faq

How and when you support students in the area of college and career will be up to you and the needs of your students. If you conducted a distance learning needs assessment, was College and Career an option? Was there a need at this time or is something else more pressing? You know your students best. If you had a career lesson planned, you can still implement it online via google classroom or a live webinar. Keep in mind that there are rising seniors who may need support from you as they approach college application season. You also have current seniors with important deadlines approaching, these students may not be able to wait to discuss their postsecondary plans.   

The National Association for College Admissions Counseling has created a college tool that allows students and counselors to look up college updates (such as deposit deadlines) in one place. However, students are advised to go directly to the college’s website for the most up-to-date information about deadlines. Students should be encouraged to check their emails and their college student portals for updates.  

If a student’s financial circumstances have changed, the student is encouraged to contact the college’s financial aid office to inform them of the change. Most colleges have the flexibility to work with students to make sure that they can afford school. Here are two resources on how to write an appeal letter: Resource 1 and Resource 2. 

The landscape of college admissions is rapidly adapting so that Juniors going into their Senior Year will not be penalized for grade change policies, interruptions to standardized testing, and pauses in extracurricular activities. It is important that Juniors add additional comments to their college applications to explain any changes or discrepancies in their academic record or pertaining to their extracurriculars that occurred as a result of the pandemic. Reassure them that they are not alone in this experience.  

Keep in mind that Colleges and universities across the country are also changing their own grading policies for their students during this time. These are unprecedented times and college admissions will look different for students as it pertains to their academic record for this semester. Admissions teams look for reasons to admit your students, not deny them. A change in grading policy for this semester can be explained on the student’s college application in the additional comments section. If your district institutes a Pass/No Pass (Fail) policy for this semester but the student earned a letter grade of an A (per their percentage in the class), they can certainly mention that in the additional comments section of their application. Through the class of 2024, high schools should provide a statement on the transcript and school profile highlighting the grading practices used during this time.   

Colleges are continuing to update testing policies throughout this time. This is a list of existing schools who are test optional. For the most up to date information regarding testing requirements, students are encouraged to visit the school’s website.  

There are many ways in which a student can demonstrate interest online. Students can attend online campus tours, complete an interest form on the school’s website to obtain more information, respond to outreach emails from colleges, connect with colleges through social media (this is a great way for students to start getting a feel for the culture of the school to determine if it is a good social fit), and attend online college admissions events. View this post for details.