And What Students Should Do to Adapt
Something’s in the air. And it’s more than just the holiday season.
Early college admissions results are in for this year, and something is definitely different. Colledge students are crushing it—we’ve had students accepted to Brown, Barnard, Santa Clara, Vanderbilt, Fordham, and Indiana University, among others—but the competition is fierce.
The COVID-driven diminution of testing in the college admissions calculus has led to an explosion in the number of early decision applications at many schools. Boston College reports than its early decision applications were up 50 percent over last year, Middlebury is up 10 percent, and Davidson is up 13 percent.
COVID-inspired gap years have also factored in—students who took a year off during 2020 appear to have flooded into the applicant pool this year, causing this year’s seniors to vie with last year’s seniors for admissions slots.
These two factors have made early admissions—which has historically been the more predictable part of the admissions cycle—a more intense experience, with some students who would have been likely admits in years past getting deferrals or denials.
For seniors, this may mean more focus on the regular admissions cycle. But for all students, including juniors and sophomores, this means it is becoming more important than ever for students to identify colleges that match their passions and their qualifications early. Successfully curating that Best Right Fit college list is hard work, but it is perhaps the most critical part of the college admissions journey. And starting early means you’ll have the time to cultivate a list that leads you to success in your college admissions journey.
Another key piece to consider: right now, admissions officers are focusing more closely on high school courses, grades and rigor on the transcript in order to level the playing field with students choosing not to submit test scores. So it’s essential to strategize about courses early in order to ensure that your transcript reflects your capabilities when application season arrives.
We’re ready to help get that process started. Click HERE to connect with us. And may your holidays be warm and wonderful.
