How Covid Revamped the College Admissions Process

Like nearly every aspect of our lives, the coronavirus pandemic has thrown the college admissions world into complete upheaval. From offering virtual campus tours to eliminating the standardized tests requirement, the college admissions process has changed more in a matter of months than it had in the previous 50 years. While many admissions officers are hopeful that these changes will herald a new era of diversity and access for previously underserved populations, others are skeptical that the gap between the haves and have nots has only increased with a greater reliance on technology.

Application Rates Explode at Selective Schools

Because most students could not visit schools during the pandemic, they were forced to make decisions about colleges based on far less information than they normally would have. Furthermore, many universities adopted test-optional policies because taking the SAT or ACT was simply not feasible during lockdown periods. And with more time on their hands, many students figured it was worth applying to schools that would normally be beyond their reach.

Consequently, tens of thousands of students who may not have been able to take a test or didn’t get high scores submitted applications to some of the most selective schools. For example, 57,435 students applied to Harvard, a 43% jump over the past year, and Columbia received 60,551 applicants, a 51% increase.

But Acceptance Rates Declined

Unfortunately, most of these students merely increased their chances of rejection instead of tilting the scales in their favor. Indeed, acceptance rates dropped, especially at the more selective institutions. Harvard, for instance, accepted only 3.4% of its undergraduate applicants with Columbia almost matching them with a 3.7% rate. Applicants to Yale fare only slightly better at 4.6%. Duke saw its acceptance rate slide from 6% to 4%, which would have been almost unthinkable in past years.

Admissions Committees Work With Less Information

Similar to the plight of many students, admissions officers also had much less information on which to base their decisions. In addition to missing standardized test scores, many applications also lacked one or two semesters of grades due to high schools opting for pass/fail grading when transitioning to online classes. Furthermore, most students also missed out on at least a semester of extracurricular activities like band, sports, or afterschool clubs, all of which help applicants stand out from one another.

Pandemic May Highlight Other Aspects of Applications

A possible benefit of this upheaval in the admissions process is that it may have forced committees to give more weight to other parts of student applications. In other words, they had no choice but to take a closer look at what a student has instead of worrying about what they don’t have.

For instance, colleges may no longer require SAT or ACT scores but good scores on Advanced Placement tests may work in students’ favor. And recommendations and student essays should get more emphasis as admissions officers do their best to get a sense of a student’s academic career.

Some admissions people have discussed the importance of other personal qualities such as a student’s character or other life skills or generosity. Of course, the challenge of how to glean such things from an application still remains.

Using Technology to Flesh Out Applications

Some colleges are innovating by adding features to applications which wouldn’t have been available just a few years ago. For example, Bowdoin College recently added the option to answer a short question on the spot. In this case, an app flashes a question and gives applicants half a minute to think about it before allowing another two minutes to answer as the app records the entire session.

By having students respond on the fly, the college gets genuine insight into how students think or what their sense of humor is like. These kinds of innovations may allow colleges to find out more about students in lieu of test scores and in-person interviews.

Jury Still Out on Whether Changes Will Help or Hurt

While the changes that were thrust upon the industry in the wake of Covid show how fast it can change course, some industry leaders fear that, instead of leveling the playing field, they may only widen the divide for those who don’t have ready access to the internet or high quality tutoring and test prep services.

As many schools agree to remain test-optional for at least another year, advocates celebrate while skeptics warn that history may just be repeating itself with the decrease in admission rates at selective schools. Already, schools have seen a drop in the number of students filing for federal aid over the past year.

Nevertheless, admissions officers remain optimistic that the travails of this past year will bring about lasting change that will benefit disadvantaged students and lead to an application process that paints a more holistic picture of applicants and how they might fit in with their respective schools.