College Counselor Corner

We are definitely in unprecedented times but the most unsettling thing about this pandemic is not knowing when it will end. As humans, what we want is control. We want to know that if I do X and Y, I will get Z. We want to look forward to an end that we can celebrate. Right now, we haven’t been able to do this and are being told by the media that we shouldn’t expect this in the near future. This “unknown” is throwing colleges and their admission’s offices in a panic because they typically budget for a certain amount of students they will accept, go through the process of accepting students, anticipate a certain amount enrolling and then celebrate their incoming class. Now these numbers are going to be uncertain for at least the next few years.

I’ve been listening to podcasts, reading articles and blogs and meeting with college counselors over the last couple months. As current juniors (and younger) plan to apply to college in the fall. Below are the most important aspects of the college admissions process that are being impacted by COVID-19 and what you need to understand in order to prepare and apply to college in the future. I am also attaching recent articles that can explain things much better than I can.

Deadlines- I’ve posed the question about moving deadlines back, so students have more time to take another SAT or ACT, to a number of college counselors and the answer I get back is that their schools will not be moving deadlines back. It makes sense because the colleges that have an ED (Early Decision) deadline (which is binding) already have an EDII deadline on say Jan. 1st or 15th or are now adding one to give applicants the flexibility to apply ED if they don’t want to apply by the Nov. 1st deadline. If a college only has an EA (Early Action) deadline, which is non-binding, they may encourage a senior to apply by the regular deadline if they want to take another SAT or ACT. I wouldn’t be surprised if I see a college move a deadline back a couple weeks but it does throw their timetable off for when they review applications, make decisions, when to award scholarships, etc., so I think it will be rare.

Standardized Testing- The number of colleges that are making test scores optional for the 2020-2021 admission cycle and beyond keeps growing. Although this is important to understand, also keep in mind that “test optional” does not mean “test blind”. I heard a great point made about college admission officers from colleges that are going test optional for the first time, have never reviewed applications before without looking at test scores. They are going to have a learning curve, especially if most applicants submit scores. Also, keep in mind that if you don’t submit test scores then this will put more weight on your grades, courses you took and essays. These aspects of your application better be strong. Click here for the latest that College Board and ACT are doing for their tests scheduled for late summer and into the fall.

College Visits/Tours- I can see colleges once again offering in-person campus tours and information sessions in the fall but they will be under strict social distancing guidelines. This means that if they gave tours of 15 in a group in the past, that may now be 10 or less. They will need to seat people every other row for information sessions. Some will maybe cancel and still promote their online tours and information sessions, but I don’t think it will be many because they know the on-campus experience is more valuable. YOU NEED TO SCHEDULE THESE TOURS AND INFORMATION SESSIONS EARLY! There’s a competitive element to this that will pressure colleges to do in-person campus tours. If they know other colleges are, they may have an edge in convincing a student to attend. The most competitive admission schools need to get as many applications as they can so they can deny 90% or more of them to keep their admit rate low and stay on top of the rankings. They will have a hard time doing this if they don’t allow prospective students on campus for tours.

Financial Aid/Scholarships- This is really tricky because colleges did lose a lot of money during this pandemic, but they still need to encourage and “recruit” strong academic students to attend their school and they do this with merit based scholarships. There were less and less students applying to college before this all happened. How this pandemic impacts these numbers even more remains to be seen but colleges only thrive when they have the number of students on their campus that their faculty can teach and buildings hold. They don’t want to have less students because that means less money coming in. I think they will still be generous with their merit scholarships and even more so than in the past. If there was a time for students who have done well academically to take advantage of large merit scholarships at good fit schools (not the most competitive), I think it is now.

Transcript/Grades- Click here for a recent well-done article titled “We Get It! College Admissions Deans Speak Out”. This article addresses how colleges will evaluate spring grades during the pandemic and also touches on SAT/ACT and AP scores.

Extracurriculars- Click here for Part 2 of the article above that does a great job explaining how future college applicants can explain and adjust when it comes to extracurriculars, summer opportunities and what colleges want to see from students going through this pandemic.

Distance/Online Learning- Here is a great article that outlines the decisions colleges need to make in the fall. Outside of the State California University system, all colleges that I know of plan to open in the fall for on-campus instruction with social distancing guidelines in place. How this will look I don’t think anyone knows at this point but colleges know they need to do everything in their power to have on campus instruction in the fall because they can’t lose students. The fear is that a good number of students will opt to take a gap semester or year if they are told they have to do another semester of school online through Zoom. I would because I don’t think anyone should pay thousands of dollars to take a class online when I could probably work, make money, and take a few online classes for 4-5 thousand dollars or less.

