Hello from quarantine in the Adirondacks! I have been carefully monitoring the impact of the global pandemic on college admissions and I have shared all my information to date on this post, College Admissions & COVID 19.  I have attended multiple online meetings to learn about shifts in testing, admission policies and everything in between. Things are in a fluid state and there will likely be more changes as the effects of Covid 19 continue to unfold. Here is a recap of the latest developments:

TESTING-The College Board cancelled the May and June SAT and plans to offer monthly testing, starting in August. They are also developing a plan for online testing at home in the fall, if they should need it. The College Board is giving registration priority to students that do not have scores or students that were registered for the June test. The ACT is moving forward with their June and July testing dates and have scheduled “rain dates” the week after each test. (I do not understand how one week will make a difference, but that is their plan). In the fall, they will offer an at-home online test and they will also offer the choice to retake a specific section online.

TEST OPTIONAL-Colleges across the nation are moving to a test-optional policy, some of them permanently, some temporarily, as I write this. So how should a 2021 applicant proceed? My instinct is that unless a college says they are test-blind, good standardized test scores are always going to help an application.

SAT SUBJECT TESTS-Several schools have dropped their requirements and I think that more will. If you are able to take them and your scores are good, unless a school says they are test-blind, the subject tests will enhance your profile.

APPLICATION TIMELINE-One question that I have heard more than once is if application deadlines for EA/ED/RD will change. I think it is too soon to tell. College admission offices have been adapting to constant change for the past months and I heard one Dean of Admissions say that they have not had a chance to consider whether these dates should change. So I would stay tuned to see if the timeline for applications shifts .

Stay tuned for Part II tomorrow!