I know all college admissions officers have been saying that students who don’t report their SAT/ACT will not be disadvantaged but do you think that if a person submits an SAT/ ACT score have a better chance than those who don’t because colleges will have more context about that person? And since SAT/ACT is optional this year, will the essays have more weightage?
Yes the personal insight essays will have greater importance in the UC application review however the UC’s always considered them Very Important.
If the college says that the scores are optional this year, they really mean it. In my work, I personally know several kids who were unable to take a test despite several attempts. Colleges know this is the case for many kids. Don’t worry about that.
Yes, essays will probably be more important this year. Put effort into them and ask an English teacher to look them over.