The COVID-19 pandemic has changed and complicated so many things this year, and the college admissions process is no exception. Colleges are working to make applying more accessible, whether that be through providing more information online or streamlining the application process. SLUH has provided more opportunities for students to demonstrate their academic success by weighting GPAs and hosting the ACT. 

In the past, SLUH has used the same GPA scale across the board so that students didn’t feel they needed to take honors classes in order to boost their GPA. However, the GPA is more important this year since colleges are prioritizing it over test scores, so SLUH decided to provide weighted GPAs along with its traditional GPA system. In the traditional system, regardless of the class, an A would be a 4.0, a B+ would be a 3.5, and so on. With weighted GPAs, an A in an honors or AP course translates to a 5.0 and a B to a 4.0 so that, when factored into the average, the academic rigor of more advanced courses is better reflected. 

“We’re hopefully giving students who’ve taken AP courses along the way, who have challenged themselves proactively, the ability to cross some of these GPA hurdles that schools do have for them,” said Director of College Counseling Kevin Crimmins. 

Not only does a weighted GPA increase a student’s chances of being accepted into selective colleges; it could also help students meet GPA thresholds for gaining scholarship money. Many colleges have strict cutoffs for students applying for scholarships. For example, the University of Alabama has a 3.0 minimum for students applying for scholarship money. With extra weight on AP and honors classes, students may receive the extra push they need to produce the minimum GPA. 

“Our curriculum is rigorous just from the start, but when you add on top of it these honors and AP level classes it adds quite a bit extra to these courses, and we want to make sure (the students’) transcripts show this,” said Principal Ian Gibbons, S.J. 

Another major challenge in college admissions presented by this year’s pandemic has been taking the ACT. The usual ACT test date for juniors in April was cancelled, and though different test sites have provided test dates throughout the summer, most have ended up canceled because of complications regarding the pandemic. 

“Easily 90, maybe 95 percent of those test dates got canceled, and they got canceled last minute,” said Gibbons. 

In response to the lack of test-taking options, most colleges have gone test-optional. This means that students aren’t required to take the ACT or SAT in order to apply. However, many colleges are still requiring tests for admissions or scholarship money, including the University of Missouri and the University of Mississippi. 

“We have to do everything we can to make sure that the students are as well prepared as possible to respond to the varying scenarios that (they’re) encountering when they look at the admissions requirements of colleges across the country,” said Crimmins. 

Additionally, while many schools claim that the tests won’t be a factor on the admissions, they either will accept test scores if provided or will require test scores in order for students to receive scholarship money. 

“I don’t trust colleges to fully understand how to review (an application) in a test-optional environment,” said Crimmins. 

Due to varying requirements for testing from different colleges, SLUH wanted to make it possible for every senior to take the ACT just in case that would end up being a factor in their application. The ACT was held on Tuesday, Oct. 6. 

Most colleges aren’t pushing back the deadline for submitting applications, but they will be more forgiving than in previous years when it comes to other documents like test scores and letters of recommendation. Since the coronavirus is so unpredictable, the system has to be resilient to students or teachers catching the virus. 

When it comes to the student’s college decision, looking at colleges is easier than ever. Most colleges now have virtual tours and user-friendly websites, leading to a plethora of information at every student’s disposal. 

“You don’t really get the sense of how spread out or how small (a campus is),” said College Counselor Kate Kindbom. “The virtual overload is almost paralyzing.” 

Students aren’t visiting as many colleges as in usual years, so their decisions are more heavily reliant on the information they receive online. A virtual college search has its pros and cons, but many students have felt detached from the process because of how little interaction it involves. 

“I don’t have a really good feeling about the sense of community or what the campus is really like because I’ve only seen pictures or videos,” said senior Patrick Gannon. 

To better understand what life is like at different colleges, Kindbom recommends talking to current students at those schools because that would give them the opportunity to see the school from a student perspective rather than just a virtual tour. 

In addition to the lack of college visits, this year’s seniors will miss the many opportunities of previous years to attend in-person events about college decisions, applying, and the transition. What would have normally been a series of speeches from college representatives was compressed into a Canvas course for seniors. 

“For me, I’ve felt a little bit disconnected from it,” said Gannon. 

While the chaos of the pandemic has left little time to prepare for the college transition, SLUH’s adapted “hyflex” schedule with longer classes meeting fewer times a week is much more similar to college than SLUH was in the past. This year’s seniors will be more prepared for a college schedule than ever before. 

“In a way, it more mirrors what the college experience is going to be like,” said Kindbom. 

To further help seniors in their college decision and transition, the college counseling team is hosting a representative from a different college each day via Zoom. Recordings of these interviews can be found on the “SLUH College Counseling” YouTube page. 

The College Counselors have also started to prepare juniors for college applications. All of the juniors have been invited to a college research Canvas course to show them what to look for in a college. Additionally, Nov. 10 is “draft day,” when juniors are assigned college counselors for the rest of their time at SLUH. 

“Everyone seems to be asking the same questions, and they all require a crystal ball because no one really knows the answers,” said Kindbom.

 art | Charlie Bieg