04/19/2020
During this most troubling time of COVID-19, the world for high school and college students has been turned upside down. Normally the process holds challenges and everchanging modifications. In particular this year it is full of uncertainty, misinformation and the unknown. There is no one who can definitively say what is next. Speculation is more the norm than fact. I have been in this business for many years and work hard to remain current up to the minute for you. The best sources, the best schools, and the best educators cannot predict the next 6 months. The only thing that we all know for sure is change is on the horizon.
When will colleges and high schools be back to normal? Classes, sports, terms abroad, visiting are all on hold. Boston University even suggested the possibility that it could be as late as January before it resumes back to “normal”. Some of their dormitory rooms are actually being used as temporary recovery or isolation rooms. Graduation ceremonies both at high schools and colleges are postponed or cancelled. As much as schools want to help by holding things later, they are moments that can’t be given back. Resiliency is something this generation of students will need to develop. Even careers of new grads are on hold.
For prospective students it is even harder. April is often decision month. How do you make a decision based on a school you have only visited virtually? How do does one figure out what school “feels” right? Many students use the spring to explore schools for the first time or solidify a choice for the future. Colleges currently are doing a great job with virtual information sessions and tours. Zoom meetings, chat sessions, and students reaching out are all common methods. Creating a list or making choices has never been harder. Some colleges are extending deadlines. Some say they have no idea what yield will look like. Students who planned to go far away may be sticking close to home. Others will only consider their state school for financial reasons. Others have a planned term abroad which may no longer exist. GAP year possibilities are looming.
Testing and grading are both areas of heavy impact. We know for sure that many testing dates have been cancelled including now the June dates. New dates or additional dates are yet to be announced. ACT is considering computer-based tests in the late fall. Many schools are allowing test-optional for this year, but that list changes daily. For some schools it is this year only, for others they are testing the option over a few years. Does that mean I do not have to take tests? Will they even count? The decision is based on consultation about each individual profile. No one should discount the tests and not try to take them. They can add terrific information to a student’s profile. Using them with your application is a case by case decision.
Grading is talked about by students from grade 6 to graduate students. What happens to me without grades, just a Pass/Fail? What if my math class doesn’t finish the curriculum and I am starting a more advanced one next fall? How will a high school, college or graduate school look at Pass/Fail. Ask the students at Brown, many have been doing it successfully for years. Unfortunately, current teachers have never done this before, neither have they held all virtual classes. In talking with some college students, they find doing group projects the most challenging. Exams look more like long papers or open book tests. Nothing looks the same. How this impacts the future no one knows. E-Learning is new, though EDX and Coursera have been teaching online courses successfully for elite universities for many years.
So, I haven’t answered any questions yet, only raised more. Every day I spend hours studying the latest news from the most recent college announcement. It is fascinating and thought-provoking to stay up on it all. Supporting every student and family is the challenge I enjoy the most.
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