Will admissions be more competitive for 2021 high school graduates, as many 2020 international high school graduates might opt to do a gap year?
-Do you think students applying to out-of-state colleges are more likely to stay closer to home due to the virus?
-How are admittances being affected due to the virus? Are fewer students accepting their offers? Or are the numbers similar to previous years?
-Will the virus, or any conditions students may be forced to deal with under the virus, have any impact on their admission off of the waitlist?
Will 2020 AP scores be weighted differently than 2017-19 AP scores due to the differences in the test structure and content, and if weighted differently, how?
- IB exams were cancelled worldwide for May because of covid-19, an unprecedented move. What are the colleges' policies next year on handling college credits for freshmen?
- I'm sorry but why on earth aren't all colleges extending their decision/deposit deadline at least until June 1? Virtual tours and forums DO NOT make up for going to campuses & making comparisons. Also, many families are in precarious economic situations & need more time to assess. And public schools are closed so it's difficult if not impossible to get transcripts. A number of schools have already extended, but really there should be a unified plan to delay National Decision Day by at least one month. Will that be happening?
How will COVID-19 affect waitlisted students?
For undergraduate institutions that use Pass/Fail for the Spring 2020 semester to determine grades, how would this decision affect students applying to pre-professional schools, such as medical school, in the long run?
I am the parent of a rising freshman enrolled in Virginia Tech and facing the prospect of COVID-19’s re-emergence this fall and questioning the value of investing ~$30K for what may be isolated online learning.
If my daughter wanted to take a gap year and pursue online classes at our local community college as enrichment (non-degree) enrollment where no credits will be transferred to VT, VT admissions has a policy that states if you earn 12 credits elsewhere, you have to reapply as a transfer student.
A few days ago, I reached out to VT President Tim Sands and Tracy Vosburgh, Senior Associate Vice President for University Relations. I expressed my concerns as above and she responded:
“Thank you for your email about Admissions policies. I am delighted to hear about your daughter’s excitement about her admission to Virginia Tech. As you know, many policies are under review in the wake of COVID-19 disruptions. The Admissions team will finalize any changes in a timely fashion and will communicate these changes to students promptly.”
I replied: “Please provide a response SOON. I recommend pushing back the date for rising freshmen to make a decision on deferral, or waiving/increasing the limit on community college credits earned during a gap year covering the 2020-2021 academic year. On the latter point, that could be community college credits earned for enrichment vs those for transfer. My daughter is focused on maintaining and building her skills, not reducing her VT courses. She wants to take her core classes at VT without social distancing.”
Whether my daughter wants to be part of class 2024 or 2025 is HER decision. I just don’t want to see the decision forced upon her because of the administration’s policy.”
My daughter is tough, and she may well continue forward into the unknown, attending this fall. I am more cautious, realizing that the quality of instruction, possible disruptions, and reduced networking during her first year could have a longer-term negative impact.
Regarding my previous post:
I don’t mind paying community college rates for online instruction. I will not pay 4-year college rates for my kid to sit in her dorm, take online classes, and be limited in social interactions (clubs, activities, attendance at sporting events). What kind of return on investment is that?
For colleges that have policies about the amount of college credits that can be earned elsewhere during a gap year, when a gap years is used to protect a student from contracting COVID-19, or from exposing an immune-suppressed family member to this disease, how can we deal with admissions offices?
I originally posted this on Reddit, but apparently the Virginia Tech forum moderator suppressed the post, making it invisible. I am the parent of a rising freshman and facing the prospect of COVID-19’s re-emergence this fall and questioning the value of investing ~$30K for what may be isolated online learning.
—[Original Post]—
Until a vaccine for COVID-19 is widely available along with rapid testing and effective antivirals, the possibility of a revived pandemic/epidemic this Nov through the winter is very real. The 1918 Spanish flu killed more people in its second winter.
Incoming freshman don’t have the benefit of experience, either in college life or the rigors of their chosen course of study. They need one-on-one tutoring, mentoring, access to professors, clubs, new friends, and a social life inclusive of the best that VT offers.
A vaccine is a year and a half away. Even if most students are largely unaffected, professors and staff will be at higher risk. Once this current shutdown bends the curve, we need to remember that there is absolutely nothing that stops this spread from reoccurring next fall except for social distancing.
Mitigation/Adaptation
- Everyone can start wearing masks and gloves, hold football games without fans in the stands, but at what cost, and what remaining benefit? Who wants to be isolated and afraid during their first year?
- Widespread and continuous testing for COVID-19. Identifying who has the antibodies (immunity), who does not, and who is newly infected.
- Rapid response cleanup.
- Will a dorm be set aside for COVID quarantined students who will use remote learning while recovering? Will infected students be sent home?
If this is too much of a risk for an incoming student, particularly those with a suppressed immune system, there is the option of a gap year.
Gap year requests (deferred enrollment) for students that have paid their matriculation fees, are due to the Office of Admissions by May 1. That’s a bit early to have to make that decision (the deadline is understandable given the waitlist), so it’s a pretty big bet. How well will we flatten the curve? Will the virus re-emerge in the fall creating the same disruption we’re facing now?
Gap Year Option
If you wanted to engage your brain during your COVID gap year and take some online classes at your local community college, even as enrichment/development (non-degree) enrollment where no credits will be transferred to VT, VT admissions has a policy that states if you earn 12 credits elsewhere, you have to reapply as a transfer student. In this context, the standing admissions deferral policy is punitive.
