Below is a link to relevant article addressing potential trends of the college admissions process and the impact is has on students. I highlighted some points below that I felt were spot on, but I encourage you to read the article in its entirety. Please let me know if you have questions that I might help answer.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brennanbarnard/2021/01/13/counseling-for-college-admission-in-2021/?sh=6e575306f857

·      Regarding test optional at selective colleges:  “at some colleges, less qualified test-optional applicants will gain admission over students with more competitive coursework but lower GPAs.”
 
·      Regarding access to BIPOC: “I’m more excited about seeing college counselors encouraging high achieving, low-income Black and Brown students to apply to schools they usually wouldn’t have a shot at, as selective colleges stay test-optional/test free.”
 
·      Regarding universal admissions deadlines: He hopes that “a universal college
 application deadline is the next frontier,” saying, “if we can have a consensus statement of intent to register on May 1, why not the same application deadline? Perhaps we can move towards a universal early deadline (somewhere in mid-November to early December) and a universal regular deadline (somewhere between January 15 and Feb. 1), with the hope of identifying one deadline for all.”
 
·      Regarding resiliency: uplifted by “the resiliency of teens, the heightened self-awareness, their experience of having a high school schedule that more closely resembles a typical college schedule.” She adds, “many students have discovered that they are actually going to be okay if they are not involved in everything, or that they are actually okay being alone sometimes. 
 
·      Regarding the role of educators: What is encouraging is that students have thoughtful educators and school counselors who will continue pushing for the positive. We must keep working to level the playing field so that ALL students have equal access to this high-quality support. This will take intentional effort as we launch into 2021 but there can be no greater responsibility to our students.