Right before Christmas, we announced the TEAK Fellows’ Early College Acceptance list. Below, Dan Blednick, Director of College Guidance, shares his thoughts on the college admission process during Covid-19.
Now that 2020 is behind us (whew!), I wanted to take a moment to focus on something that may seem trivial when compared to the greater impact of the COVID Pandemic, but is likely on many people’s minds: how did COVID impact the college process for our TEAK seniors (Class 18)?
First off, like all of us, TEAK’s college applicants needed to focus on their responsibilities and goals while a storm of uncertainty was swirling around them. Would the SAT’s happen? How would colleges evaluate the new grading system implemented by their schools in the spring? Would students be able to visit colleges before they applied? Will colleges still be able to offer the financial aid necessary for those who qualify? To combat this, we advised students to focus only on what they can control, communicated with families as new trends emerged, and worked with our college partners to not only provide robust virtual programming for our students, but also to understand all of the implications that COVID has had on their application process and how our students would be impacted as a result.
For Class 18, this meant that they were not able to take standardized testing last spring. Around the same time, many colleges and universities announced that they would be moving to a “test-optional” policy for admissions for the foreseeable future. Despite this fact, TEAK moved forward with our standardized test prep for Class 18 over Spring Break and during the summer before senior year. Even though most colleges no longer required standardized testing and an applicant’s chances for admission would not be reduced if they did not submit scores, a strong score would still help these students in the process. While there were some TEAK seniors who elected not to submit SAT scores, the majority of Class 18 were able to submit scores that reflected positively on their abilities and gave them a better chance of gaining admission.
When it came time for our annual Spring Break College Trip, we had to face the inevitable fact that this trip had to be canceled out of an abundance of caution. In fact, the colleges we were planning on visiting were not open for visitors, so the decision was pretty much made for us. Our students then needed to find new ways to interact with colleges to learn more about the academic programs offered, explore social groups on campus, demonstrate interest and get the “vibe” of life in their community. Our college partners have done a very commendable job of providing students with new and creative ways to virtually engage with their faculty, students, and staff, and TEAK students have taken advantage of these opportunities. In addition, our college students and alumni have played a critical role in providing insight to our students about their college experiences. When it came time to apply, most of our seniors took a well-informed “leap of faith” about where to submit their applications. This is the first year in my TEAK career that I have had encouraged students to apply to a college under a binding Early Decision plan without first setting foot on campus. However, 19 members (roughly 75%) of TEAK’s senior class felt as though they had enough information to commit to applying Early Decision, and 16 of those students were admitted to their first-choice school with financial aid packages that were affordable and fair.
Rest assured that TEAK’s College Guidance team is staying on top of all of the current trends in the field. From our financial aid workshops and individual meetings with families to our communication with colleges and participation in professional development events, we are doing everything we can to minimize the stress on our families while maximizing our students’ college options. We look forward to sharing all of Class 18’s success with the TEAK community on May 1st, 2021, when every member of Class 18 will have decided where they are going to spend the next four years of their educational journey. Until then, stay positive, stay safe, and take care of each other. TEAK is always here for you if you have any questions, so just let me know!
Sincerely,
Dan
Dan Blednick
Director of College Guidance
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For more information about our College Guidance program, contact Dan Blednick, Director of College Guidance.