COLLEGE: For the class of 2021, college application season looks unlike any other.
By Ariana Molkara, Staff Writer
It’s that time of the year again when upperclassmen scramble to ace the SAT, write eye-catching personal essays, and gather a list of notable activities all to ensure acceptance into a college, or rather, a future of their dreams. For most, application season is ridden with fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. It’s a monumental moment in an individual’s life, a border between adolescence and adulthood. It’s when one finally forges their own path in life, which, for the average angsty teenager, sounds terrifying. Add quarantine into the equation and, well, things get a little more complicated.
The SATs in particular have proven to be an overwhelming concern for students, as testing opportunities have been significantly reduced or even scrapped altogether. Test center closures began in March of this year and resulted in an official cancellation of the June exam. To make up for the missed testing opportunities, the College Board added a September date to the Fall calendar and have declared their leniency in terms of cancellations, refund distribution, and score report deadlines. For many of our Poly bears, the September date is their next bet, as Notre Dame and North High School are among the centers that have closed for the August exam.
So, why wouldn’t students celebrate not having to take a three to four-hour exam that can make or break their applications? It’s not that simple. In an interview with the Spotlight, one of our Poly students, Khoi Le (11), described how “the SAT is a good way to set apart the kids who have good work ethic and the kids who don’t.” While admissions officers can and will look at students’ GPAs for signs of diligence and dedication, cutting the SAT just means one less opportunity for students to stand out and really prove themselves.
While most universities, including the UC’s and USC, have announced a test optional policy, this hasn’t put students at ease. “It does not make sense to equally compare an applicant who submitted an SAT [score] and one who did not” said Alana Mccracken (12). McCracken believes that “if the colleges want to go “test optional” they should go as far as going “test blind.” Testing blind would no longer make SAT scores a factor in admissions, even if students sent them. Regardless of colleges’ leniency with the SAT this year, enacting a test blind policy instead of a test optional one would put many minds to rest.
So, if the SAT is practically out of the picture, now what can students do to stand out? Assemble an impressive list of extracurriculars. For admissions officers, the extracurriculars are just as important as the grades, but the problem is that quarantine has prevented kids from doing the activities that they had planned to do. That’s when creativity comes into play. Kids who used to volunteer at shelters are now delivering groceries to the elderly. Kids who starred in the honors school musical are now putting on virtual shows. 2020 has forced us all to improvise, and students will have to do the same when it comes to college applications.
While the events of this year have added stress to the application process, they have also built character in students and given them extra time to plan their future. When Poly student Alana Manuel (12) reflected on the past few months, she revealed that she has a better sense of what she wants from her life. “I used to plan out my life to a T, [but] with Covid-19 I realized this characteristic was holding me back.” Manuel admits.
There’s no denying that Covid-19 has been a serious impediment to the college application process. It’s not easy planning for a future when no one knows what the future of our world will look like, but students across the globe will prevail. In the end, the class of 2021 can say that they survived not only the application process, but a global pandemic.
To learn more about COVID-19, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html