College Admission Changes Once Again
Many changes are happening in the college admissions process. In fact, ground breaking decisions are being made daily. You can see some of those here. http://www.imaginecollegecoaching.com/imagine-blog/2020/5/22/sat-and-act-testing-schools-making-changes
Common Application Adds Question
Many students and families have been greatly effected by COVID and the changes that brought to each individual. Many were impacted financially, many were impacted emotionally and many haven’t been able to recover from those changes.
Helpful Common Application Resources
The common Application is an application that has over 800 colleges that partner with them. This one application is the door for many colleges and universities. Being able to share your story on this application is of utmost importance if you wanted to be admitted to the university of your choice. In fact, the application has many wonderful tools to help you tell your story. You can access some of those resources here:
The Common Application has added a question about COVID to their application process, allowing students to express these impacts, feelings and changes. It is encouraging to know that colleges care about the impact that COVID has had on the student and family environment.
Below is the question applicants will see:
Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is yours to describe those impacts. Colleges care about the effects on your health and well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans, and education, including access to reliable technology and quiet study spaces.
Do you wish to share anything on this topic? Y/N
Please use this space to describe how these events have impacted you.
The question will be optional and will appear in the Additional Information section of the application.The response length will be limited to 250 words. Though 250 words is not a lot, it allows for the student to open a window into their lives for the admissions team to see. This window is how colleges choose students. They read their stories and learn about their character, strengths, weaknesses, challenges and triumphs.
The new question will be accompanied by a more detailed FAQ to help students consider the kinds of impacts they may wish to report, including illness and loss, housing and employment disruptions, and shifting family obligations.
The new language will not replace the current Additional Information question inviting students to discuss circumstances and qualifications not reflected elsewhere in the application. That question, along with its 650 word limit, will remain.
“We are grateful for the feedback we received from our college and university members and the counseling community about how to help students share how the current health crisis has impacted them personally and educationally. The goal is to have a central place for students and counselors to describe their experiences due to COVID-19 only once while providing colleges and universities the information they need to understand each student’s unique context.”
Jenny Rickard, President & CEO, Common App
Changes in College Admissions Due to COVID
I think this is a very encouraging move on behalf of the common app and allows the student to portray a whole portrait of who they are and the individual lives they live and the impact of that on their academic success. While it would be impossible to fully understand the impact that COVID has made in the life of these students and families, I am pleased the the Common Application is giving space to allow each family express their unique story and for their personal story to be a part of their admissions application.
At Imagine College Coaching, we believe each student should be reviewed in a wholistic manner, looking at the individual gifts and talents of each student. For resources to help you through the college admissions process, check out our blog where we post updated content. COVID has impacted students in a way never seen before. Many students who had planned to take college entrance exams were discouraged when those exams were cancelled and postponed. Many students who had college visits planned found themselves doing those visits virtually instead. For many families, the financial impact of COVID has been so significant that it has changed future plans, many of those involving college attendance. The ripple effect of these financial hardships will be felt for many years to come.
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