What does the College Application Landscape Look Like in the COVID era?

COVID not only changed our personal lives to something that seemed unrecognizable, but it has dramatically changed the College Application landscape for the current Admissions cycle as well. While we Zoomed in our living rooms, social distanced, and used more hand sanitizer than humanly thought possible, College Admissions Officials were going back to the drawing board on how they were going to assess prospective applicants. Test dates for Standardized Tests were being cancelled and grades during Distance Learning were not exactly representative of a student’s aptitude. They needed to change the emphasis that they placed on different sections of the application and pivot the admissions process, much like we all had to pivot during the pandemic…

Although there were no sports for a significant amount of time during the pandemic, there were clubs and organizations that met via Zoom. Volunteer work, on the other hand, was possible only in a socially distanced manner. Therefore, beach clean-ups and other activities that could be done safely during the pandemic were the best ways to log in those volunteer and community service hours while serving others. Community Service activities such as shopping for groceries for the elderly and immuno-compromised, and leaving it at their doorstep were ideal ways to serve the community.

The emphasis during this current application cycle will be placed on these other sections of the Common App, Coalition App, and UC System Application. Now more than ever, a subpar Standardized Test taker can gain entry into a top tier school in California! The special emphasis placed on other components of the admissions application that assess extracurricular pursuits, volunteer work, and community service is now to an applicant’s favor. However, since many students deferred enrollment last year due to COVID, there will be fewer open spots combined with the fact that there will be more applicants this year in the applicant pool compared to last year. Therefore, the way that you rank and describe your activities is critical to your success in gaining admission during this highly competitive time... Get help from an expert in the field of College Counseling with over 20 years of experience and call Dow Educational Solutions today! 858-829-2838