How the Coronavirus is Affecting College Admissions, Part 2

Almost immediately after I sent last week’s blog, Collegeboard announced how they will handle AP testing, and MIT announced they would no longer consider Subject Tests. At that point, I realized important changes will continue to happen, and we would need to keep up! Here are this week’s updates:

Testing

·      MIT was the last school in the US to require Subject tests for all applicants. Not only did they waive this for this year’s cycle and beyond, they will not consider them at all in evaluation.

·      AP Tests will be given online at home, will be 45 minutes in duration and will cover material through March only. Students will have the choice of two test dates.

·      The May 2020 International Baccalaureate (IB) testing will not take place at all in any country. Students will be awarded a Diploma or a Course Certificate, depending on what they were registered for, which reflects their standard of work.

·      UC’s will stop requiring the optional writing section for the ACT and SAT; however, they have NOTdecided WHEN they will implement this change…2021, unlikely? 2022, more likely? Which means that until they announce that change, students need to continue to register for and take the required Writing section.

Summer 2020

Everyone is holding their breath a little on what will happen to some popular summer programs. If you’ve already signed up for something, it might get cancelled, and if you’re currently applying, you might check the refund policy. I recommend being very selective about putting a deposit on a program taking place on a college campus.

If colleges and businesses remain strictly remote, shops are shuttered and internships are unavailable, what to do? Take an online course in something fun that you find interesting. Learn to play in instrument. Work on your foreign language skills. READ! WRITE! CREATE! Here are some places to find FREE online courses:

·      EdX.org

·      Teachable.com

·      Coursera.com

California School News

The Governor of California has waived the mandatory number of school days requirement, so students will not be expected to make up missed days in the summer or otherwise.

Waitlists

In my last message, I addressed that waitlists were going to be longer this year due to the unpredictability of fall enrollment (last week’s UC releases showed this to be true). What I wanted to emphasize now is how many students are affected negatively by this, and how if you are one of those who knows where you are going to PLEASE let the other colleges know you will not be attending. They can get to those waitlist candidates more quickly and end your peers’ purgatory!

Virtual Events

This week, a group of industrious counselors put together a list of virtual events for students and families at many colleges. It is up to the colleges to populate and counselors to monitor, so you should double check it, but it’s getting filled in nicely!  https://bit.ly/2U9zeZp

Essays

Juniors might be starting to think about essays. I just wanted to bring up one thing, so I don’t have to have the same conversation repeatedly this summer. Imagine the biggest thing that’s happened to you this year. Yep, that’s right, for almost all of you, you can blame the changes in your life on COVID-19. Is that going to make a unique essay? Do you think others are going to write about it? Do you think that after reading 50 essays on  “how the coronavirus affected me,” the admissions reader is going to be excited about you? OK, now we’re on the same page.

How the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is Affecting Your College Admission

As we make our way through these days of fast-paced decisions both by and for us, I wanted to take a moment to bring together some of the immediate ways the virus is affecting college admissions. Thankfully, we have technology and tools to help us see virtually what we cannot visit in person, and college admissions is essentially human, with people on the other end to help and guide with your best interests at heart. So, use your resources and your tools for communication and we’ll all get through this!

Testing Delays 

April ACT moved to June 13th

May SAT cancelled (includes Subject Tests)

            Students should register for their new test dates as soon as they are available. I expect test sites to be fuller than normal in the next few administrations. Stay tuned for how this might also affect the availability of ACT’s new computer-based testing sites as they roll out in July and September.

            Because of the cancellations, we may see more flexibility in testing policies as we get closer to fall. Nothing is being said, yet, but I do think that in extraordinary circumstances, colleges find ways to help, not hinder student enrollment.

College Fairs

            I sent registration information for the SDUSD and NACAC college fairs this spring. They have been cancelled. Instead, for colleges where Demonstrated Interest is important, students should email college admission counselors regretting the missed opportunity and asking a question or two about programs and opportunities. 

Enrollment Deposits

            Most are still May 1st for seniors, but some colleges are extending that to June 1st. Don’t be fooled! They still want early deposits and do not want to push this date back to lock in known enrollment, so continue to count on May 1st unless you’ve heard directly from your admitted school(s) and really need the time for your decision.

Waitlists

            These will be used to their full effect. Colleges are going to be less able to predict their enrollment numbers and will therefore, not want to take chances filling their class. If a student is waitlisted, many schools will accept new information and grades to make your case at your first choice. If they are not interested in this information (hello, Cal Poly and UCSB), it will not be considered.

Late Recruitment

            Because of the Justice Department’s forced removal of the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC’s) Statement of Ethics, any college may now throw more incentives, like generous merit aid, toward students even after they’ve committed to another school. This could intensify if enrollment decreases this fall due to the Coronavirus.

