My son graduated from college in '19 and is now in grad school, so I have been through the process. As a college admissions professional, I am curious to know what your main concern is about your juniors applying to college this year. Knowing this will help me continue to empower families to make wise choices in the process–thanks in advance!
I would guess that, unless you work with mainly upper-class to upper-edge-of-upper-middle-class families, the biggest concern is cost, or it will be the biggest concern (or panic) in April of the student’s senior year if they have not thought about it before.
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Okay my junior is a decent student but not tip top student who takes all honors (no AP) besides gym, health which don’t have levels and chorus is a cp class. Her grades are mostly in the 90s which can be a-, a, or a+. Her ec’s are typical student ecs but nothing that stands out - some are in school and some are out of school. She took one dual enrollment in 10th grade (A) and is currently taking intermediate Spanish 1 due to losing Spanish 3 honors when school dropped a class.
Her school is still remote with a possible April hybrid start. She didn’t do PSAT’s but based on 10th grade she got an 11xx on the psqt test. I don’t see her getting a high schore on the SATs and I doubt she will study. Should she go with test optional or should I insist she does the SAT test. If test optional will that eliminate all merit scholarships? My oldest was a different type fo student and the merit scholarship made a huge difference for us.
There are some merit scholarships that are possible only with SAT or ACT scores.
She may want to try a released ACT to see if the ACT is better for her than the SAT.
My concern is standardized testing. There was one sitting of the SAT for seniors only in our area last fall. Most colleges have not announced their requirements for next year. Even if they offer tests in the spring or summer, my daughter is concerned about being inside with other students. It is likely that if she does take the SAT later in the year, she may only get one chance at it. This likely puts her at a disadvantage to students who are able to take it multiple times.
I concur with the concerns about test optional. Also the lack of relevant ECs specifically BSN/nursing applicant in my daughters instance. No opportunities for shadowing or volunteering.
I have concerns about how my child will be compared to other students across the country in terms of grades. We are in a state and district where schools are technically open for in person learning but the vast majority of students are not attending in person so even if you send your child to school, the classroom is virtual. How do the colleges understand the difference in grades for students who remote only, hybrid, and in person. In our area, the elite private schools are in person. (My junior has struggled to remain motivated with remote school. We chose her magnet school because of the student community and project based approach, both of which are missing right now.)
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I completely understand your concern. However, for the seniors I worked with this year who were dealing with a similar challenge, many of them did not submit their tests at all and have had great admissions results so far with those colleges that have already released the offers, including with selective colleges like UT Austin and Emory. Instead of focusing on test scores, help her build her profile, both academic and extracurricular, and cultivate relationships with her recommenders. Help her to spend a meaningful summer that will also deepen her commitment to her main interests and help her tell that compelling story in her essays.
I work mainly with middle and upper middle class families. Cost is sometimes an issue but we work on merit aid for that with colleges that are the most likely to offer it even in the test optional climate.
This is the new frontier for admissions committees. Before they were comparing high schools based on their relationships with them from the past and from data about how well the grads from each high school did in their college, but also based on the school report. I would recommend that you meet with the high school counselor and find out how this new information will be reflected in the school report that your high school shares with the colleges. Just being informed about this might help relieve some of the stress, but if the answer is not to your satisfaction, there is room on the applications for your daughter to explain exactly what the school does and does not offer. Beyond that, the colleges are going to be learning how these differences affect student performance. There have been issues with rampant cheating for remote learning in some high schools (video camera off during remote tests), and my sense is that over the next year colleges are going to become more aware of all these factors.
I know this is frustrating. However, please keep in mind that college are aware of these issues. As I pointed out in my previous answer, I have had good results without any test submission at all this year. As for the volunteering, even with nursing and related fields, there might be hidden gem opportunities to volunteer remotely in a way that can allow your child not only to discover more about themselves but also help with admissions. I have a list of outstanding online opportunities for high school students if you are interested.