Our College Office shared information at their annual Information Night for Senior Families on September 16. Here are some more tips from the College Office:
Students are best served discussing any COVID related concerns in the new Common App question rather than in their primary college essay. Teachers also need not describe how Stuy has been affected by COVID in their letters as we (College Office) have a special section in our High School Profile dedicated to exactly that, along with an update posted on the College Office website. A line with hyperlinks to both that will be included in every school counselor rec letter this year. This ensures that each rep reading applications from Stuy will see how we were (and continue to be) impacted by the pandemic. We will also continue to be in communication with reps from many of the institutions to which our students apply via phone/email/Zoom as we have been since the spring.
Standardized testing will still play a large role in the admissions process at many colleges this cycle; test-optional colleges still utilize testing for those applicants who choose to submit ACT/SAT scores, and over 90% of our seniors have taken at least one of these exams. But students without scores will not be penalized as a result. At test -blind colleges, however, such as the entire CUNY system, the UC system, and CalTech, ACT/SAT scores are not used at all; so for this small group of institutions, testing plays no role whatsoever.
Regarding writing about COVID-19, there will be a question concerning the pandemic on the Common App.
https://www.commonapp.org/blog/COVID-19-question-common-app
COVID-19 Question on 2020-2021 Common App
Counselors will also find space in their Common App counselor forms to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on their school communities. The following optional question will be located within the School Profile section.
www.commonapp.org
