postpone their degrees. While it can be expected that full-pay students will continue on their same trajectories, those with less financial security are left with a host of considerations – much like their respective institutions.
It has become painfully clear that one’s ability to live through the pandemic era is a product of his or her socio-economic standing. Diversity is a collegiate hallmark in the twenty-first century, and one such form is undeniably socio-economic heterogeneity. While a common, on-campus classroom environment is largely able to neutralize socio-economic disparity, a necessary push towards online learning, most often occurring out of family homes, casts a new light on these disparities. Learning out of the home is not learning in the classroom – though the brunt of this inequality falls on those with lower socio-economic status and access to fewer resources that colleges would otherwise seek to address through on-campus services.
Colleges and universities globally have formed factions over their diverse approaches towards grading policy in a novel, home-based learning environment. Some have implemented mandatory pass/fail grading for the entire semester, in an effort to curb the potential for socioeconomic disparities to influence academic achievement out of the home, rather than on campus. Others have taken a more lenient approach, offering students the option to decide whether or not they would like to follow a pass/fail or conventional grading system.
With institutions of higher learning bending grading regulations for their currently enrolled students, it is not shocking that this effort has trickled down to college applicants. What was once considered an avant-garde practice in collegiate admissions, the “test-optional” admissions criterion has surged in popularity in wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The rationale behind this sudden change is simple – if college students are offered academic flexibility, this leniency should be extended to incoming applicants who will soon join these communities. High schools have rarely adopted a pass/fail grading system as colleges and universities have, but in wake of standardized testing cancelations and vastly changed learning circumstances, to force the submission of standardized test scores for prospective college applicants would be a rash decision with potentially misrepresentative consequences for applicants.
Many colleges and universities have now joined the ranks of the “test-optional” early adopters, though under different conditions. Most new entrants on this list have amended this policy exclusively for the high school graduating class of 2021 – essentially, the students who are currently gearing up for a semester of college applications. In this cohort is a grab bag of large research universities – the University of Washington, Northeastern University, and the entire University of California system – as well as smaller, private institutions such as Amherst and Pomona Colleges. Other colleges and universities have capitalized on the extenuating circumstances as an opportunity to pilot a test run incorporating the “test-optional” policy, to either be implemented or scrapped at the end of the trial period. A handful of institutions – Boston University, Vassar College, and Williams College – will review the policy after only one year, while a greater number – Davidson College, Haverford College, and Tufts University, among others – will complete three application cycles before electing the most suitable path forward.
What does a test-optional application imply for the average applicant? While forgoing standardized testing as part of the admissions process may seem like a source of relief, opting to do so shifts the weight proportionately among the remaining components – high school transcript, letters of recommendation, resume, and personal statement. We’ve seen, however, that the “online” high school cannot fully replicate the standard experience, and these effects are far-reaching. Transcripts will report inflated and deflated grades contingent on success adapting to an online platform, letters of recommendation may suffer from reduced face-to-face contact between students and teachers, and resumes may thin as extracurricular pursuits are necessarily shelved for the time being.
There remains only one element of the college application that remains wholly unaffected despite all of the ongoing circumstances, and that is the personal statement. It is reasonable to expect that the personal statement, whether part of a “test-optional” or “test-required” application, will command an unprecedented degree of weight in the holistic process. It is certainly never too early to consider a suitable topic for one’s personal statement, though now in particular.
We are shaping up for a college admissions season unlike any other. Robert Massa, adjunct professor at the University of Southern California, predicts that universities will not fill their classes to capacity by the May 1 deadline, owing to medical, logistical, and financial uncertainties. International students in the United States may similarly yield their seats owing to the precariousness of international travel. Massa predicts that the aforementioned causes will result in an unprecedented number of applicants admitted off waitlists.
The College Sage stands ready to aid clients with their collegiate aspirations, bearing in mind the breadth of changes that the novel coronavirus will bring to the arena of college admissions. Contact The College Sage today for her robust expertise, particularly in this pandemic era. The College Sage aims to help you leverage these changes to put your best foot forward, despite the circumstances.
This too shall pass. Despite all the pundits who suggest that college may be less valued after this crisis, we think the opposite. When humanity is challenged to its core, we may just value the humanities that much more. So take out a book, put the College Sage resume template into motion, pen a creative draft of that essay that’s lurking inside, visit a few virtual campuses, and continue to dream big. Because it’s … still … cool to go to your dream school!
And remember to do your part - stay at home, social distance in the presence of others, and wash your hands!
