Applying to colleges during distance learning

Erwan Pal

With the adoption of online learning, many students are struggling to diversify their college portfolios as many things have been canceled due to the pandemic.

Online learning has many advantages in students’ eyes, but many are also experiencing disadvantages, as their plans on how to broaden their portfolio for college have been thwarted.

“COVID-19 and online learning has greatly affected my college applications because it has made taking the SAT borderline impossible with all the cancellations,” said Aman Chetan, a junior.

Many students relied heavily upon the SAT to show off their academic capabilities and diversify themselves when applying to colleges. Due to online learning and COVID-19, the test has been repeatedly canceled, giving students a hard time figuring out what they should do next. Colleges have realized this inconvenience and have adapted their application system to help students.

“Due to COVID-19, I did not need to submit any SAT scores to any of the colleges I applied to, which is good as I was unable to take the SAT because it kept getting canceled,” said Sabrina Jackson, a senior.

As restrictions are being eased, College Board has announced that it is providing SAT opportunities on March 13, May 8, and June 5 as of now. As the pandemic evolves, they will monitor these dates and will see if test dates need to be canceled.

With the increase of staying at home and online school, many students are feeling the issues of mental health. According to High Focus Centers, online school can affect teens and adolescents by an increase in anxiety, experiencing difficulty concentrating or staying focused while at home, and students may find it challenging to receive the extra education support they need to succeed.

“Spending time with my friends and going to sports practice after school was always a big stress reliever, so without those opportunities, it’s been harder to relax under all the pressure of college decisions and senior year. I also tell myself that it’s okay to take a personal day now and then to avoid getting overly stressed or exhausted,” Jackson said.

For many juniors and seniors, the need to retain information to do well in their classes, and on their AP tests, is significant.

“Online learning has affected the classes and courses that I am taking because it is tough to learn new material. I can do well on tests, but I forget everything the next day. This is bad because for the AP test, I need to remember most things, but I can’t,” Chetan said.

Despite all this, many students also feel advantages during online school. Distance learning can help kids manage their time better and allow for a more comfortable learning environment.

“I am more comfortable doing my school work online as I can manage my time better by not wasting time commuting to school and allowing myself to create a schedule that revolves around school,” said Talin Negandhi, a sophomore.

Teachers recognize that many students are under pressure and stress due to these unprecedented times and have adapted their learning plans to best suit students.

“ I’d say I’ve gained an advantage from distance learning because teachers seem to have more sympathy for students and challenging courses are a little bit easier due to the softer grading policies,” Chetan said.

Given the circumstances, colleges have to adapt their applications and their requirements. Students can diversify themselves in less ways than they could before. To combat this, grades are the most important thing. As other ways to stand out have been challenged, grades will always stay important, and in this situation, they are the most important.