Continuing The College Process From Home
During challenging times, it is often important to identify what things you can control and what things you cannot. For example, we cannot control the virus or the fact that you cannot see your friends in person. These unprecedented events truly show us that much of what is happening is outside our control. However, we can find new ways to connect with our friends and family during this time. The silver lining is that you may be making more connections to the important people in your life than you ever did before. The same is true about the college process. You cannot visit universities in person, but there is a growing list of resources that can help you do your research. And colleges are offering more access to what is happening behind the scenes than ever before.
Here are some resources that might help:
We [the college counseling team] found this great article from Forbes called Virtually Possible: Locking Down the College Search in A Global Pandemic. It offers much of the same advice that we would have given and has some great links to resources inside. (And sometimes it is nice to hear the same message from someone else!). For example, the article has a link to CampusReel, which is an organization that has gathered hundreds of college tours filmed and narrated by current students on college campuses.
NACAC (the National Association of College Admissions Counselors) has created a database that provides information on how hundreds of colleges are handling the virus. It includes links to the latest information on school closures, campus tours, and other virtual tools that you may find useful during this time.
Volunteering In a Virtual Way
Some students have mentioned that they want to continue their volunteer work, especially now that they may have some extra time. If you are interested in finding ways to volunteer from home, this article lists a number of organizations that use virtual volunteers. And don’t forget, during these times, it is the little things that count. You may not think that they are a big deal, but doing tasks such as helping a younger sibling with their homework, tutoring a friend, taking on household responsibilities so your parents can work, walking your dog, or reaching out to a neighbor that needs help can make a big difference in how we all weather this storm. Whatever you do, remember that your health comes first and that college admissions officers completely understand that you are not going to be as actively involved as normal. They are stuck in their houses too! Focus on using your time to do things that are most important to you.
Webinars And Resources and Articles, Oh My!
Since nothing is “normal,” there is an abundance of information coming out these days about the evolving college admissions process. But how can you tell if what you are seeing is good advice or not? Just like any other time, it is worth checking your source. So before you jump on a private counseling website, realize that they have a business agenda and they may or may not have the expertise to help you. Instead, we recommend turning to the colleges, organizations like the College Board and ACT, and trusted national publications. Admissions officers are actively involved in the discussions at their school, so they have a clear understanding of the complexity of the decisions being made. Here are two blogs posted by well-known admissions leaders that are good examples of the resources that we hope you will find and use.
- Jeff Schiffman, Director of Admission at Tulane University.
- Rick Clark, Director of Undergraduate Admission at Georgia Tech.
Many colleges are offering students a virtual inside glimpse of college campuses. In many cases, you can jump into a class, take a digital tour of the campus, pop in on a panel, or Zoom with a current student during this time when the normal college visits and tours have stopped. So check out what the colleges have to offer on their individual websites.
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