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Attention College Kickstart subscribers! We’ve enhanced our test-optional recommendation engine to help you better handle the growing list of schools going test-blind for the 2020-21 admission cycle. Click Continue Reading below to learn more. Handling Test-Blind Admissions in College Kickstart. What is Test-Blind Admission? Institutions that are “test-blind” will NEVER consider your test scores as part of your application, even if you choose to submit them.
Hoping to get a great recommendation letter for your college or scholarship applications? It’s hard to write a recommendation for someone you don’t know. It’s especially important to have strong relationships with your teachers and counselor but it might seem difficult to cultivate those relationships in the era of “home learning”. How can you reach out to your teachers?
If you’re like most students, you’re probably feeling frustrated being cooped up inside during the COVID-19 pandemic and if you’re a junior, you could be anxious about the college admissions process. Truth be told, applying to college will look very different than it has in the past. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the Common Application essay.
Dear High School Class of 2021: Wow. In addition to all spring semester activities and athletics being canceled (including junior prom, if your school has one), and on top of schools pivoting from in-person classes to distance learning online, now the College Board has officially canceled every SAT scheduled for the spring semester. What should you do now?
As we close out a month of social distancing, we, as a collective community, are slowly building a new way of life. We used to set our alarm clocks, prepare for our days, and head out to school or to our prospective places of employment. Now we get up and log on to our computers for distance education, remote meetings, and virtual social interaction.
And learn how setting up virtual parent orientation can help you meet your enrollment goals. Planning parent orientation, but not sure where to start? Staring blankly at a screen? It doesn’t have to be scary. CampusESP technology supports remote parent engagement without any IT support. To get an idea of what virtual college orientation can look like for you, check out our case study on how Texas A&M pulled it off for 14,000 families.
We continue to look for ways to help you better manage the uncertainty brought on by COVID-19. In the past two months we've added several new capabilities, including: Active tracking of test-optional institutions. Links to virtual visit programming for each of the schools we cover. A recommendation engine to help you capitalize on test-optional admissions.
Seniors, are you worried about your upcoming AP tests or final exams? In a normal year, these exams can be anxiety producing but this year that may be particularly true. AP exams will now be offered in an online, open-note/open book format. As schools continue to push back open dates or cancel in person classes for the rest of the year, you may find yourself taking online or modified final exams for all of your classes.
Seniors, are you worried about your upcoming AP tests or final exams? In a normal year, these exams can be anxiety producing but this year that may be particularly true. AP exams will now be offered in an online, open-note/open book format. As schools continue to push back open dates or cancel in person classes for the rest of the year, you may find yourself taking online or modified final exams for all of your classes.
First things first: We hope you and your family are healthy and safe! Second, don’t panic. We’re dealing with highly uncertain times. Nobody knows how this pandemic will evolve or when it will end, so colleges and organizations that deal with college admissions are continually updating policies and timelines. Most are trying to be as flexible as possible and exercise understanding in the face of challenging circumstances.
Since I last wrote about coronavirus and college applications , a lot has changed. Here is the newest information and some suggestions about what you can do now, even while the landscape is shifting. In-person SATs and ACTs are cancelled, at least until June. An online version will allegedly be available relatively soon. However, the online version will require an extra payment for online proctoring, won’t be widely available and is also raising some privacy concerns.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly all colleges are currently closed to students and visitors. This situation might be particularly frustrating to high school seniors (and their parents) who would like to tour the schools they've been admitted to in order to make the most informed admissions decision possible. Also, spring break is traditionally the time that high school juniors and sophomores would visit various college campuses to get a sense of student life on the campuses they're think
If you have questions on how to proceed with the college admissions process, check out this resource I created: How to Make a Final College Decision in the Wake of a Pandemic. The latest news: Yield and Admit Rates Are in Flux. Here’s a spreadsheet of Colleges That Have Announced Test-Optional Policies Due to Covid-19. Secondary Schools Guidance Department Updates (on transcripts, grades, college resources).
