The College Application Process: Part 1
The college application process can be difficult to navigate; we’re to help
By Meredith Montgomery, reporter
The college application process can be difficult to navigate; we’re to help
By Meredith Montgomery, reporter
For those of you who are planning to continue your education collegiately, the process of applying may seem unapproachable, and COVID-19 hinders the ease of applying to colleges even further. In the United States alone, there are approximately 5,300 colleges. On average, high school students apply to 7-10 colleges, so how do they narrow it down, and how does COVID-19 affect that process?
There are many things up for assessment when determining the colleges that are suitable to your needs. The class size of a college, location, student life, acceptance rate, and tuition expenses are most heavily considered. In 2020, colleges are accommodating to COVID-19 by going SAT test optional. As of now, 240 colleges have either become test optional or test blind. What does this mean for students? Given the option of not submitting test scores may be exciting for some, but in reality, test scores should still be submitted to the college you are applying to even if it is listed as “test optional”. This does not apply to colleges listed as “test blind” who will not look at your test scores even if you submit them. Colleges that are test optional still take test scores into consideration. Consequently, a high SAT score could differentiate you from other applicants.
Moreover on the topic of grades, many institutions followed the satisfactory or unsatisfactory route when schools were first closed. Thankfully for Queensbury students, no reported grades were left incomplete if students fulfilled their academic agenda during the spring of 2020. College admission officers are understanding of COVID-related grading systems and all prior grades frame the work during the pandemic adaptations.
As for the virtual tours, by visiting princetonreview.com you can find the links and descriptions for what these look like pertaining to the colleges you are interested in. It is easy to list detriments resulting from the pandemic, but the ability to interactively visit far-away colleges is surely a good thing. Additionally, some institutions are offering virtual meetings with college students who can share their experience in order for you to determine if the student life is a good fit for you. If the idea of a virtual tour does not seem appealing, local colleges such as Siena are allowing high school students to participate in in-person college tours.
When applying, your extracurricular activities and teacher recommendations are highly valued by college admissions counselors. The lack of extracurricular availability and time spent with a teacher during the pandemic inhibits such. Fortunately, admissions counselors are valuing non-conventional online recommendations and college essays that exhibit personality and persistence even more than before. This indicates that students’ qualities outside of their extracurriculars and academics are being taken heavily into account, which is good news for many students who haven’t been able to reach their full potential during the pandemic.
Finally, my most important piece of advice: scheduling a meeting with your guidance counselor. Queensbury’s counselors are knowledgeable and obliging-- who better to lead you in the correct collegiate direction? Mrs. Dunn is a prime example of such, and didn’t hesitate to provide a quote for Queensbury students who are looking to commit to the application process of 2020-2021. Applying to colleges can be demanding, and according to Mrs. Dunn, “Should be taken seriously, especially even more so now given the COVID-19 pandemic.” Additionally she encourages Queensbury students to, “Approach the process just like an ‘informed consumer,’ especially now during the pandemic and its impact upon college admission policies and procedures”.
As you now know, many COVID-related adaptations have been implemented into the tactics of college admissions officers and systems. Although a scheduled meeting would be better suited for your specific resume, Mrs. Dunn--with her first-hand experience with the topic--provided. “ Many schools have adjusted their admissions requirements such as SAT/ACT test scores now being optional rather than mandatory. I have heard from a countless number of admission representatives this year that they are viewing applications in a more ‘holistic’ manner. What this means is that they are looking more in depth at students' rigor of coursework, grades, letters of recommendations, and extracurricular involvement, just to name a few. I strongly recommend that students take the time to visit college websites, attend virtual information sessions and tours, and step on as many campuses as possible to try to find the right fit for themselves.” Similarly to myself, Mrs. Dunn pushes students to step out of their comfort zone and explore future possibilities. Most importantly, enjoyment should be a product of doing so.
There are many things up for assessment when determining the colleges that are suitable to your needs. The class size of a college, location, student life, acceptance rate, and tuition expenses are most heavily considered. In 2020, colleges are accommodating to COVID-19 by going SAT test optional. As of now, 240 colleges have either become test optional or test blind. What does this mean for students? Given the option of not submitting test scores may be exciting for some, but in reality, test scores should still be submitted to the college you are applying to even if it is listed as “test optional”. This does not apply to colleges listed as “test blind” who will not look at your test scores even if you submit them. Colleges that are test optional still take test scores into consideration. Consequently, a high SAT score could differentiate you from other applicants.
Moreover on the topic of grades, many institutions followed the satisfactory or unsatisfactory route when schools were first closed. Thankfully for Queensbury students, no reported grades were left incomplete if students fulfilled their academic agenda during the spring of 2020. College admission officers are understanding of COVID-related grading systems and all prior grades frame the work during the pandemic adaptations.
As for the virtual tours, by visiting princetonreview.com you can find the links and descriptions for what these look like pertaining to the colleges you are interested in. It is easy to list detriments resulting from the pandemic, but the ability to interactively visit far-away colleges is surely a good thing. Additionally, some institutions are offering virtual meetings with college students who can share their experience in order for you to determine if the student life is a good fit for you. If the idea of a virtual tour does not seem appealing, local colleges such as Siena are allowing high school students to participate in in-person college tours.
When applying, your extracurricular activities and teacher recommendations are highly valued by college admissions counselors. The lack of extracurricular availability and time spent with a teacher during the pandemic inhibits such. Fortunately, admissions counselors are valuing non-conventional online recommendations and college essays that exhibit personality and persistence even more than before. This indicates that students’ qualities outside of their extracurriculars and academics are being taken heavily into account, which is good news for many students who haven’t been able to reach their full potential during the pandemic.
Finally, my most important piece of advice: scheduling a meeting with your guidance counselor. Queensbury’s counselors are knowledgeable and obliging-- who better to lead you in the correct collegiate direction? Mrs. Dunn is a prime example of such, and didn’t hesitate to provide a quote for Queensbury students who are looking to commit to the application process of 2020-2021. Applying to colleges can be demanding, and according to Mrs. Dunn, “Should be taken seriously, especially even more so now given the COVID-19 pandemic.” Additionally she encourages Queensbury students to, “Approach the process just like an ‘informed consumer,’ especially now during the pandemic and its impact upon college admission policies and procedures”.
As you now know, many COVID-related adaptations have been implemented into the tactics of college admissions officers and systems. Although a scheduled meeting would be better suited for your specific resume, Mrs. Dunn--with her first-hand experience with the topic--provided. “ Many schools have adjusted their admissions requirements such as SAT/ACT test scores now being optional rather than mandatory. I have heard from a countless number of admission representatives this year that they are viewing applications in a more ‘holistic’ manner. What this means is that they are looking more in depth at students' rigor of coursework, grades, letters of recommendations, and extracurricular involvement, just to name a few. I strongly recommend that students take the time to visit college websites, attend virtual information sessions and tours, and step on as many campuses as possible to try to find the right fit for themselves.” Similarly to myself, Mrs. Dunn pushes students to step out of their comfort zone and explore future possibilities. Most importantly, enjoyment should be a product of doing so.