As we go through this unique time as parents, I understand there will be challenges ahead once this pandemic is over with employment, finances, etc. but in the meantime, we are being asked to be present and involved with our children more than we ever have since they are at home all day. From personal experience with my 15, 11 and 9 year old being home all day, I now have a better idea of how much we eat, how much toilet paper we use, how unreliable my internet connection is now that sometimes 5 devices are on it at once (a new router is on the way!) and how much we have to run the dishwasher. Below are some tips that I hope can help and encourage you as parents to better assist you in fulfilling your role as a parent more efficiently during this pandemic we are experiencing as a country.

1. Recognizing that teens are likely to understand the scope of COVID-19’s impact, but feel powerless.

Address those challenges first. Academic work can provide a distraction to the news of the day, but should never be considered more important than taking time to simply talk to your children about what’s happening in our world. We should make sure they are receiving encouragement from scripture at this time. For my family, spring is typically a very busy season. Everyone is going in different directions with work, school, sports, coaching and other extracurriculars that we are rarely able to enjoy a family dinner. Right now, we are eating dinner together every night. Take advantage of this time to have honest, truthful discussion and do a family devotion. You will cherish these times later, when our lives get busy again. There are great books out there if you search for dinner time devotions but if you need something quick, there are dinner time devotion plans on the Bible app.

2. Expect school to look more like a college schedule, then high school.

Instead of filling 6 to 7 hours, online school may consume shorter, more intense periods of time each day—similar to taking two to three classes each day as you would in college. Your student may work for two hours, take a break, and then work for another hour or two later. Remember, only a portion of the day during traditional schooling is actual instruction time (there’s attendance, announcements, moving between classes, lunch, etc.). Make sure your student gets away from the screen during the day and when they say they are done with their classes for the day, plan some exercise or an activity activity to do with them. This could be taking a run or walk in the neighborhood, using an elliptical machine at home, throwing the ball or doing a workout. There are many workout plans and videos online.

3. Deal with technology distractions

By modeling the behavior you want your kids to follow can make a big difference. Everyone should be mindful about putting down their phones to engage in productive, “real-life” pursuits, whether that means schoolwork or a hands-on family project or board game. At the same time, instead of saying they can’t play video games or go on social media, it’s about looking at their plan for the day and identifying blocks of time between accomplishments when they can play.

4. Come up with a consistent routine

The best schedule ultimately depends on your teen. Generally, after a good night’s sleep (8 to 10 hours), try to keep a similar routine in the morning on school days. If you are able to get them some breakfast before their first class and have some conversation with them that would be great. They may just want to wake up 3 minutes before class, roll out of bed, grab their device and crawl back into bed. Most teachers don’t appreciate students participating in class from their bed. Once schoolwork begins, tackle the most difficult subject(s) in the morning, take a break (maybe more outdoor time), and flip to another subject. Give your teen some ownership over his or her extensive free time, but encourage them to maintain relationships (grandma would love to Zoom) and creativity works during this time. This is a great time for students to develop non-academic skills or knowledge related to their interests— trying cooking or gardening, painting or learning a new language. They can help with projects around the house, learn how to program, or dig into a research project that relates to this pandemic that may turn out to have a real-world impact one day– and something for their college admissions resume.

In closing, I want to thank you for your hard work and commitment to help your child through this time. It is not going unnoticed! Hopefully, you are enjoying the extra time with them but also recognizing that this time is temporary and this too shall pass. I sent a great article by Paul Tripp to faculty and staff at DC back on March 4th that I also want to share with you titled, “How To Love a Teenager”.

https://www.paultripp.com/wednesdays-word/posts/how-to-love-a-teenager

It’s filled with wisdom and truth that is even appropriate during this phase of life we are in.

Whether you are now distance learning as a student or having to work from home as a parent, it can be difficult to adjust. This should not be surprising. We were designed by God to enjoy relationship, fellowship and interaction with one another. We are doing out best to promote this through our distance learning plan, it isn’t the same. I miss seeing my students. I miss having important academic and college conversations in person, teaching my classes in person and just having fun with my colleagues and students. I understand that many are suffering physically and financially at this time and I do not want to minimize that. I am trying to focus on the positives for myself and my family during this time. There have been positives, however, that have come from this time as well. We have the opportunity to be with family more, the opportunity is there to get to know your neighbors more, we’ve been able to get more rest, get some jobs done around the house that tend to get ignored in the busyness of life, read more and hopefully spend more time in God’s Word and growing closer to Him. This phase of life will pass, this pandemic will be over and we will get back to our “normal” way of life, but while we go through this unique and unusual time together, how can you not only survive, but thrive! Below are some tips and strategies for students to take.

