Photo courtesy of JHU Hub.

COVID-19 has plagued the world for over a year, and has drastically changed the way that high-school students apply to colleges and universities. Students have made accommodations in their learning experience in these unprecedented times, making the college admission process drastically different from years past. Student engagement with others has shifted in the past few years from in person to on screen and gradually off screen again interaction. Ms. Park, a Bryn Mawr Upper School English teacher, described her experience writing recommendation letters, editing essays, and acting as a sounding board for senior students. Ms. Park recounted her recommendation writing process as “difficult to frame,” especially when highlighting participation. In her current recommendation letters for the 2022 applicants, she had to phrase words differently than she normally would. For example, she incorporated the differences of distance learning by explaining, “with the current structure of a Zoom classroom it is even more remarkable to take the extra time and effort to unmute themselves.” Similarly, she recalls changing the structure of her letters compared to years past. To immediately grasp the reader's attention, she decided to start with a hook to highlight an amazing quality of the student, rather than waiting until the end.

Ms. Park also mentioned that this year's applicants held a significantly higher level of stress than years past caused by the increase in supplements and essays. 

In addition to high schools, colleges and universities have changed how they operate in response to COVID. Some schools became test optional, meaning applicants are not required to take the SAT or ACT. However, this typically meant that there was more emphasis put on essays in applications. This gave Ms. Park a greater responsibility as one of the final application editors for senior students. She says in writing recommendation letters, she tried her “best to spotlight and capitalize their academic character, trying to be very specific. Since schools are becoming testing optional that could mean my letter might weigh more, which made me go back to rethink multiple times.”

Ms. Park had trouble putting this into perspective. Her letter could only last a minute in an admission readers’ mind, while on the other hand, it might be the key to helping her students stand out in such a rigorous admission process. 

COVID-19 seems to only have added to the pressure to the already stressful admissions process. Student athletes also seem to face this amount of pressure, if not more. Due to COVID, athletes approaching their recruiting years lost crucial practice in their sports, hindering their development. They faced other setbacks with restrictions on visits from college coaches. However, with the recent influx of vaccinations, sports have started to become a part of student athletes’ daily lives again. Many student athletes have an added pressure with a sped up college process due to athletic recruitment. While applying to college may be a stressful process academically, athletically, and financially for students and families, it’s important for them to remember to enjoy the transition into a new chapter of their lives.