College Planning Tips for Quarantine — updated for 2021 — Smart College Admission

If you are a junior in high school right now and thinking about applying to college next year you may have a lot of questions and possibly even some worries. Spring break college plans don’t look promising, maybe you didn’t get to take the SAT/ACT you anticipated, and your online classes are NOTHING like in-person classes. The extra time on your hands may actually make studying harder, sports and extracurricular activities are out the window, and everyone says your junior year is really important for colleges. ACK!

First, take a slow deep breath in through the nose and out through the mask, I mean mouth, and do it about 5 times. This is a verified way to reset your nervous system and get out of the “fight or flight” mindset this crazy year has ingrained in us. Trust me, you want a calm and focused brain for a college search even under traditional circumstances. (For a low-stress way to start your search take this fun quiz)

The GOOD News from College Deans

The theme for pandemic college search is flexible. As in colleges will be flexible and work with students to make the process accessible and manageable. This is coming from deans across the country. We already saw evidence of the flexible policy from last year and policies for the 2021–22 application process are still in flux. Like everything else, waiting for vaccinations to save us.

Keep in mind the this is all new ground for higher education too, and the admission offices are run by real people who are having the same experiences you are. They are sympathetic and many have kids of their own who are exactly where you are. Everyone agrees online learning sucks. They are trying to figure out how to process all the variations and twists just like you are.

So what does it mean for college applicants?

First things first. Your mental and physical health are THE top priority. Period. They are the foundation of everything else. Take care of yourself.

Next, though online education is still messy in most places, do your best. This is a good time to be extra sure you are in touch with ALL your teachers. If you are struggling academically or otherwise let them know. If you are doing great and enjoying online education send them a quick note to let them know what IS working for you. Did you find a crazy science experiment on YouTube that caught your eye? Discover a new author? Pick up a paintbrush? Tell them! They will appreciate the feedback and be glad to support your curiosity (as long as no one gets hurt in the process.) But most of all, stay in touch. Oh, and if you even *suspect* you may have a learning disability ask your high school counselor how to get tested. You want this documented.

What about all those other parts of the college application?

How can you show your extracurricular involvement when you can’t even be within six feet of other people? Well, have you ever thought about why extracurricular activities even count? Seriously, if you go to college to study and get a degree why does it matter? Here’s a tip- college is so much more than academics. It is also about community and the skills you learn outside of the classroom. Your extracurricular activities show you have social skills and won’t be the weirdo who stays in their room all the time only emerging when the dining hall opens for breakfast. (No one, except ROTC, goes to early breakfast in college.) Colleges are looking for people who are going to be active participants in their communities, or at least not nightmare roommates.

I have social skills, but how do I demonstrate that during social distancing?!

Keep in touch with people. Teachers, friends, classmates, your counselor, whoever! Create a recurring Zoom meeting where everyone agrees to study for an hour (yes, online, quiet is fine) and then takes a break to socialize. Nominate a different friend each day to pick the 30-minute workout video you will all do together. Make lunch and eat with friends. Find an online book club or discussion group around your favorite sport/hobby/politics or whatever engages you. Join your local Toastmasters Club and learn to be a better (online for now) public speaker.

Whatever you do, have a concrete answer to “What did you do during the quarantine?” because this would be an easy essay question!

Now would be an excellent time to start a journal on Penzu or similar.

Sports and recruiting

Just like you, coaches are struggling. They need to fill their rosters but with so many canceled tournaments and games, scouting is hit and miss. IF you have stayed in shape while stuck at home reach out to a team coach and ask if they accept video or what the criteria are for consideration. They know what they have and what they need to round out their team, so get yourself on their radar. The worst they can say is “no thanks.”

You can bet their players are expected to stay in shape, quarantine or no. Whether DI, II, or III all schools want to be competitive and they are not going to look twice at someone who isn’t dedicated to maintaining and even improving their individual fitness and skill level. Go running, try pilates, or whatever but stay in shape! It would not surprise me at all if coaches want verification that the videos taken before quarantine still reflect a similar degree of fitness after quarantine. Be ready to go.

SAT/ACT Testing

Maybe you squeezed in a test somehow or maybe you didn’t. Either way, there is a big question around testing — will it be required or not? Ultimately it is up to each school to decide. If you took a test and are happy with your scores (i.e. they match or exceed the college’s freshman scores from the last reported year) most schools will probably accept and consider them (except UCs and CSUs). Remember, “optional” leaves the door open. If you didn’t like your scores don’t send them in. Of course, no scores mean heavier reliance on grades and other data you do provide. But three years of grades should be a reasonable indication of your abilities anyway. ( See related SAT article here)

How to best use your time right now

This is actually pretty easy and no different than any other year. Pick a college search engine ( see this list from PrepScholar for ideas) and get your list started. Finding a college isn’t as easy as it sounds. There are more than 2,000 four-year schools in the USA alone. Your search engine will give you dozens if not hundreds of options depending on your criteria. Spend time digging in and deciding what you do and don’t like based on the websites. This could literally take until summer. Hopefully, by then things will be open for business and visits are a real possibility. Or at least the websites will be more robust! If you have a firm list you will also know if any of your schools need SAT/ACT scores and can plan (or avoid) accordingly.

Quarantine or no, college is still in your future. Use your time wisely and take care of what is most important — YOU!

Originally published at https://smartcollegeadmission.com on April 17, 2020.