As you have been transitioning to online learning. Below are very important tips for studying at home:

1. Make time for quiet time

This should be your first priority because it’s only through Him that we will thrive during this time. If growing in our relationship with our Lord and Savior isn’t our first priority, what is? If we don’t do this, we will probably get overwhelmed by all the other things that are being thrown at us let alone the grim news we are hearing and reading everyday about the pandemic. If you haven’t made this time a priority and/or need some suggestions as to some great daily devotions you can do, please see the ones below that I have used. If you have a hard copy devotional as well like Our Daily Bread, these are great as well.

• Solid Joys daily devotional app by John Piper
• Truth For Life app by Alister Begg
• Bible Gateway app that has reading plans
• The Bible app that has reading plans

2. Create a designated work space

Choose a room, a corner of a room, or a chair that you can call your study space. It’ll make it easier to separate your school and home life if you have a specific location for class and homework within your house, and your family members will also be more likely to recognize that you’re working when you’re within your “school” area. Similarly, find a place in your house (or outdoors, if you have a backyard, porch, or nearby park) that you can go to relax and be away from your work for a while.

3. Keep friendships going

It’s easy to feel that all of your study groups, hangouts with friends, etc. have disappeared overnight with on campus school being closed, but it’s possible to keep those relationships going remotely. Scheduling a phone or FaceTime call with people you know from school can be intimidating, because it may feel like you need to have a specific goal or purpose for the call. But even if you’re just holding a remote dance party with friends or hanging out and talking while you all do everyday things in your homes, it’ll help ease feelings of loneliness to hear and see people you care about.

4. Schedule yourself like you are still at school

One of the most challenging things about the sudden move from having school at an actual school to home can be the loss of many different kinds of ways you spent your time at school. Make sure you attend your online classes on time, but when you have that time between classes, during lunch or even a longer break because of a study hall or class that isn’t meeting online on that day, go outside and get some fresh air, exercise, chat with your friends while outside, and get away from the screen. I will say this is most important at least during the actual school day from 8:30am-3:00pm. Most of you, after school were involved in sports or another extra curricular activity. Can you still continue these activities in some way during the time you would have them normally? That’s a good routine to get into.

5. Be kind to yourself

Having to abruptly uproot your school life is an emotionally disturbing experience, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you find you’re having trouble concentrating on work. Communicate with your teachers about your needs and allow yourself some time each day to process the feelings you may be having. Other students are likely feeling the same way too, so if you want to, call a friend or classmate to talk about how you’re doing. Mrs. O’Leary and myself are only a phone call or Zoom meeting away as well. Don’t be hesitant to ask for advice, help or you just want to talk to someone. We’re here for you!

6. Keep a regular sleep schedule

Even though it’s now actually possible to set your alarm to 30 seconds before the start of class, you’ll get a better quality of sleep if you go to bed and wake up at roughly the same times each day. Avoid doing work or spending time on the your phone in bed if you can, because these activities may cause your brain to associate the bed with thinking and being awake, rather than sleep and relaxation. Plus, you are in front of a screen way more than you are used to so try to find times you would normally be on your phone and put it down.

7. Exercise regularly

Regular physical activity boosts your mental health and provides a much-needed break from everyday stress. If traditional exercise is more your style, go running or walking in your neighborhood or in a local park, or look for a free exercise-guidance website or app to give you daily routines to follow.

What we are going through currently is unprecedented for anyone that is currently living since the last pandemic that impacted so many people was in 1918. It’s important that we take the necessary precautions and pray for the recovery of those that have gotten the virus. During this time, however, we could be moving forward and doing things that we sometimes would “put off” or even ignore because we are so busy doing what we think is more important. Seniors, click on this very helpful article titled “How to Make College Decisions When Campuses Are Closed”. Also, you can use Discover’s Award Letter Comparison Tool and TuitionFit when making decisions. When it comes to the college planning process, below are six things that you could/should be doing to stay ahead and be prepared for when you begin applying to colleges soon.