In recent weeks we've seen several prominent institutions adopt test-optional admissions for the coming cycle to alleviate some of the anxiety brought on by COVID-19. With many more institutions expected to follow suit, we've introduced two new capabilities in College Kickstart to help you stay on top of the changes and identify situations where applying test-optional may be worth considering.
People around the world are adapting to a new normal. Many businesses have reinvented themselves, restaurants are offering delivery and takeout options, television news and late-night shows are broadcasting from home, and most k-12 and colleges in the US have adopted online learning formats. Now that you may be settling in to a different routine, it's time to refocus and adopt some new strategies regarding college admission.
“Why do you want to study your chosen major?" is one of the most common supplemental essay prompts. It's a fair question and one that you should be able to answer in an authentic and engaging essay. Seemingly straight forward, this question can take many different forms. Examples of "Why Major" Essay Prompts. Brown University. Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits.
If you’re planning to go to business school in the next 18 months, you are likely wondering how coronavirus is shifting the landscape for MBA applications. Here are some big changes – and insight that you need into what’s going on behind the scenes as you think about coronavirus and MBA applications. Wait lists are real. On the admissions side, there is profound uncertainty about yield – international students might not be able to get visas, people who have already deposited might not be a
The University of California announced today that it has “temporarily relaxed some undergraduate admissions policies” for the fall 2021 freshman class so that “students are not penalized by their inability to earn letter grades for academic classes or take standardized tests during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The temporary changes to UC admission requirements include the following: UC will not require a letter grade for A-G courses taken this year in winter, spring or summer UC will not require appl
My college essay students ask me the same question every year: “How do I write an essay that stands out to admissions?” In a recent Forbes Article, What’s The Most Popular College Application Essay Topic?, author Maureen Sullivan wrote: Nearly half of the college applicants who used the Common Application this year submitted an essay about their “background, identity, interest, or talent.
Making a final decision without making a visit Although many schools have postponed their enrollment deadlines, some are sticking to May 1 which is right around the corner. You may still be weighing your enrollment options. With college visits off the table, the choice may seem more difficult than ever. How do you make a final decision without making a visit?
As “stay at home” orders continue on for many states, you may find yourself with some extra time on your hands. Have you run out of puzzles, family game night getting old, have you reached the end of the internet? Maybe it’s time to think about some of life's big questions – like “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. But before you start there, consider this advice from Jaime Casap.
By now you’ve received financial aid awards from the schools that have offered you admission. But interpreting those awards might seem a bit like reading a foreign language. Here are six common terms that you will see on a financial aid award and some ideas on how to assess your offers. In addition, it’s possible that your family’s financial circumstances have changed since you applied.
Online classes or some modified version of schooling at home is the new reality for a large majority of students in the country. The coronavirus pandemic has created huge education adjustment for everyone involved – students, parents, and teachers. Many are now worried – especially juniors – about how this new version of school will impact your college admission prospects next year.
The ripple effects of COVID-19 are just starting to make their impacts. It’s safe to say that the coronavirus has upended the college admission process for the coming year. You probably have a lot of questions and colleges are just starting to consider how they will adjust their admission process for next year. Here are some of the topics that students and colleges are grappling with: I was going to take the May SAT but it is canceled.
May 1 is traditionally National College Decision Day. Typically, schools require that students choose where they will enroll by submitting an enrollment deposit on or before May 1. That makes April – decision time. Of course, this year things are feeling very different. A large number of colleges have already extended their enrollment deadlines to June 1.
The coronavirus has drastically altered life around the world, and while college admissions isn’t life and death, it’s safe to say that the admissions process has been upended. Colleges around the country have canceled in person classes and most have adopted an online format for the remainder of the semester. With that, it’s certain that spring college visits will be occurring in non-traditional ways.
The coronavirus has drastically altered life around the world, and while college admissions isn’t life and death, it’s safe to say that the admissions process has been upended. Colleges around the country have canceled in person classes and most have adopted an online format for the remainder of the semester. With that, it’s certain that spring college visits will be occurring in non-traditional ways.
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