April 22, 2020
Dear Tahoe Tutoring Families,
I hope you and your family are staying healthy during this unprecedented time. I know this is a difficult time for high school students who are trying to navigate their classes online and apply to college. As much as possible, it’s important to help students maintain a daily class and study structure while campuses are closed. I would like to share with you some resources and insight for the temporarily altered college admissions process as well as SAT and ACT preparation.
Helpful Information from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC):
- NACAC is providing resources with information about changes in application procedures, college admission events, and deposit dates as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
- This link (College Admission Update Report) includes updates from colleges and universities worldwide:. Select the “+” symbol next to any category to narrow the results. To view alphabetically by school, click on “Institutions” and then the school’s name. This tool will update in real-time as NACAC receives input from postsecondary institutions.
Recommendations for the classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022:
- Continue to complete all coursework to the best of your ability this semester. Maintaining high grades and improving your academic status show colleges you are a serious student, one who can overcome adversity.
- If you are taking AP classes, follow your teacher’s instructions regarding the new online format from the College Board. Here is the link to AP Updates on CollegeBoard’s website: https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/students
Standardized Test Preparation:
Many families and students have heard that colleges and universities are waiving SAT and ACT scores for the Fall of 2021. As this is the case, it’s important to note that “test-optional” is not the same as “test blind.” Therefore, many schools, including the UCs, will still accept test scores but will not make it a requirement. Admission committees evaluate students on their own merits; they don’t compare them to one another in the same application pool.
Please visit collegeboard.org for the SAT or ACT.org for the most recent test date(s) changes and updates.
Considering the information above, I am recommending my students continue with test prep for the following reasons:
- Submitting strong scores can help your overall application profile. However, students are always evaluated on their own application and not compared to other students during admission committee decisions.
- Many colleges will still take test scores and may use them to determine merit aid.
- Test prep reinforces important English and Math skills and becomes valuable especially during this time when coursework and homework are online.
- The UCs (as of this writing) will still consider test scores, so many students who have test scores will submit them.
I hope you find this information helpful. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at the email address below.
Thank You,
Julie Simonelli, Tahoe Tutoring
College Counselor/Academic Advisor
jsimonelli@tahoetutoring.com
Member: NACAC, WACAC
UCLA Certified College Counselor/Advisor
