With the setbacks that have come with Covid, this year’s seniors have adjusted their college application process in several ways.
For many, it’s been hard to decipher which college is the best fit for them if they are unable to visit and have less resources than usual. Alex Diaz, sr., addresses his alternative way of exploring different college experiences from home.
“I watched a lot of YouTube videos from college students so I could see what it was like at different schools,” Diaz said.
He did personal online research for things he needed help with and reached out to friends and counselors for support along the way.
Victoria Cocannouer, sr., was one of the fortunate students that was able to visit college campuses even though the processes were different from previous years.
“While I’ve been lucky enough to go to a couple campuses in person, most of the meetings with professors are virtual so it’s hard to tell whether you connect with them and their program or not,” Cocannouer said.
She focused on the fact that all seniors had an altered application process this year and she wasn’t alone. By turning to others who had already applied to college she realized she had plenty of time to finish everything.
“Whatever complications and questions I have, someone else is having those too,” Cocannouer said.
A common theme for the class of 2021 has been a feeling of everything being rushed. Cocannouer expresses the fact that the rush has led her to only focusing on the schools where she truly sees herself going to and being successful, since she was limited this year.
“Just take it one step at a time and don’t stress yourself out about it- you have more time than you think,” Cocannouer said. “Make the best of the time you have now.”
For Juliana Malicoat, sr., the application process has been particularly altered because she plans to study music theatre. Typically music theatre students would all join for a convention with multiple schools for callbacks. This year, schools have individual online callbacks or students send in videos to replace the traditional convention events.
“I do like how inexpensive it may become because I won’t have to travel for my callbacks, but it is a bit dangerous because online auditions aren’t incredibly reliable,” Malicoat said.
Fortunately for her, Malicoat was able to stay updated and prepared with the help of her vocal coach. However, she still felt she could have been more on top of things if it was a normal school year. But by setting time aside to focus on college she has been able to prepare herself for next school year.
“I understand no one wants to sit at home on the computer after school doing more work, but doing it early will allow colleges time to help you if you need it,” Malicoat said.