So this is clearly not true, though I hesitate to call out the obvious BS for fear that I may be banned 
S21 not writing anything in the Covid section because he really doesnât have anything to write there.
Most of his ECs continued virtually.
Spring sports practice (for a sport new to the student) started a few weeks before shutdown. My thought is to put an entry toward the end of the activity section, 10 hrs/week for 3 weeks or whatever it was. Good/bad plan? Should the description include â(season cancelled)â or is that obvious?
@JanieWalker You know your daughter better than any of us. If you and she feel clear about the content and tone of the COVID section, then go for it!
Like what @AlwaysMoving reported, my kid developed a new EC when her regular ones were canceled due to COVID. Not yet sure where it will go - the Common App can fill up fast!
My son never made it off the waitlist for his UC research program (second summer in a row), so our Covid question will be blank. But, for what itâs worth, I agree with @AlmostThere2018, though I have not personally heard any podcasters advocate for filling in the Covid area with anything but serious disadvantages. One podcaster said this section is for hardships not inconveniences. I just feel like AOs are people experiencing this too and everyone is super Covid-weary. That was my take on the Chicago guyâs attitude.
Those considering using the section I think have to consider how much those missed opportunities would have enhanced the application. If the application is already strong, Iâd focus on the positives and things that actually were accomplished - the lemonade. You could still mention that a selective opportunity was replaced in the activity section after the replacement description. In general, I hope the overall tone of the app is excitement about whatâs coming for the student at college.
Congratulations to all the NMS semifinalists!
We havenât heard anything from our school and I suspect we will hear any thing at least till mid next week. It is frustrating that the school had the names of the semifinalists and OAS creds since at least last Wednesday. But, to be fair I guess the schools/GCs are also overwhelmed. Could someone who has the OSA credentials please confirm if the following prompt is still valid this year? Thanks!
âTo help the reviewers get to know you, describe an experience you have had, a person who has influenced you, or an obstacle you have overcome. Explain why this is meaningful to you. Use your own words and limit your response to the space provided.â
My D21 is struggling about what to put in the Covid section, if anything. She was impacted as many were with loss of sports/ECs/summer job changes, etc. Also my spouse/her dad had Covid in April and was pretty ill. It was very stressful for the household and my kids continued to work hard in their online classes and adjust to their new normal while not being able to see or speak to their dad for several weeks. D21 compares her experience to what others endure not only due to Covid but due to other situations (she lost a close relative with young kids to a rare cancer last yearâŠbeyond devastating) and she thinks it is whiny to mention her personal situation due to Covid when it could have been so much worseâŠand to an extent, sheâs right. But I hope admissions officers back off any negative judgement for what students write in the Covid section because there is no precedent for how the section should be used and the students are figuring this out as they go along. These students are 17 yo and the vast majority of the ones I know have been impacted in some wayâŠand they are coping extremely with applying to college when many of the most impactful criteria (standardized tests, junior year transcripts, junior year sports/ECâs/summer activities) considered in the typical admissions process have holes and no one knows the impact on admissions chances due to any one/all of those holes. So let them write a few sentences already. Iâll go a step further and say that my student doesnât belong at a college that judges her negatively for writing a few sentences about how a pandemic affected her so if what she writes there puts her app in the ânoâ pile, Iâm fine with that.
My D21 was fortunate enough to be in the same situation. Had things been different, she probably would have made a factual note of it.
I canât confirm about the prompt because we havenât gotten the packet yet either. My D21âs GC says theyâve gotten nothing in the mail and will be calling NMSC this morning to talk to them about it. I wonder if the delayed USPS delivery times is impacting a lot of these mailings?
DS didnât do much ECs anyway before COVID so heâll have plenty of room in his activity list! Heâll probably leave the COVID section blank. Might write in âother infoâ that he was supposed to be a camp counselor this summer but when that cancelled he got jobs babysitting and helping with home improvement projects in the neighborhood.
What about putting non-serious covid-related cancellations and disruptions and what they did instead in the Additional Info section? What is that section normally usually used for?
Right now, S used it to talk about how his sports shut down (and arenât allowed this season either), his music tours were cancelled, the summer program related to his intended major was cancelled, and the the things he did instead, including taking an online engineering class. None would fit in activities section. And the info shows he finally was going to do things related to his major.
Is this wrong? Help!
And congrats to all the NMSFâs!! We and S assumed heâd be one due to his score the yr before, but after he got back the results with too low of an Eng score, we knew there wasnât a chance, even though our index is embarrassingly low! At least weâre online schooling now. ?
@Momof0ne - I can confirm this prompt. I screen shot it last night when S21 logged in.
Thank you very much @carlson2 .
All this Covid CA question talk made me look on Youtube and there are a few different people offering advice including one titled, âDonât Answer the COvid-19 Question!â lol!
I watched exactly zero of them. My gut says, go with my gut. 
@havenoidea â yes, thatâs what my S is doing â putting it in Additional Info.
Heâs got a list of 3 things that were cancelled â his summer job as a camp counselor where he would have had leadership role, the rest of his robotics season, and his sport tournaments. The latter two they were in position to get state and perhaps national recognition, but he wonât mention that b/c both teams did so in 11th grade and is described in the activities section.
Also, because of COVID his school went to block schedule and as a result he may not be able to get an AP class he wants next semester. Heâs still waiting for the final word, but may add that too.
BUT heâs literally writing one single sentence about each, making them each a bullet basically. And for the summer job one he will mention what he did this summer instead (which is not much, in reality, but oh well)
I would encourage everyone to have their students read the actual COVID Prompt and the FAQ associated with it.
This is the prompt:
Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is yours to describe those impacts. Colleges care about the effects on your health and well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans, and education, including access to reliable technology and quiet study spaces.
Here is the FAQ:
COVID-19 has affected students in dramatically different ways. If you need it, the COVID-19 and natural disaster question in the Additional Information section is a place for you to describe the impact of these events.
The question is not intended to be an extra essay. Thereâs also no need to describe how your school responded to these events. Your counselor will have an opportunity to discuss impacts like closures, online instruction, and grading policies. Instead, consider how these events may have impacted you, your family, and your learning environment. Examples might include:
Illness or loss within your family or support network
Employment or housing disruptions within your family
Food insecurity
Toll on mental and emotional health
New obligations such as part-time work or care for siblings or family members
Availability of computer or internet access required to continue your studies
Access to a safe and quiet study space
A new direction for your major or career interests
@3kids2dogs That is very helpful-thanks! I guess putting minor issues like missing out on a camp or club/sport seems kind of mild in comparison. There is probably a more appropriate place to put the minor covid disruptions. Again, I really donât know what my D wrote and hope she read the instructions. I would also hope that if minor issues were written in that area that schools would be forgiving and just skip over it.
Theyâre quirky activities that show the fun side of her instead of the traditional ECs like sports, clubs, etc. . Also, they are used in this essay to soften the COVID responses, and hopefully makes her sound less whiny.
The FAQ really spells out what they want, and itâs not a list of cancelled activities. Thanks for the info.
Just received an email today that Dâs SAT testing site on 09/26 is either not offering or reduced available capacity so she will not test. She has 2 ACT tests and doesnât need an SAT, so that will be it for her. I donât think she is disappointed, just wanted to see what her # was. The email says that she will get a refund. Does anyone know if that is automatic. I thought the ACT would be automatic, but I waited and then had to fill out a form for a refund. Thanks.