The widely used Common Application has made an update to their questions for the 2020-21 application cycle.
While fallout and changes will continue to be fluid as the dust settles from the pandemic, it at first seemed as though many colleges would rather candidates not write in their college essay about the virus and situations surrounding it (for fear of potential 'over-saturation' -- "how would your piece stand out?"), but as of the end of this week there will now be a specific question dedicated to this unprecedented occurrence in our world's history so that you may share your experience with the colleges and universities if you'd like.
This question allows candidates a dedicated space to elaborate on the pandemic's impact - personally, athletically, academically, socially. The goal with this is to have students answer the COVID19 question once, while completing the rest of the application as they would have utilized it if the virus was not a thing.
The question will be:
Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is yours to describe those impacts. Colleges care about the effects on your health and well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans, and education, including access to reliable technology and quiet study spaces.
High school juniors - be thinking of this question and how you may be answering it NOW while it is freshly (and unfortunately) occurring. Think about how life has been shifted, how your experiences and thinking have been altered for both the negative and the positive.
Note that this question will be optional and will appear at the end of the application in the 'Additional Information' section. The response length will be limited to 250 words. The optional prompt will be then accompanied by a more detailed section allowing students to make note of any impacts they may wish to describe, "including illness and loss, housing and employment disruptions, and shifting family obligations." This new portion of the application will not replace the current 'Additional Information' question which asks if students want to discuss circumstances and qualifications not reflected elsewhere in the application. That question, along with its 650 word limit, will remain.
For additional details on this update from the Common App click here.
Questions on how to tackle this question? Your college essay? The process as a whole? Don't hesitate to contact the LAC team today be clicking here.
While fallout and changes will continue to be fluid as the dust settles from the pandemic, it at first seemed as though many colleges would rather candidates not write in their college essay about the virus and situations surrounding it (for fear of potential 'over-saturation' -- "how would your piece stand out?"), but as of the end of this week there will now be a specific question dedicated to this unprecedented occurrence in our world's history so that you may share your experience with the colleges and universities if you'd like.
This question allows candidates a dedicated space to elaborate on the pandemic's impact - personally, athletically, academically, socially. The goal with this is to have students answer the COVID19 question once, while completing the rest of the application as they would have utilized it if the virus was not a thing.
The question will be:
Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is yours to describe those impacts. Colleges care about the effects on your health and well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans, and education, including access to reliable technology and quiet study spaces.
- Do you wish to share anything on this topic? Y/N
- Please use this space to describe how these events have impacted you.
High school juniors - be thinking of this question and how you may be answering it NOW while it is freshly (and unfortunately) occurring. Think about how life has been shifted, how your experiences and thinking have been altered for both the negative and the positive.
Note that this question will be optional and will appear at the end of the application in the 'Additional Information' section. The response length will be limited to 250 words. The optional prompt will be then accompanied by a more detailed section allowing students to make note of any impacts they may wish to describe, "including illness and loss, housing and employment disruptions, and shifting family obligations." This new portion of the application will not replace the current 'Additional Information' question which asks if students want to discuss circumstances and qualifications not reflected elsewhere in the application. That question, along with its 650 word limit, will remain.
For additional details on this update from the Common App click here.
Questions on how to tackle this question? Your college essay? The process as a whole? Don't hesitate to contact the LAC team today be clicking here.
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