College admissions is a stressful process for high school seniors. With standards on the rise and competition higher than ever, students spend lots of time stressing about whether or not they will get into their top college picks, or even at all.
In addition, the pandemic has created academic challenges, and many people have struggled immensely to find their motivation or keep it. Students have had to pick up jobs to support their family or have even lost loved ones, and that makes it hard to keep up academically. Tests are more stressful than ever, and some people haven’t even been able to take the SAT or ACT.
Colleges are adapting but it's hard for students to find out how, and students who are otherwise academically strong but struggled this year or who weren’t able to participate much in extracurricular activities are worried about how their prospects have changed. Luckily, Watauga has plenty of staff members dedicated to helping students get into college who are aware of how things have changed, and because of our proximity to Appalachian State University, there are opportunities to get in touch with people to see what students need to do.
“The admissions process has greatly changed due to COVID,” said Meghan Hudson, Assistant Director of Admissions at Appstate. “The pandemic prevented many students from taking an SAT or an ACT. So, many colleges rerouted their review process and took a look at other application elements.”
According to Hudson, schools are moving to a holistic review process, which is meant less to examine test scores, and more to look at grades, extracurricular activities, and the circumstances explained by the student in their essay.
Many universities, including A.S.U., didn’t require SATs or ACTs at all this admissions cycle, but according to Hudson, “We are not sure if we will continue with the test waiver.”
Our GEAR UP coordinator Ms. Laura Turner gave broadly similar advice, but also said that students should understand that highly competitive schools will continue to place an emphasis on test scores, and that a big part of getting into a preferred college is communicating with them to ensure students are doing what they want.
For students who struggled to keep up good grades, Ms. Turner says that they should reflect on why they struggled, and get help if they need it so “that doesn’t become a way of life instead of a period of time where you really struggled.”
“One of the best things when you are thinking about college and post secondary education is remembering that you will have a personal essay,” says Ms. Turner, “the personal essay is a place where students can explain their circumstances and struggles so that the college or university can have a better understanding of who they are as a person.”
Another concern students may have is in regards to clubs, since quite a few students haven’t been able to participate in them like they would want to, if at all. Clubs can certainly be a scary thing, especially right now, and it’s easy to find yourself stuck between fear about doing them and fear of not having any to spice up your applications or just to enjoy yourself.
Ms. Turner’s advice here is that colleges may give a little leeway when it comes to clubs.
“I do think schools are going to give a lot of grace around that,” she says.
While admissions have changed, and are still changing, how exactly they will be different when everything is over is still unclear. Ms. Turner was clear that while she has some idea where things might be headed, she's by no means absolutely sure.
“How it's going to change I don't know,” she says, so students looking for an absolute answer are going to have to hang on a little while longer as things continue to sort themselves out.
Universities and colleges, especially competitive ones, are still looking for “a student that is well rounded” according to Assistant Director Hudson, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
If a student has questions about college, and how they can make themselves the most appealing to their dream school, the best thing to do is talk to the people Watauga provides to help them. Counselors, trusted teachers who know the details of the admissions process, and especially Ms. Turner are great places to start, and will often be more than willing to meet and discuss your current situation and what you need to do. Admissions is stressful, but help is available, and students shouldn’t be afraid to ask for it.
Written by: Jackson Anderson
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