Pandemic Causes Colleges to Change Application Process

Making plans after senior year is already difficult enough with all the factors that go into choosing what students want to do and where they want to go, but it will be even more challenging this year as COVID-19 causes colleges to modify their application processes.

In a typical college application, students will submit their ACT/SAT test scores, lists of extracurricular activities like sports or clubs, their college letter, and various other things that will help the student to seem like a good fit for that college.

This year, there is no requirement for the 2021 class to submit any ACT or SAT test scores in their college applications. This is a significant change to the college application process because these test scores can help students to stand out from others that are applying, especially if the student does not have other things on their application to help them stand out.

And while some schools are test optional this year, meaning students have the option to submit these scores, it does not mean that the student has them. Because students have the ability to take the ACT and SAT multiple times in order to increase their scores, they may not have taken them before the pandemic began.

Since the pandemic began, scheduling a date to take the test is difficult. Test dates have been spontaneously cancelled due to COVID, and for some students, taking the test now is not an option.

The U.S. Census Bureau report said that 43 percent of high school students do not have any extracurricular activities to put on their college applications. If they do not have any ACT or SAT test results to report either, this could create a problem when attempting to stand out from the other applicants.

Colleges will have to scrutinize student’s applications and look at other factors in the applications now. This means things like the traditional college essay and the student’s report cards may have more of an impact on the college’s decision, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Standing out in some way for college applications this year may mean focusing on writing a good college essay or ensuring that recommendation letters are included in the application. Nonetheless, standing out in a college application this year will not be because of an ACT or SAT score.

In addition to this change in the college application process, another factor of choosing a college has changed: campus tours.

Due to COVID, many colleges are not offering in-person campus tours. They may offer online tours or very limited in-person tours, but this is just not the same as a regular campus tour.

The restrictions are understandable as the colleges want to follow the CDC guidelines, which restrict how many people can be in one place and call for social distancing, but it causes problems for students.

Campus tours allow students to get a feel of the college and the atmosphere. As this is a place that students may be in for four years, it is important that the student gets a feel for the area. Experiencing the campus can allow students to decide if the college is right for them,

CollegeXpress, an agency that conducts surveys on high school seniors to gather information about their college thoughts, has found that three in five seniors said an in-person experience with a prospective school has “a lot of or critical importance”.

Not only do students get to see the campus on these tours, but they often would have the opportunity to see what attending classes would look like. These virtual tours do not have these options and neither do these modified, limited versions of campus tours that very few colleges are offering.

A lack of being able to stand out in college applications can be challenging on its own, but combine it with the lack of in-person campus tours and it is very difficult for students. Not knowing if the college is right for them, students are left blindly applying to colleges they think they want to go to, and taking extra measures to ensure that they stand out in the application process.