College Admission Events

            If you are a senior, you’re likely going to have to make a final decision without visiting one last time. Colleges are already gearing up for this and moving to online options. Admission counselors will be available for online information sessions, the interns are making videos and doing student interviews for schools’ webpages and social media sites, and you can get on their admitted student Facebook pages to connect with other students and their communities.

            If you’re a younger student, your spring break trips have been cancelled or postponed, and you’ll hopefully reschedule for this summer or next year.

Self-Care

            It’s very important to take care of yourself (parents AND students) during this anxious time. Here’s a website I found with a toolkit of ways to identify and manage anxiety, articles with personal strategies and ways to ask questions and connect to help.  https://www.virusanxiety.com

How Does this Affect our Work Together?

            If you’re a senior, I just want to hear from you! These are the big weeks for decisions, and you are going to have ups and downs. Please share, and I’ll do what I can to be there for you.

            If you’re a junior, our regular meetings are continuing pretty normally, just online. I intend to use Zoom for all meetings until at least April 6th. You’ve already been hearing from me.

            Underclassmen and hourly students, we will also meet online. If you’d like to postpone a meeting for which you’re already scheduled, please let me know. I’ll do my best to accommodate, but expect we can still do well in this new format.

Lesson Learned from "The Key"

Wednesday, March 13, 2019 

The hardest part of responding to yesterday’s college admissions scandal is choosing a place to start. The worth of name brands? The celebrity culture? The illusion of meritocracy in admissions? The outright bribery?

For us college consultants, it smacks in the face of our own code of ethics, and for the students involved, perhaps the high-jacking of their opportunity to find a college that fits them best.

As participating members of professional educational organizations (HECA, IECA, WACAC, AICEP), we uphold the ethics and standards of our profession prohibiting guarantees and commissions. William Singer operated as a fixer, a cheat for parents; not as an Independent Educational Consultant (IEC) for students. IEC’s spend countless hours attending presentations, conferences and college visits so we can best help students find a school where they will thrive. In all of the reporting, not once did we hear about Mr. Singer sitting down with, getting to know or evaluating the personality and interests of the students involved. Instead, we heard about parents intent on highly selective schools, and that Singer, not a member of these professional organizations, invented a side door scam guaranteeing admission for their children. 

Those in our profession already know that college admissions is not always a meritocracy. The admissions process is frequently criticized as giving advantages to the well-connected, legacies and collegiate sports programs. However, this scandal hits a nerve and begs for reform in the way the public views these “top” schools. Numerous research studies have been written, evaluated, revisited and all come to the same conclusion: children from affluent households will typically earn higher lifetime salaries regardless of where they attend college. Wouldn’t it then be better for them to find their best fit schools and blossom on their own merits?

Our hope is that this week’s spotlight will bring more transparency in admissions from the college side, more understanding of the process to the public and an appreciation that there are many schools where students find success on their own terms. As Frank Bruni’s New York Times Best Seller states, Where you Go is Not Who You’ll Be, and to that end, a student’s worth is not measured by where they go, but what they do there and in the years after. 

Amanda Hirko, Hirko Consulting

Susan Monken, College Untangled

Ellen Gaddie, Simply College Prep

How to Choose a College Consultant

Because college consultants are not high school counselors, they can offer a different kind of expertise and flexibility.  A consultant’s only agenda is the best interest and success of her students, so when looking for a consultant, just like when looking for a school, parents should look for the best fit for their child.

First, here are a few basics in choosing your child’s college consultant:

1. Did the consultant complete a Certificate in College Counseling, work as a high school counselor or as an admissions counselor at a non-profit institution of higher learning?

2. Does the consultant belong to professional organizations that serve their regions as well as independent educational consultants (National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and/or its regional affiliate, Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), Certified Educational Planner (CEP)?

3. Does the consultant regularly meet with admissions counselors, participate in conferences, continuing education and travel to see colleges on their own?

 If the answer to any of these questions is NO, then stop right there.  You deserve to work with a consultant that continues their education, has a network of resources and understands current admission trends. 

Also, many consultant’s businesses are built on referrals. Check with friends and neighbors for names or ask for references.

Second, review the consultant’s website and contact them with questions to determine if their style, approach and fees sounds like something you think would be a good fit for your family.

Third, review your notes from the conversation with your son or daughter. 

1. Do you feel like your child would respond well to the consultant? Is your child ready to engage?

2. What was your gut reaction in talking with the consultant, sometimes that matters more than the words spoken. 

You ought to have a trusted partner in the college admissions experience: a partner with expertise and knowledge, and someone to help simplify the process while showing care and kindness. 

The three members of The College Crew have combined 30-plus years of experience, guiding more than 1,000 families through the college journey supporting both students and parents along the way. We feel privileged to be a trusted professional during such a pivotal part of a teen’s life!

• Amanda Hirko, Hirko Consulting INC

• Ellen Gaddie, Simply College Prep

• Susan Monken, College Untangled