As a mom who has just finished the admissions process for one kid and getting ready to start the process for the next, we have seen first-hand the impact COVID has had on the process. With many schools becoming test-optional, the college essay will continue to be a major factor in admissions decisions. Ray Jones, a local educator who now provides support for students as they begin the essay process shared some timely tips with us regarding the new admissions process as well as tips to help your student as they start their essays.
If you are planning a college search this fall, it may be helpful to know how the pandemic has impacted college admissions.
The short-term impact of COVID was obvious to any family involved in a college search this past year. Campus visits were often difficult if not impossible to schedule, and many students were forced to perform their “due diligence” using online resources only.
In terms of long-term impact, the process of evaluating student capabilities changed in some very fundamental ways during 2020. One of these was an extraordinary shift in attitudes regarding the importance – or even the necessity – of college entrance exams.
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Angela Fernandez Barone, an admissions counselor at Dickinson College in Carlisle PA, notes that roughly one-third of American colleges had gone test-optional prior to COVID. Given the difficulty of administering SAT or ACT tests during the pandemic, that percentage rose to two-thirds or more. Ultimately, even a number of Ivy League schools moved to test-optional status.
Barone says more colleges are now considering a complete switch from test-optional to test-free admissions. Dickinson itself was “test-free” during 2020-2021, with plans to continue in that mode for two more years, and then evaluate whether to make the change permanent.
The public response to this trend is, not surprisingly, mixed. Students who test well tend to feel they’ve lost a key weapon in their battle to get noticed. Other students, who either don’t test well or suffer unduly from test-related stress, feel relieved. In either case the question remains: Will SAT and ACT scores ever resume their former standing?
The admissions professionals I’ve spoken with believe, almost unanimously, that aptitude tests will never regain their previous significance. The reason is simple. When colleges were forced to rely on other measures to evaluate applicants, they found -- in general -- that the process worked just fine.
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The obvious result is that schools are now more reliant on other indicators, and the one that seems to have gained the most insignificance is the college essay.
This is particularly true at highly competitive schools, where so many of the applicants tend to have similar academic backgrounds. These similarities include top grade point averages, high-class rank, glowing recommendations and ready access to advanced placement courses. Without test scores as an additional consideration, admission reps are increasingly dependent on writing samples as a key differentiator.
“Essays are critical,” says Barone. “They provide students with an ideal opportunity to speak in their own voices, and express thoughts that reflect their personalities, interests and aspirations. Simply stated, essays offer important clues about an applicant’s ‘fit’ that simply don’t get communicated through statistical measures alone.”
Lee Bierer, an independent counselor with decades of experience, shares a similar conclusion. “Essays often play a pivotal role in gaining admission to highly selective schools,” she says. “Good grades and high rankings are less important, relatively speaking, because so many applicants have them. Soft skills and personal interests are becoming more important, because colleges want to know their applicants as people, not as numbers.”
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Given the implications of this trend, here are a few writing tips for students to keep in mind:
- Choose a topic that allows you to reveal something about yourself, something that doesn’t show up in other segments of the application. For example, consider writing about things that distinguish you from your peers, such as hobbies, personality traits or unusual life experiences.
- Start strong. Write something in the first sentence that will make the reader want to read the second sentence.
- Resist any temptation to let a parent (or other adult) write your essay for you. If that happens, it will be an obvious red flag to reviewers. If writing stresses you out, and helicopter parenting makes you nervous, see if you can find someone outside the family (e.g., a teacher, guidance counselor or other qualified person) to help.
- Remember that the only thing better than a well-crafted essay is a well-crafted essay that is free of typos, misspellings or grammatical errors. Have a trustworthy proofreader look over your essay before you hit the “send” button. This isn’t cheating; it’s common sense.
A final reminder – this one for the entire family -- is that the college search doesn’t have to be stressful; in fact, it should be and can be fun. In the words of Lee Bierer, “One of the best ways to maintain a positive attitude is to view the college search as a match to be made, not a prize to be won.”
Ray Jones, a former ghost writer for the CEO of a large corporation, coaches high school students on their college essays. His goal is to use the essay as a learning opportunity that will be of ongoing value throughout the student’s college career. He can be reached at raycharlesjones@yahoo.com
