While this process has always been at least partly based online, with most students applying through the Common App or Coalition App and using services like Naviance, COVID-19 will likely cause much more of the college process to be done virtually. With colleges closed and tours for prospective and admitted students off the table, many students are unsure where to start in approaching the important decisions of the college process, a process that was hard enough before the COVID-19 outbreak.

So, what exactly has changed in terms of the college admissions process for juniors?

Perhaps the most glaring issue is that the second half of the school year has shifted to online learning. Junior year is often regarded as the most important in college admissions, with educators and counselors labeling it as the final year to impress colleges, as student performance this year is the most recent indicator of overall academic performance.

Due to the closure of physical school buildings, students in Hastings will now receive one of three grades for the fourth quarter: Fail, Pass, or High Pass. Fail will count as a 64, Pass as an 85, and High Pass as an 100. Students who are failing will receive a 65, students whose grades are between 65 and 85 will receive an 85, and anything above an 85 will be rounded to an 100. Some students aren't happy with this change though. Alex Wilson, a junior, told me that he would "rather just use the normal system.” He also points out that “many teachers don’t like giving away 100s,” and so he has a hard time finding motivation for classes he knows he will get an 85 in, regardless of what he does -- or doesn’t -- do, especially if the lowest quarter grade will be dropped for the year. Some juniors worry that this more holistic grading, and the lack of extracurricular activities, will give them less to highlight in their college applications.

It has also been extremely hard for juniors to take standardized tests, another crucial part of a college application, as most test centers have been closed since March. SATs, ACTs, Subject Tests, and Regents have all been cancelled or rescheduled, and the APs changed to a format that many people found stressful and had technical difficulties with. It’s possible that there will be a stronger emphasis placed on college essays if there truly is no way to take some of these tests, although it's hard to predict at this point.

The school play, the Washington DC music trip, entire sports seasons, NYSSMA, and many other events will also not be happening. This may create empty spots on Common App extracurricular lists for next year, and many students will miss out on awards that could have helped their applications. Still, juniors should remember that school closures bring with them more free time, and those who take advantage of that to do what they are passionate about may end up with something new to put on their application. The Common App now even has a section where students can write about how COVID-19 has impacted their life.

Due to COVID-19, many summer internships and research opportunities are also being cancelled, leaving students who were relying on these to build up their application without anything to do. This is especially the case for students in science research, where students are mentored by a professional in their field of choice and in which they do intensive research over the summer between Junior and Senior year. Jasper Lincoln, a junior in science research, explained that he is “having a hard time getting anything in a lab for the summer because the professors and other researchers are uncertain about the situation during the summer.” He knows several people whose programs were cancelled, making it very hard to complete an “interesting and successful project.” For many of them, they will have to change much of what they had been working on since September.

The increased difficulty of creating a strong application will not affect all students the same though. Students who lack strong wifi or home computers will have an even tougher time attending classes and meeting with college counselors, while students who have access to these resources will likely be able to get a head start on their essays and applications.

Lucky enough for the juniors and seniors at Hastings High School, our guidance department has been scheduling college meetings online and working hard to make sure that all students have access to the tools they need.

Juniors will also be unable to visit many colleges and universities. Almost all schools have closed their campuses to visitors, leaving frustrated students forced to transition to “virtual tours,” where they can explore the campus and its facilities on their computer at home. These virtual campus tours, whether they are slideshows, videos, or virtual reality experiences, offer students a glimpse of what college life might be like there. Students can also do some research to find the school’s newspaper or blogs, where they can read op-eds, sports pieces, and student news from the school. While these creative methods for experiencing the schools in more depth are certainly useful, they still also leave something lacking. There’s no easy way to ask questions about information that isn’t on the website, and the face to face conversations with students currently enrolled is also missing. There are also no chances to sit in on classes, try out the food, or talk to professors.

Not just student applications are being affected by COVID-19 though, as many parents are now struggling to find a way to fund their children’s college education due to the expansive lay-offs that have occurred in the past few months. Students who were going to be working over the summer in order to help pay for their college costs have found that many of their job opportunities cancelled. A recent poll by Nitro College found that around 69% of parents and 55% of students are having a harder time paying for school, so more families are now turning to financial aid and scholarships, hoping to cover some of these costs. Despite this, some families nationwide are now being forced to choose between paying for their mortgage or their child’s education.

As for seniors, they too were faced with new challenges in the college process. Having been admitted to colleges, they missed out on crucial aspects of the college process that would have helped them make the final decision about where they will spend their next four years. Events and overnights for admitted students were off the table, and seniors have not been able to physically visit most schools.

For students who are having a tough time choosing between colleges, setting foot on campus often helps them feel the vibe of the school, and determine whether or not they like it. When asked about this switch a few weeks ago, Jordan Farragalah, a senior, told me: “It’s completely killed my motivation to look at colleges, and any research now has to be online which is always set up to be misleading in favor of the school. I don’t trust a lot of the information I get.” On a similar note, there is also a chance some colleges won’t be able to open their campuses to students in the fall, and will instead stick with online learning. For incoming freshmen, this remote first semester would make it much harder to form friendships and settle in, delaying their start of the college experience. Additionally, if the fall semester is online, it would raise the question of whether or not it is worth spending large amounts of money just to take online courses, which is a considerably lower quality of education than most students were expecting. While some schools like Rice are expecting to re-open campuses with social distancing measures, other colleges such as Harvard are preparing for another remote semester. Almost no schools have made definite decisions at this point, and many are still working on their plans of re-opening.

Seniors who were waitlisted also expressed that they had a harder time writing their letters of continued interest. These letters usually hold updates for their applications about new accomplishments and activities during senior year to help get them off the waitlist. Having been cooped up inside, some seniors struggled with little to write about.

COVID-19 has certainly added many new challenges to the college admissions process, but not everything is bleak. Many colleges have extended deadlines and eased requirements, and as there are more developments the admissions process might change even more drastically. It’s truly hard to know at this point. However, what might be reassuring is that for the most part, student counselors and admissions counselors are doing their best to help ease stress in this trying time and be considerate of missed opportunities while looking at applications next year. While the admissions process certainly remains harder than before, it’s comforting to know that these people are on your side.

By Caleb Painter