There was a daytime soap opera that was on TV when I was growing up called “As the World Turns” (for those adults interested…it aired from 1954-2010). I never watched it but I liked the title of the show. Periodically. throughout my life, when there was adversity occurring in the world or in my life, I would say, “As the ____ turns” based on the title of this soap opera.
Having now been a college counselor since 2001, I have seen a number of trends in college admissions come and go. What are a few that I can remember? The Common Application, The old SAT and new SAT, Naviance and SCOIR, new application deadlines (ED, EA, etc.), test-optional (before COVID) are just a few.
However, we are in a very unique time right now in the world of college admissions. Things are changing rapidly. They were already changing slowly before the pandemic but COVID has made colleges re-evaluate their policies, numbers and programs a lot faster than they anticipated. This is leading to college admission offices having to make changes sooner and decisions they didn’t think they would have to make for years if at all.
Below are a number of changes that are occurring in college admissions that you need to be aware of if you are going to apply to colleges in the future as wisely as possible. I am going to refer to articles that I think give you the proper perspective on each topic.
1. Test-Optional Admissions (How Important is the SAT/ACT?)
The emphasis on testing is declining at most colleges because the pandemic gave them the opportunity to finally publicize how much test scores actually factored into the admission decision in the past. I had one admissions counselor at a pretty competitive college tell me, “we approach test scores like a first date, it’s a great way to make a first impression, but the reason you are going to want a “relationship” beyond the first date, is because of more significant factors like personality, character, sense of humor, maturity, etc. We are going to make our decision for admission based on grades, course rigor, extracurricular and community involvement and what our needs are to build a diverse class, not on test scores.”
Here are changes that the College Board just made a couple weeks ago and I anticipate changes to the ACT in the near future as well. Click here to understand how these changes may impact the future of the College Board.
2. Behind the 2020-2021 Admission Numbers
The most competitive admission colleges are experiencing big spikes in their application numbers while other colleges are experiencing a decline in applications. Colleges in the south are receiving more applications than those colleges in the north. The reason for this is due to test-optional admissions and confidence (or lack thereof) of colleges being open for on-campus instruction in the fall. The reality is that the next few years will be unique as far as admission numbers go because of the pandemic . The changes in the numbers from what they traditionally would be will continue in the future because the way college admissions will likely not go back to the way it was before the pandemic.
https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2020/11/16/college-applications-are-decreasing
3. Scholarships and Financial Aid (FAFSA is changing)
There are big changes being made to the FAFSA starting with the 2023-2024 FAFSA. The biggest being that the EFC (Expected Family Contribution), which is the number you would receive back after completing the FAFSA identifying how much the government thinks you can pay for that year, is going away. This impacts seniors in the class of 2023 and beyond. It’s also important to know how high school grades are going to continue to earn seniors more merit scholarships in the future.
https://www.thecollegesolution.com/new-fafsa-changes-winners-and-losers/
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/23/business/financial-aid-college-merit-aid.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/30/your-money/fafsa-expected-family-contribution.html?
4. Importance of the Bachelor’s Degree, Dual Enrollment & Internships
This was a big topic and a lot of discussion and changes were happening before the pandemic. However, once again, the pandemic has accelerated how the bachelor’s degree is viewed and how much people pay for a bachelor’s degree these days. This has emphasized the importance of dual enrollment and internships because there continues to be a disconnect on what skills the workforce/companies would like to see in college graduates and how colleges are preparing their students for today’s workforce. Please read this outstanding recent article regarding this shift called “Good Jobs in Bad Times”.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-great-divide
5. Demonstrated Interest Is a Critical Component
Because of the unique impact that the pandemic has had on college admission offices all over the country and the pressure college admission offices will continue to have placed on them to enroll a “full” freshman class at their colleges, demonstrated interest is going to continue to be an important factor. More seniors in high school are applying to more and more colleges each year. This is making college admission counselors be more intentional in determining who really wants to come to their school and who may be just “bluffing”.