1. SAT/ACT Prep– As of now, the March and May SAT tests and the April ACT test have been cancelled and students will receive a refund or the ability to change test dates for no charge. Juniors, it would be best to take the June SAT and ACT if at all possible if you haven’t taken either test yet. If you were going to take the SAT for the first time on March 14th, then it would be best to take the June 6th SAT. In my meetings with Juniors these past few months I have mentioned that the June 6th SAT is not at a great time because it was sandwiched in between our final exams. If our final exams get pushed back now, the June SAT will not be at an inconvenient time anymore. Whatever the case may be with the school schedule, you do not want your first SAT to be in August, so I highly recommend taking the June SAT (which is at DC) for all juniors who haven’t yet taken an SAT test yet. Juniors and Sophomores, with the time you have available over the next number of weeks, this is a great time to do SAT and ACT prep. Sophomores, if you have been in honors math and English and take advantage of the time you have in the coming weeks to prep for the SAT or ACT, taking the June ACT and/or SAT is a good idea. This will move your timetable up a bit so that you get done with taking these tests sooner in your junior year. A lot of how much you get done depends on your mindset and making it a priority. You can take advantage of one of Revolution Prep’s Live Online classes by going to our dedicated DC page here. There is a free SAT or ACT practice test you can take and Revolution Prep will score it for you. There are additional online test prep options through Method Test Prep, Princeton Review, Magoosh or PowerScore. You can also take advantage of the free SAT and ACT prep options below:
   1. Khan Academy for SAT
   2. Free ACT Test Prep
   3. Free SAT Practice Tests you can download and print out
   4. SAT Study Guide for Students
   5. Free SAT Prep Material
   6. Method Test Prep Free SAT and ACT Resources

2. Researching Colleges– Many juniors and even sophomores feel overwhelmed with coursework and extracurriculars this time of year so they delay taking the time to properly research colleges in order to get an understanding of what colleges may be a good fit for them. Now that you have some more time to search, research, explore and study colleges, utilize this additional time that you are going to be home to find colleges that would be a good fit for you. There are helpful websites like College Board’s Big Future, College Factual, College Raptor, College Navigator, College Scorecard, Cappex and by completing the College Search tool in your SCOIR account. There are great places to go online to view important college financial information as well like Tuition Tracker, Nerd Wallet, and this article with many other resources from Business Insider.

3. Research and Apply for Scholarships– It is never too early or too late to apply for local and private scholarships. Obviously, you need to make sure the scholarships you apply for meet the eligibility requirements, but with the additional time you should/may have on your hands over the next month or so, you can be applying for scholarships NOW! Parents, here is a great article to read on how you can help your child apply for scholarships. Be sure to look in your Naviance account for any local scholarships that have come through my office. Also, keep in mind that the most money you will receive to help pay for college will be the merit scholarships that colleges offer their incoming freshman. If you add a college to the “Following” column in your SCOIR account, you should also go to their “Admissions” page and click on “Financial Aid” or “Scholarships” to see what merit scholarships they offer. Below are a number of websites to search for scholarships.

• Edvisors
• Fast Web
• College Board Big Future
• Sallie Mae
• Scholarships.com
• Cappex
• 11 Private Scholarships That Can Help Pay For College (competitive)

4. Take Virtual Tours– Although colleges are cancelling campus tours for the near future, there is still a great way to take a tour and with the advancement in technology, these virtual tours are really well done and helpful. SCOIR has partnered with You Visit and Campus Reel so if you search for a college in SCOIR, many of them will have a virtual tour available and shorter tours through Campus Reel about student life, dorm life, extracurriculars, food, etc. Here is an article that provides other options for virtual tours as well. Some have even gone the route of using Google Cardboard headsets for campus tours.

5. Take Major/Career Assessments- Now you have the time to take the Major/Career Assessments you thought you didn’t have time to take before. It is always a great idea to get as much feedback as possible when it comes to the major and/or career you would be a best fit for. Juniors, you should definitely take this extra time you have to complete the You Science assessment in SCOIR that is mandatory to complete for Career Stewardship before the end of the school year. Freshman and Sophomores, please do not take this assessment yet because you can only take it once in your high school career and I would prefer this be in your junior year. Below are additional assessments, however, that you can take.

• My Majors
• Career Direct (free Personality I.D.) (full assessment is an additional cost)
• My Next Move
• Career Coach through DCCC
• College Majors 101 (Not an assessment but great information)

6. Read Good Books and Blogs- Besides this blog (which you can always go back and read my posts from the past as well), there are a couple others that I would recommend reading for great college admissions advice. The College Solution is a great blog that Lynn O’Shaughnessy has been writing for years and she is very knowledgable herself but interviews many other experts in the field of college admissions for her posts. Educated Quest is another great blog I would recommend along with Ivy Wise and the SCOIR College Admissions Blog.

Our times are in God’s hands and He is in control as we go through this unprecedented and unusual time as a school, state and country. I hope this information helps you be more productive and stay in front of the college planning and application process as you have some more time on your hands over the next few weeks.