Having said that, I would like to reassure them. Yes, the future is murky. Yes, the whole college admissions system has been turned on its head. And, yes, there are certainly more uncertainties than there are answers. However, in the past six weeks I have attended a dozen webinars with college admission officers, and they are all saying the same thing: they understand. This is what Rick Clark, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Georgia Tech had to say when asked about students applying with pass/fail grades:
“We will do what we always have done: look at the high school they attend, what courses they had access to (course availability), which courses they took (course selection, e.g. academic rigor), and how they did in those classes (course performance, e.g. GPA). We will not look at all high schools uniformly, but rather take the time to understand context, including how the Covid-19 pandemic impacted that community, school, and student.”
Han Mi Yoon-Wu, Director of Undergraduate Admissions for the University of California said almost the same thing. UC schools will use the information that they have in the context of the grading policy of each high school. Tulane said to worry about those things you can control. I heard it as well from Colgate and Pitt and many others.
Colleges seem to be making appropriate changes to their policies however and whenever they can. Many are waiving standardized testing requirements for 2021 applicants and the few that still require SATII, subject tests, are relaxing those requirements, as well. They understand that spring sports, school plays, and many community volunteer opportunities have dried up. They especially appreciate the number of applicants who have been much more adversely affected by financial hardship and/or illness. So rising Seniors, if your complaints to the District are not heeded, do not panic. As Owen Knight from Tulane said, control what you can.
Signed,
Proud Parent of Two Vista High School Graduates
For questions regarding the college application process, please contact me. I am an Independent Educational Consultant specializing in helping students and their families navigate the college application process.