The Covid-19 global pandemic has affected most aspects of our day to day lives. We know by now that these changes will be felt for years to come, and the college admissions process is certainly not immune to the impact of the Coronavirus. In hopes of updating our blog readers as to how the college admissions process might change, here are six things to keep in mind as you consider the application process:
Regular Decision Strategies for College Essays
It almost December, which means that you have about a month to finish both your common app essay and your supplements. Were often asked about strategies for early decision and regular decision, and the truth is that our approach doesn change depending upon when you apply. We work with our clients to brainstorm, write, and edit essays (common app and supplements) that stand out, no matter what time of year. The rest of this blog post will provide three tips for getting through the rest of the year:
Deferred Early Action Help
It just about that time of year when our phones ring off the hook and people start calling us in search of help after being deferred from a dream school. We are here to remind you that yes, even if you got deferred, it going to be okay. A lot of students get deferred. It might even be fair to say that most students get deferred. And despite this unfortunate reality, and the feelings that accompany it, you have no choice but to get your life together. It time to make a plan, stick to it, and power through the rest of the year. Here how:
Is it Better to be Deferred or Waitlisted?
We all know that colleges want a lot of students to apply. They also love low acceptance rates that boost their rankings. What some people don understand is that when colleges accept students, theyre doing a bit of gambling. This is why we stress the importance of writing specific, well-researched and thorough supplements. Before you can be admitted, colleges want to know that youre going to attend the school, go back year after year, and graduate within four years. This pertains to this blog post because whether youre deferred or waitlisted, youre put in a sort of holding tank. Theyre essentially waiting to see if A) your application will hold up against the rest of the applicants during regular decision, or B) who else says yes before they reach out to you.
Tips for Early Decision 2 to NYU
Should I Apply Early Decision to a Reach School?
How to Choose a College Major for College Applications
Our regular blog readers probably know by now that it important to tell colleges what you plan to major in should you be admitted. Many schools that use the common app have drop-down menus that allow you to select a program and those that don often ask via their supplements. We have written about this before, but here a refresher: it crucial that you tell X school what you plan to major in for a few reasons.
Tips for Applying to Brown During Coronavirus/COVID-19
ICYMI, Brown is test-optional for the upcoming school year. We broke down their announcement here. Their statement is unnecessarily wordy and yet despite its length, it does not provide any groundbreaking information. Essentially, send in your scores if youve done well because Brown says, verbatim, we will continue to review test scores that are submitted.
Tips for Applying to Yale During Coronavirus/Covid-19
If youre familiar with our blog, you probably already know that the entire Ivy League is test-optional for the class of 2025. This might ~seem~ like good news to those aspiring Yale students who are yet to sit for a test. But it actually means that even more people will be applying to Yale this year, which will lower their acceptance rate. Spoiler alert: it still really hard to get into Yale. Your application will still be considered without test scores, but this means that all other components will matter more. Below youll find a few tips for applying to Yale:
Tips for Applying to Harvard During Coronavirus/Covid-19
In keeping with the rest of the Ivy League, the small liberal arts school just outside of Boston more commonly known as Harvard is now test-optional for the upcoming round of applicants. Before you jump for joy, please understand that it will still be extremely difficult to get into Harvard this year. Even harder than last year. This is because more people will be applying in light of this recent shift. At TKG, we have made our stance on applying to Ivy League schools just because quite clear. If youre planning on applying to Harvard, you need to have already been working towards this goal long before the school went test-optional. It is worth noting that Harvard will still consider your scores if you send them in, which means that you should definitely send your scores in if you did well. Keep reading for our tips on applying to Harvard this year:
Tips for Applying to Princeton During Coronavirus/COVID-19
A wise man once said, better late than never, but never late is better. Well, Princeton must have heard these profound Drake lyrics because the school just decided to hop on board the test-optional train. A bit late, but they did it. Please direct yourself to this blog post that breaks down their announcement, which includes a decision to remove their single-choice early action offering.
Tips for Applying to Penn During the Coronavirus/COVID-19
Alert: UPenn is test-optional this year because of Covid-19. If youve had your sights set on Penn but youre not sure how to proceed, keep reading for a few tips on starting your application. **Please do read the blog linked above that breaks down what their announcement means, and be sure to send in your scores if youve already taken the test and done well**
Tips for Applying to Columbia During the Coronavirus/COVID-19
Last year, only 6% of students who applied to Columbia were accepted. It should be expected that even more people will be vying for a spot at Columbia this year, because last week, Columbia opted to go test-optional for this year round of applications. Columbia statement starts off by saying that if you have scores, send them in. The scores are still of value to Columbia, so if youve taken a standardized test and done well, you should absolutely submit them. But let look at their second part of their statement:
Tips for Applying to Dartmouth during Coronavirus/Covid-19
Last week, we posted this blog post about Dartmouth test-optional policy for the class of 2025. If youre a regular reader of your blog, you should know by now that this doesn mean that getting into Dartmouth will be easier this year. In fact, we expect their 8.7% acceptance rate to decrease this application cycle because more students will be applying. Keep reading for three tips on how to proceed:
Tips for Applying to UChicago During Coronavirus/COVID-19
Tips for Applying to USC During the Coronavirus
A few weeks ago, USC announced a for the 2021-2022 academic year. Obviously, this means that if youre applying to USC later this year, standardized test scores are not required.** However, there seems to be some confusion. Many people are under the impression that this policy will make it easier to get into USC, when it reality it will be just as hard, if not harder, to get in. Lowering the barrier of entry means that more people will be applying, which makes it that much harder to differentiate yourself from other applicants.
Junior Year of High School: What to Expect
Junior year can be a whirlwind. After all, it the pinnacle of your college preparation journey and while every year of high school is important, 11th grade can, in some instances, be make-or-break. It crucial to get your ducks in a row and keep pushing through until the end. If you get organized from the beginning and stay consistent throughout, you should be able to maintain a reasonable pace. Either way, the light is there at the end of the tunnel, so buckle up and drive on forward.
Advice for Sophomore Year of High School
Some people think of sophomore year as kind of a throw-away. It not freshman year where everything is new. It not senior year where everything is your last. It not junior year where youre scrambling to make it through the barrage of standardized tests. We like to think of it as an opportunity for a cornerstone year. Consider this: youre well-adjusted to the flow of high school, but the onslaught of junior year has not yet begun. It the perfect time to build a solid foundation for the college application process.
How to Make Camp Counselor Sound Good on College Applications
Weve written about the pros and cons of becoming a camp counselor in the past, but this post is more to focus on how to take something that bland (in this case, a job as a camp counselor) and make it stellar. Okay, bland might be a bit harsh, but let be honest here--colleges love students who pursue their academic interests in full, and being a camp counselor probably wasn the most intellectually stimulating time of your life. Are we right? Lots of funny and *deep* moments were had, were sure. But it not like you had the time or energy to debate the three key bills that need to pass in order to influence lasting criminal justice reform while you were making sure that 18 six-year-olds showed up to nature arts & crafts on time.
What If My Summer Program is Canceled because of Coronavirus/COVID19?
Now that we are in the second (or third, depending on where you live) week of self-quarantine and social distancing, people are starting to settle into the idea that things aren just going to go back to normal tomorrow. Were looking at weeks, if not months, of things not being normal. In much of America, it is unlikely that students will go back to school until it starts back up again in the fall. A foreseeable side effect of these massive shifts to our usually predictable calendar is a similar re-scheduling frenzy around summer programs. The summer programs that are most likely to be canceled are those on high school and college campuses.