College Apps in the time of COVID-19

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These days, you can barely leave your property, let alone get on an airplane. Sometimes, that wanderlust can be mitigated with a bit of imagination: it's spring break in Montgomery County, and to try to make it special I presented my kids with “airline tickets” to the Bahamas.  After their “flight” (involving some cushions in the laundry room and an iPad playing an airplane-window-video taped to the inside of the dryer) they found their “hotel rooms” with newly-made beds and a menu for room service breakfast. They then discovered some lounge chairs and outdoor games in the front yard.

But for high schoolers who had planned college visits, creativity isn’t going to cut it. To help families facing this situation, I turned to Nancy Edwards, owner of College Success with Less Stress, for advice:

Spring break is usually a time when high school juniors visit colleges and prepare for standardized tests, but this year is quite different. Most colleges have switched to distance-learning, college campuses and entire school districts are closed.  The April ACT test has been moved to June and the May SAT has been cancelled.  With all these changes and uncertainty, juniors may be feeling overwhelmed; but there are many concrete actions they can take to advance the college search process.

1) Create a new email which you will use for all college applications.  The new email can be FirstName or FirstInital_LastName_Classof2025 or BirthYear.  The reason for a special email is two-fold. Many schools track "demonstrated interest" which includes all interactions with a college:  Campus visits, school visits, subscription to email lists, follows on Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook, opening of emails.  Secondly, a new email makes it easier to track what is happening in the college process.  You will be receiving a lot of information via email from colleges and it can be hard to keep track.  With a new email dedicated to college search, you have one spot for everything.  Just make sure to check it frequently.

2) Virtual tours are a great way to learn about a college and what it wants in a student.  Some schools have them on their websites (Boston University has over a dozen!) and many other tours can be found at sites like:
• www.campustours.com
• www.youvisit.com
• www.campusreel.org

3) Get to work on your essay.  The Common App has announced it will not change essay topics for next year.  The personal statement is a wonderful opportunity for you to give insight into how you are unique.

Here are the prompts:
  • Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, please share your story.
  • The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
  • Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
  • Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma — anything of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
  • Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
  • Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
  • Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
4) Lastly, use this time to read.  Reading broadens your horizons as well as expands your vocabulary.  Many elite schools ask questions concerning what books you have read in the past year NOT REQUIRED by school.  The genre is not important.  Just read. 

If you would like more targeted help, please reach out to me via email:  nancy@collegesuccesswithlessstress.com.

Thank you, Nancy!  Hang in there, everyone!

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