How is Covid-19 Affecting College Admissions?

The past six months have been a challenging time for the entire world, but an especially confusing and questionable time for high school seniors as they apply to college. One effect that the virus has had on school is the inability for students to gather, which makes taking standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT impossible for certain students. In the case of Greenfield High School, three SAT tests were cancelled thus far and more are expected to be cancelled as the year progresses. The SAT is an integral part of the admissions process for many students, and with the possibility of it being eliminated, students at GHS and around the country are looking for what is next.

I wanted to gather information from people who were experienced with the college admissions process before the virus, so I questioned a former student and one of the guidance counselors to gain some insight as to how the process has changed. GHS alumni Nathan Provost claimed that “colleges will be more focused on the GPA of students applying, as the SAT was a counter balance to GPA”. Nathan is currently enrolled at Brown University in Providence RI, and says that his SAT score had a major impact on his application. Without test scores, students are left wondering how much each part of the application affects the overall chance of them getting into a school.

To gain more insight into what makes an application I talked with Shelly Demeo, one of the school’s guidance counselors. She claimed that “this year was going to be a weird year for admissions,” and that “schools are going to take into consideration everything that has happened, and the circumstances specific to your region."

Even with this reassurance nobody really knows what this year is going to be like. Finding the right college and applying is hard enough, and with a pandemic on top of that the stress levels could not be higher for seniors this year. This is no reason to worry though, as colleges are very understanding of everyone’s situation and are looking to get to know more about each student before they admit. So to the seniors, enjoy the year, because even without the SAT, schools will be looking more into who you are rather than a score you earned this college admissions year.

Photo Credit: John Phelan (2017) CC.A.SA4.0I