A High Schooler’s Coronavirus Guide
How To Take Control Of Your Academic Future During a Global Pandemic
Revolution Tutors
For high school juniors, this is usually crunch-time. You’d be prepping for AP exams, researching final papers, visiting colleges, and taking the SAT or ACT, all while performing in spring concerts, getting ready for playoff games, and planning the perfect prom-posal. Instead, the world has largely moved inside and online. COVID-19 has altered our lives in ways that would have seemed unthinkable three months ago.
Right now, the uncertainty might feel paralyzing. It’s okay to grieve for the moments and memories that you lost. But once you’ve vented your frustrations, know that you have a long life ahead of you, filled with countless dreams and accomplishments and adventures. One of the most significant adventures in your future will be your college journey! Let’s talk about what you can do right now to take control of your academic future in four key areas: grades, standardized testing, college visits, and summer plans.
1. Grades:
Whether your school has moved to pass/fail grading, like many, or retained your normal grading scale during distance learning, the admissions counselors for your region will be familiar with your high school’s decision when they read your application, so don’t panic. Your top academic priority should be to finish the semester strong by earning your best possible grades. Staying engaged during this time is especially crucial for those of you who got off to a rocky start and were counting on this semester to boost your GPA. You can bet your teachers will remember that you consistently completed your work to a high standard and offered insightful comments during virtual class discussions when it’s time for them to write your recommendation letters. Don’t check out just because you’re working from home in your sweatpants!
So the SAT you signed up for was canceled. And then the next one was canceled. Now what? Many schools are going “test-optional” in light of the pandemic. Test-optional does not mean that schools won’t consider standardized test scores. It simply means that applicants no longer have to submit them. No matter how tempting it might be to burn all of your prep books and succumb to the test-optional offer, it is still to your advantage to submit test scores. Submitting a score that falls within or beyond a university’s published range will give admissions counselors one more piece of positive information with which to evaluate your application. If your score is already high, great. If your score is not yet where you want it to be, keep pushing yourself to improve. You have plenty of quarantine-friendly virtual options! Whether you sign up for a prep class, work with a tutor one-on-one, or engage in deliberate, targeted review on your own, you can absolutely boost your score with consistency and a confident mindset.
Visiting a university allows you to move beyond the glossy admissions materials and carefully curated website to get a feel for the culture of a school. The bad news? On-campus admissions events have been canceled. The good news? Colleges are supplementing their online presence and offering prospective students new avenues for engagement with fresh video tours and widespread interactive online information sessions. Many colleges, especially small ones, are eager to communicate with students on a personal level as well. If you’re interested in a college, find the admissions rep for your region online and send them an email asking a specific question or two about the school. You never know where it might lead! My sister, a current high school junior, tested this strategy and has been able to communicate with current students about core curriculum requirements, learn about club sports teams, sit in on a Zoom humanities course, and speak one-on-one with the director of an academic program that interests her. These experiences have helped her understand what attending these schools might be like, though she hasn’t stepped foot on their campuses.
4. Summer Plans:
Summer 2020 promises to be like no other we’ve ever experienced. Internships, jobs, sports tournaments and showcases, performance opportunities, summer camps, on-campus courses for college credit: all canceled. Although your plans may have changed, there are still plenty of ways that you can use this time to add value for yourself and your application. Start brainstorming topics for your Common App essays, take an online prep course or drill down with one of our private tutors to earn the standardized test score you want, tackle a classic novel, find a way to help someone in need of a hand, learn a new skill, or take a course on a platform like Coursera.
Although the uncertainties facing all of us are uncomfortable, they don’t have to be overwhelming. There are concrete steps you can take even now to position yourself for success in your college admissions cycle and beyond. You will make it through this and come out stronger!