An Unprecedented Year

by Ashling Florio

On campus college visits, face-to-face meetings with counselors, and personal interactions with teachers are just a few of the many things that go into making the college application process exciting, transitionary, and most importantly stress free for high school seniors. But not for the class of 2021. Not even close. Senior year is supposedly the year everyone looks forward to, right? Whether it’s goofing off with friends in the hallway, or going to every Friday night football game, this class lost several opportunities and were mentally hit with bricks. With no senior trip and no senior prom, mindsets quickly changed from strong desires to simply trying to see the year through.

But, students are not only trying to find the motivation to push themselves through a year of unprecedented times, they are also taking on the laborious task of applying to colleges. Many of which without several resources that would be available under ‘normal’ circumstances. In years past, the essay, which plays a big role in the acceptance process, became a part of English class during the fall. This way, students had guidance at their fingertips and could easily raise their hand if a question arose. However, this year, virtual learning put a plug in teacher-student interactions. While teachers are trying their absolute best, they can only do so much behind a computer screen with a flooded email inbox. So students were unintentionally left to endeavor in completing their essays in a more asynchronous environment, certainly adding stress to their workload. Another impactful resource is a student's school counselor. In meetings with counselors, students are uniquely guided in thinking about possible academic majors and careers, considering and organizing priorities for their college experience, and researching the many college options available. When counselors can sit with a student and physically lay out possible paths, it’s very comprehensible and thorough. As you may assume, the opposite was again present this year. Despite the fact google meets does offer the ability for video communication, nothing can truly replace face-to-face meetings. Which again, left seniors at a stand still when starting the college application process. Some students grew so worried because of several gaps in their applications that the gap-year rate of incoming first-year students surged to anywhere from 4% to 20% for a given school.

All in all, Covid-19 has left quite the impact on the college application process. However, most colleges have recognized this and made adjustments to their individual processes. While students stress that incomplete grades, canceled entrance exams, and other disruptions from the pandemic leave them at an automatic disadvantage, these ‘blanks’ just draw more attention to what can be completed. Personality shown through extracurriculars, athletics, and involvement with the school and community make up more of how a college views an applicant than ever before. The pandemic has certainly had its drawbacks, especially when discussing what it’s been like for high school seniors applying to college, but it won’t last forever. Education as a whole has adapted significantly already, and although it has made things more difficult for the time being, it is most definitely a cut above colleges not accepting incomplete applications at all.