One of the spheres highly impacted by the SARS-COV-2 pandemic emergency in 2020 is higher education. While some universities and colleges introduced online-based classes, a lot of the institutions lack funding to do it or are not able to react quickly enough. At the same time, not all of the students have constant access to the Internet regarding that their parents are obliged to work remotely.
Even more confusion is reserved for those who were going to enter a college this year or make a transfer: standardized tests SAT\ACT are being postponed till undefined time. It is hard to predict whether the class of 2020 will be able to attend campuses in real life, or the academic year will start online. Of no less importance is the fact that international students might not be able to get their visas since the borders are still closed.
Standardized Tests Are Postponed, but Some of Them Can Be Taken from Home
To apply to a college or a university in the States, you must pass one or more standardized college admission tests. The spring wave of SAT and ACT, tests required for undergraduate admissions, has been canceled, like the national SAT previously scheduled in early June. The destiny of the ACT planned for June 13th remains indefinite. The College Board is considering launching at-home standardized tests similar to the Advanced Placement students’ examination. This approach effectively ensures that the tests are held, not depending on when the situation with the pandemic crisis becomes more definite.
ETS, the organization providing English assessments, quickly realized the idea of online tests. Students from outside of the United States need to pass a TOEFL, and starting in early March, they can do it at home from any part of the world. The developers of the tests claim that the Home Edition of TOEFL iBR is no different from an offline version of this test, as many people question whether it is easier to take this test at home or not. The only difference is that you have a human proctor watching you through a webcam.
Admission Cycle May Differ from College to College
The US is a home for thousands of colleges, and all of them have different admission criteria. What is more, administrations of many colleges can make different decisions about their functioning based on their financial and technical capacity. In this way, many colleges such as Furman, Central Christian College of the Bible, Bryant, and many others decided to reopen applications mainly to reach their enrollment targets.
At the same time, Cornell University announced that it is no longer required to pass ACT or SAT exams to enroll in August 2021. In turn, this year’s applicants raise questions about whether college campuses will be open this fall. As no one is ready to give an ultimate answer, some institutions, such as Cal State Fullerton, announced that they began preparing to go online for this fall semester.
All in all, it is highly advised to check each institution’s website to see what the admission criteria are for 2020. It is also essential to check news from the official representatives because the situation may change depending on the global situation.
What Can You Do While Waiting for News from the College of Your Choice?
You may use this challenging period to perfect your college admission essay. Exam grades may seem much more important, so many applicants don’t spend much time elaborating on their statements. However, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, an essay plays a vital role in giving context about the personality and helps to review one’s “soft” factors.
As many colleges have extended their application deadlines, you now have the time to do more research about them, which is important to provide convincing reasons why they should accept you. Show your interest and explain your goal, but don’t be too wordy. You can use an essay service to get professional help with your statement. The most important thing is to ensure your essay is concise, grammatically correct and doesn’t contain spelling mistakes.
Out of the State and International Admissions
The destiny of international students stays unclear for this academic year. Those aspiring to enter a US college this year consider the possibility of attending fall classes through video. However, it might be a challenge to guarantee their online presence with problems such as different time zones, dependence on Internet connection stability, and even the state of freedom of speech in some countries where governments block American online sources.
Even if the borders are open before the classes start, many of them might find themselves in a difficult financial situation because the COVID-19 crisis made many businesses stop. This circumstance may work in favor of domestic wait-listed students since their slots are expected to be given to local entrants because of the lack of international applicants. The same rule may be applied to in-state students. If mobility is still restricted between the states, applicants might find it easier to enter their local college than before the global pandemic.
Final Thoughts
In these unprecedented times, future students and college administrations have been thrown into uncharted waters. So there is no need to panic: everyone is in the same boat now. Following the news from your college of choice is essential on their official website.