If your you or someone in your immediate family has a suppressed immune system, taking a gap year to avoid COVID is not exactly a bad idea. But in this situation, the university should provide a waiver to let students take enrichment courses (where no credits will be transferred). That’s a win-win solution. The student and their family stays healthy, the student continues to work on new or refresher courses, and the university doesn’t loose any income from the student when he/she finally enrolls.
Thoughts? Note: my focus here is two-fold:
- VT’s punitive admissions policy for incoming freshmen who want to defer enrollment for a year and take online courses at their local community college, where the credits earned must be less than 12, even if those credits are not take as curricular enrolled students (meaning the courses are taken purely to stay current on hard skills—not for transferring, and develop some new skills).
- The real risks facing freshmen in particular if the virus re-emerges this fall/winter. VT is still dealing with the current shutdown. We don’t know what the response plan will be.
—[Update to my post]—
From today’s Washington Post:
“Anita Dunn was already a bit of a Spanish Flu dilettante. When she worked in the Obama White House, she had studied the 1918 pandemic to help prepare the response to the outbreak of H1N1 in 2009. “In 1918, you had the initial wave in the spring that was very severe and receded,” she said. “And then, it came back powerfully when the weather got cold again in September, October, November with actually a bigger wave. There was a false sense of, ‘OK, it’s over.’” One big lesson she took away from that history: “Nobody knows how this one is going to behave.””
A few days ago, I reached out to VT President Tim Sands and Tracy Vosburgh, Senior Associate Vice President for University Relations. I expressed my concerns as above and she responded:
“Thank you for your email about Admissions policies. I am delighted to hear about your daughter’s excitement about her admission to Virginia Tech. As you know, many policies are under review in the wake of COVID-19 disruptions. The Admissions team will finalize any changes in a timely fashion and will communicate these changes to students promptly.”
I replied: “Please provide a response SOON. I recommend pushing back the date for rising freshmen to make a decision on deferral, or waiving/increasing the limit on community college credits earned during a gap year covering the 2020-2021 academic year. On the latter point, that could be community college credits earned for enrichment vs those for transfer. My daughter is focused on maintaining and building her skills, not reducing her VT courses. She wants to take her core classes at VT without social distancing.”
Whether my daughter wants to be part of class 2024 or 2025 is HER decision. I just don’t want to see the decision forced upon her because of the administration’s policy.”
My daughter is tough, and she may well continue forward into the unknown, attending this fall. I am more cautious, realizing that the quality of instruction, possible disruptions, and reduced networking during her first year could have a longer-term negative impact.
Will waitlisted student at elite colleges have higher or lower chance of getting in?
Will college open to negotiate for better financial aid package given student’s family is affected?
With some schools now being test optional (for SATs, ACTs), will majority or all of the schools also take the same approach? If so, how would the application be evaluated, especially if some students have better grades or stats than extracurriculars? How would colleges consider extracurriculars since there isn’t as much opportunities and if one is planning on majoring in computer science, will colleges not be lenient since there is more you can do at home, but still there are less opportunities?
I’m concerned with how this will effect future tuition increases. Will we see costs skyrocket when our kids are in their sophomore year and beyond? Do the schools have any guidelines they have to follow when it comes to tuition increases, such as tuition/housing can’t go up more than x% per year?
Hi. Im a current high school senior waiting to hear back from schools. Will COVID-19 help me get in on appeal? I know a lot of students are not enrolling because of financial issues
How do students decide which school they were accepted to go to? I am having a hard time figuring out which school to go to because I am unable to visit campus or speak with students. Will colleges push back the deadline to enroll in order to compensate for our inability to visit campus and learn more about the school?
Has COVID-19 affected the amount of international students that US schools will accept?
How will the college waitlist process be affected by COVID-19? Will I have a potentially greater chance of getting off the waitlists at Columbia, Brown, Penn, or Duke since many people may drop out because of the stock market drop and rampant spread of the disease in big cities such as New York? Are more people waitlisted this year than others because of the pandemic? Also, how do these Iy League schools make their decisions on who to admit from the waitlist?
- Did some colleges waitlist international applicants until further investigation of the COVID-19 impact on their countries and the U.S generally? (This question arises from the fact that unusual number of waitlisted international students I saw this year)
- How will COVID-19 affect the waisted international students' decisions?
- Will COVID-19 affect the financial aid packages of accepted international students?
- Were international students rejected from universities this year due to insufficient funds (for universities who provided exceptional emergency funds this year ex: funds for international students who returned to their countries after the pandemic.)
- Will colleges run a test-optional admissions process in 2021? (as SATs, ACTs, APs, TOEFL, and IELTS are being significantly affected by the pandemic).
- For international students: with almost all the international summer programs and activities being canceled, those who applied to summer programs this year and didn't apply previously are disadvantaged. How will colleges compensate for this issue, will activities be a contributing factor for 2021 admissions? (keep in mind that most of the students do activities and take the standardized test in their Junior year).
- Did colleges accept fewer students in the RD this year? Will the available places shrink in 2021 for Early and Regular admissions cycles?
Will Adcoms be focusing less on SATs (maybe even more test optional schools), especially since so many current juniors have been unable to take or retake the SATs?
Do you think ED/EA will even be offered next year?
Do you expect more schools will not be need-blind next year due to financial pressures and (I would assume) more applicants with significant need than usual?
I usually don’t do very well 2nd quarter and rely on 3rd and 4th quarter to pull up my grades. My overall GPA will be pretty reliant on 1st semester (which wasn’t very good). How will admissions weigh GPA this year because it was cut short for so many students?