@hurlz13 I don’t know if colleges are trying to fill more of their class with ED. If some are, I’d imagine that it would just be to secure commitments from full pay students given the loss in revenue due to covid and the uncertainty for next fall related to covid. I doubt the top schools need to do this. I think what we’re seeing is just that some kids of means see this cycle as an opportunity.
@Momof3B wrote, “Band has resumed here so S21 has all his section leader responsibilities, albeit modified since band activities have been scaled back. He was also selected for our city’s Youth Action Council this year and they are meeting in person, with masks and maintaining social distance.”
I am so envious of your son’s situation, as well as of the kids who are getting testing done. Our area remains completely shut down for school and all school-related things, as well as for D21’s non-school extracurriculars.
While I wholly support the school district and regional shutdown for health reasons, it does seem to put D21 at a disadvantage compared to students in other areas of the country who can continue with things.
Just whining. How soon is the college app season over?
@Creaky - I need a countdown for how many days until these dreaded apps are all over and we can just then “wait”. Hah! Then the fun really begins I suppose?!
But yes, i’m so over it. (And, I acknowledge I am the parent not the teen writing them, etc.) 
ED is not popular around here and S21 doesn’t know anyone that is considering it.
How many students apply ED from a school may indeed be regional. We’re at a public HS in CA, and ED is not popular at D’s school. I know that the financial commitment is an issue for a lot of people, including our family. Plus, since the state schools do not have ED, it’s not part of the general culture.
Congrats to your daughter on her fantastic score @TVBingeWatcher2 and for qualifying for the Alabama Presidential Elite scholarship! We are in the same boat that S21 just missed NMSF, so we are driving 4.5 hours this Saturday to ID for an SAT test to be able to chase merit scholarship money too. I just called the HS there to see if they are still planning on holding the test, fingers crosssed.
@TVBingeWatcher2 Congratulations to your daughter and qualifying for that great Bama scholarship.
My D got a 34 first time and was shooting for the 36 but just found out she got a 35…I told her she should take it again to shoot for that Bama scholarship…but she shot that idea down. She is done with covid testing.
However she is going to let her D18 sister know that she matched D18’s 35…
@burghdad A covid test is easier than retaking the ACT for sure. A 35 is a great score too so congrats to your D.
Hi All-
I have been lurking here for months so I thought it was time to join the party! I have a D21 who is my youngest so I have done this before:) She is super bright but has only taken 1 AP until this year and is now in AP Psych and AP Calc AB. She has taken mainly honors classes and has a 4.8 W GPA. She got a 36 on the ACT in her first and only sitting. She has decent EC’s- varsity sport captain, MUN, NHS to name a few. She is also very artistic and creative. We live in a suburb of Chicago and she goes to an elite public so her stats are ‘average’. She plans to study science- chem or environmental - in college. She had some anxiety and was diagnosed as ADD Sophomore year and has had straight A’s since getting straightened out emotionally. She is an awesome kid. My concern is I thought she would go the LAC route. She is hitting her stride later in HS and I could see her really continue to take off and grow at a smaller school. She has decided Duke of all places is her school. She is in full mode of preparing her ED application. In a normal year, I would not be as concerned, but I feel like ED is going to be super important this year and she has some other schools she likes that would be a more realistic chance for success at admission as well as be a better fit for her as a student. She is fully aware it is a Hail Mary and says she will be happy at a number of other schools on her list but she wants to try. We are full pay and my DH signed off on the tuition- he is an ivy grad and thinks this is ‘great’. My actual fear is that in this crazy admit cycle she might actually get in despite her lack of rigor and it will be a poor fit. I am trying to stay silent and let her go through her process but it’s been tough!
@whyboydanny - Welcome to CC!!! Your D sounds like a very special senior who has worked hard and has nicely balanced sports, academics, etc! And she has made an ED choice! That tells me she is invested in the process and ready to try and make things happen, etc. Good for her!!! And…I think you are wise to recognize she very well could end up with an early acceptance to Duke with ED this year.
Again, a big welcome!!!
Thanks- I
have to remind myself it’s not my journey.!
I’m so good at finding new things to worry about. What I woke up in the night wondering: if we have concerns about colleges in places that are more or less shut down still (California), that could reasonably lead to a reduction in apps/enrollment at those places. But is the reverse also potentially true, might colleges that have students back on campus now attract more apps this fall, making them slightly more competitive than usual?
