How Coronavirus Has Changed the College Admissions Process
Mar 27, 2021
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It’s been a little over a year since the first wave of coronavirus infections struck the United States. Since then, we’ve come quite a long way with mask mandates in place and vaccines in arms. Still, the microscopic enemy continues to play a significant role in virtually every facet of American life. Seemingly timeless traditions remain upended by the pandemic, including the college admissions process.For half a century, the college admissions process stayed relatively unchanged. High school students with the grades, merit, and determination weighed their preferred universities against their financial limitations, took standardized tests, filled out applications, and waited for the mail to arrive. In a span of just a few months, that entire procedure had to be completely rewritten, with the new but hardly improved system remaining in effect for the rest of 2021.
Anyone who’s applied to college in the past 12 months can assure it’s a far cry from the way it’s been for decades. Whether you’re prospective economics, education, or marketing major, you’re tasked with navigating a newly minted admissions process. While universities are doing their best to account for the unusual circumstances surrounding the revamped system, they remain determined to maintain the integrity of their admissions process.
Central to the challenge is the likelihood that most students will be missing one or more of the traditional indicators of their aptitude and character. For example, it’s been difficult, if not impossible, for many students to undergo standardized testing like the SAT or ACT due to the inability to gather in large groups under the supervision of a proctor. A track record of extracurricular activities - considered one of the best ways to persuade admissions officers of your collegiate worthiness - is a no-go ever since school districts shifted to online learning.
As a result, admissions offices are putting increased emphasis on essays and references. Academic transcripts remain the gold standard, but admissions faculty are instructed to factor in the pandemic when looking at grades from the previous year. Grade drops and GPA dips can be attributed to the upending of classrooms and inconsistency of access to online learning platforms.
According to a story aired on NPR’s Morning Edition in August 2020, some universities have opted to encourage applicants to submit an improvised collection of information that best demonstrates their candidacy. As Kedra Ishop, USC’s president for enrollment management puts it, “We’ve told the students [to] give us what you think best represents you in an academic space and let us see what we can do with that.” It’s a compromise-based approach aimed to help applicants while also preserving the university’s right to screen prospective students as they see fit.
The above-mentioned story from National Public Radio also features a noteworthy bit of advice from Jeff Schiffman, director of undergraduate admissions at Tulane University. He warns applicants to avoid making their essays about life during the pandemic. While it’s not an automatic disqualifier, it’s not exactly a unique point-of-view. Prospective applicants can probably think of better examples of overcoming adversity.
Like most things negatively impacted by the pandemic, the college admissions process will probably return to normal by 2022. The CDC recently loosened its school seating guidance, indicating a step in the right direction. What’s more, the number of vaccinated Americans is ahead of schedule.
However, some admissions departments are using the ongoing events as an opportunity to improve a decades-old process that was overdue for an overhaul even before the pandemic began. A reduced emphasis on test scores, an increased emphasis on reflections of character, and abandoning a one-size-fits-all approach to application content in favor of a looser list of options are just some of the ways the admissions process could be altered forever.