In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, many shifts in education are occurring that may increase the stress of students. For example, many juniors are worried about the effect on college admissions. The good news is that these institutions are making decisions with the student's perspective in mind as they consider the coronavirus' effects.
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS:
SAT?
The College Board has announced that an SAT test will be provided in the fall. Many schools are going test optional as well, so even if the SAT in inaccessible for you, it is highly likely you will have access to a school that suits you. Remember that these are unprecedented circumstances that colleges are paying attention to.
AP TESTS?
As you know, the College Board has already rolled out the online AP tests. While there were reports of many students struggling to submit their tests, the College Board is working to fix this for the retake testing dates, which are available to any student who experienced technical problems. For those of you who are finished with AP tests this year, please remember that you did your best and it is out of your hands now. AP Tests make up a very small portion of college admission decisions, and even if you are not eligible for credit, you can still be highly successful in college.
GPA?
Shrewsbury High School has made the second semester pass/fail this year. As long as your grade is at or above 60%, your transcript will show a P. Otherwise, it will show an F. This is common for many schools across America and will not impact admissions decisions. Aim for Ps if you can, and if you are struggling, reach out to your teachers!
EXTRACURRICULARS?
Some summer internships, jobs, or programs are being cancelled due to COVID-19. This can be stressful for students who had impressive programs lined up that they could use on their resume. If you were accepted to a program that was cancelled, you can still mention such an acceptance on your resume, particularly if the program will resume next year. Remember that many students are also facing these difficulties, so you are not falling behind as much as it may feel.
SPORTS?
As a non-athlete, it is harder for me to appropriately speak about the effects on sports during COVID-19. It will be difficult for athletes who experience cancellations of sports activities due to COVID-19, but remember that such cancellations will be noted by colleges and taken into account with respect to college admissions.
COMMUNITY SERVICE?
COVID-19 may impact some community service opportunities students were planning on participating in. Remember that the outbreak of COVID-19 presents an opportunity to do some form of service work helping those affected by the pandemic. Colleges will be impressed with students who take such an initiative.
The college application process is one that has already been a significant stressor for young people for decades. The addition of COVID-19 certainly does not make this any easier. Remember that college admissions officers are widely being directed to consider the effects of COVID-19 when reviewing applicants. Also, COVID-19 is currently causing a drop in college applicants, which may alleviate some of the competition implicit in the process. There are many stressful changes to the changes to college admissions because of COVID-19, but try to do your best and let go of the results!
Please remember that college prestige or acceptance into any given school is not the end all be all! We as students are capable of adapting to unexpected changes, as we are right now during COVID-19, and can make the best of any college admissions outcome.
NOTE: I am not a mental health professional. The purpose of this blog is to educate and to synthesize and centralize credible mental health resources to make these more accessible for students, focusing on specific mental health issues related to the COVID-19. Please talk to a licensed professional about any symptoms, medications, treatments, or otherwise actions related to mental health.
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