College Admissions During COVID-19

By Amanda Sterk, Ed.D

We are all living in a world of unknowns right now. One of the areas that many families are unsure about is what the closures of schools, extracurricular activities, and college testing does for students looking at the college admissions process. Many high school students are left in limbo waiting on more information on how COVID-19 will affect their college-bound futures.

Here are some tips on how to help your student navigate these tough times.

1. Your student is not alone.

A very important detail in all of this is that while your student is thinking “Why me?!?”, they shouldn’t forget that all high school students in the United States and beyond are in the same position right now. Often in college admissions we want to hear about a student’s extenuating circumstance in why grades or test scores were lower or there were not as many extracurriculars on a resume. However, we all understand that everyone currently is in an “extenuating circumstance.” So try and reframe your student in considering that this is topic of discussions for colleges and programs throughout the country, and we all are taking steps to help students through this process.

2. Your student is not a test score or a grade-point average.

In college admissions, it becomes easy to rely on a simple cut-score to determine admissions. Colleges are slowly diverging from this method to developing a more holistic review, which dives deeper into a student’s application, letters of recommendations, and essay, with many colleges going test optional. What admissions will be looking for are students who can demonstrate creativity, ingenuity, and leadership by finding new ways to express their interests.

3. Explore unique options of learning.

Since the regular means of building resumes are not accessible, students are going to have to be more proactive and creative in how they can explore their passions and interests. With the closure of national parks, zoos, and museums many programs are going online and for free. There has been a large movement to offer free courses online for years. Through MOOCS (Massive Open Online Courses) students can explore courses from top colleges and businesses throughout the world. Students can take thousands of courses on topics such as physics, computer programming, animal health, and more. Use these courses for students to explore career options or learn more about unique subjects that interest them. For example, my seventh-grader is taking a course from the University of Chicago called “Understanding the Brain: The Neurobiology of Everyday Life” through Coursera (coursera.org).

4. Take this time to explore colleges.

Although campuses are closed, colleges are putting a lot of resources and time in virtual tours and webinars. Many selective colleges use demonstrated interest, which is the degree to which you show a college you are sincerely interested in their school, as part of their admissions process. Accessing these virtual tours can connect you with admission representatives at schools you are interested in to find out more about the college. This also is a great time to put together your college documents by starting to ask for letters of recommendation, creating your resume, and writing your essay.

While this is a difficult time, continue helping your student focus on their current academic standing and looking ahead at their future goals. Your student can continue to excel and stand out in the admissions process; they are just going to have to be a bit more creative!

For a step-by-step guide through the college process, visit www.unmaze.me.

AMANDA STERK, Ed.D., is the director of Accelerated Programs at Florida SouthWestern State College.