@evergreen5 True. But what do we even mean by “back on campus”? Sure, we can say Alabama or Boulder are back on campus but ugh. Lots of cases and a hot mess. I guess we can compare a Bowdoin/Amherst situation where not all kids are on campus to a Middlebury/Bates experience but diving in more closely, those schools still have almost all remote classes and very limited extracurriculars going on. So what’s the sweet spot? Which schools have kids back on campus where they are getting a larger percent of the “normal” experience and testing regularly to keep cases low? Purdue? Notre Dame? Most big public universities not doing well. Emory, Duke, Vanderbilt, Northwestern etc don’t have all kids on campus. I don’t even know what I’m judging anymore except I don’t want full out explosion of cases and all remote classes.
It would vary by family, but thinking out loud, I’d be satisfied with roughly half in-person classes, students physically on-campus. That then leads to the testing question. I didn’t really want to add another column to the spreadsheet - at least it’ll keep me busy, maybe stop me from nagging.
Anyway, no college will do it perfectly, but for those that come through this semester in that sweet spot, I do wonder about app numbers. Or maybe that would be offset by a general downward trend in app numbers based on financial concerns and age demographics.
@evergreen5 I am also a worrier. My last worry was that so many kids from our school were ED’ing to our S’s potential choices. Now, I’m worried that neither should apply ED at all. What if, even with a vaccine, we’re still in this mess? Why pay so much $ to be far away and online?
Also, who knows what will happen with the election? After last night’s debate, I might want to move to another country and bring my kids with me. I know this sounds drastic, just sharing today’s worries.
So here’s an example of what I suppose I considered “working” during covid. S, at Richmond, has 3 in person classes, and 1 online class. He has some in person ECs. Everyone is always masked. So, the super-fun part of school for him, namely parties, aren’t happening. But, he’s mostly in-person learning. And, he’s taken up mock trial again because his on campus job was dissolved due to all sports being cancelled (sports marketing). I suppose it’s the best it could be, unless you were at a completely isolated campus where nobody could leave or come on campus during the semester.
When I’m looking at how colleges are dealing with the pandemic, I guess I’m looking at bigger picture things like are they getting the kids the health and mentl
Thanks for chiming in about Richmond. That’s super helpful for us.
As for ED and competing with kids at the high school, that’s a real worry here too. I have an email out to our GC asking if she’s seeing an uptick in ED or not as many this year. I don’t think many apply ED from our school to the schools on D21’s list but a few might and, if they take them, then her chance is less in RD. That’s just the way it works here. And, if classes are all online next year, there’s always a gap year. Just my two cents but D21 will choose the best fit of her acceptances and I don’t think location is going to come into play.
@homerdog I appreciate that you are sharing information about how the colleges are faring. I have to admit I am not really following that but will be considering it. It’s a bummer about Boulder. I guess some schools and local governments will learn from their mistakes. Federal response could be different next year too. Hoping for the best.
@TVBingeWatcher2 Congrats to your D!!
I wouldn’t assume it will be “easy” to get in even if applying ED but it will give her a slight bump over last year’s ED class is my thought with less students not visiting the campus yet and the financial uncertainty of COVID. ED applicants last year were down 500 and I expect that trend to continue. Good luck!
@whyboydanny Welcome! Your daughter sounds great. Duke is one of those schools that gives a meaningful bump to ED applicants. This is not to say that standards are lowered. Rather of the many qualified students that apply, they are able to take more of them. I can understand your mixed feelings about fit (and cost!)
@NateandAllisMom I wouldn’t write off Boulder just yet. Based on the massive COVID and the 2020-2021 school year thread started by our very own @homerdog, what seems to be happening at many larger schools with party reputations is that there’s an initial big spike, a crackdown (often accompanied by more thorough testing), and then a fairly quick decline of positive cases. I am not an epidemiologist so I don’t have a good explanation for this. It may be as simple as the students taking it seriously only when there’s a big breakout and schools impose consequences? Moving forward, I think that frequent and comprehensive testing will continue to be crucial. If cheap, rapid saliva-based tests are available more broadly, that could be a game changer for schools of all types.