by Karen Spencer, former admissions officer at Georgetown University

This is the second in College Coach’s series of posts covering university-specific supplemental essays. Earlier this week, we shared guidance on writing the CU Boulder admissions essay, and today we focus on another great public university, the University of Delaware. Stay tuned throughout October as we highlight writing prompts for Brandeis University, Scripps College, and Lehigh University.

The University of Delaware, along with the majority of other colleges and universities, has allowed students to apply test optional this year. However, for students looking to utilize this option, Delaware has required submission of three additional essays.

by Sara Calvert-Kubrom, former admissions officer at Lewis & Clark College

As we field calls from high school seniors and their parents, we have noticed that there is substantial confusion and uncertainty about what “test optional” is, and how to navigate the college admission process during this time of extensive SAT and ACT exam cancellations. Here are some tips and insights to demystify the landscape of standardized testing and college admission for this year’s seniors and to empower you to make informed decisions:

by Sally Ganga, former admissions officer at the University of Chicago

As I talk with high school juniors and their parents, it’s clear that one of their biggest concerns around the COVID-19 situation is standardized tests. With the March, May, and June SAT and April ACT test dates cancelled, students are hoping to test sometime in summer but are aware that even that may not be an option in every state. Such uncertainty is stressful, to put it mildly.

After spending hours on your applications, filling out financial aid forms, and waiting for what might feel like an eternity to get an answer, it can be tempting to accept the first offer that comes along. They like you, they really, really like you! And you like them—what’s the problem? We’ll tell you on the show. We’re also talking to a former Wharton admissions officer about MBA’s—what it is and whether or not it might be right for you. In Office Hours, we’ll be exploring test optional policies to help listeners better understand how they might work to a student’s advantage.

I worked at the University of Chicago admission office back in the dark ages, around the turn of the century, when we still read our applications on paper. Around the time you, if you’re a senior in high school, were born. Back then, under a previous Dean of Admission, we were already careful not to weigh test scores too heavily. Sure, they mattered, but the student with the perfect 1600 whose activities were middling and essays were uninteresting did not have an advantage over the student with the 1450 who wrote an excellent essay and whose love of learning and intellectual spirit shined through the app. So while UChicago has momentarily rocked the admission world by being the first major research university in the top tier of selectivity to go test optional, in some ways I expect that the admission process will not change too much. The importance of a student’s love of learning and their intellectual spirit will continue to be a priority in the application over their test scores.

Test optional colleges– a good thing and getting better.

My sister-in-law is a great example. She’s a Vice President at a well-known university, handles very serious situations that affect the health of the university on a daily basis, and is exactly the person you’d want in charge of those situations. She was a top student in her high school class and, in her words, “my SATs were awful.” In the 80’s, low test scores was much more of an issue and that limited her college options.

When COVID hit in March 2020, it disrupted life for everyone across the globe, including college admissions. Standardized test dates were cancelled, rescheduled, and cancelled again, and ultimately more than 1200 colleges and universities made them an optional part of their admissions process. We’ll update you on test optional policies for the 2021-2022 admissions cycle and share our thoughts on whether or not juniors should still plan to take them. In Office Hours, we’re answering your college admissions and finance questions.

by Emily Toffelmire, former admissions officer at University of Southern California

Another week, another announcement that makes the college admission testing landscape feel more unpredictable than season three of Game of Thrones (yet, thankfully, much less violent). However, we can’t help but think most people were happy to hear the news that two pieces of College Board testing will be discontinued: the SAT Subject Tests and the optional essay section of the general SAT. For those of you who are saying, “Wait, what were the SAT Subject Tests—was I supposed to take those?!” let’s back up and explain these two soon-to-be-defunct items.

by Sara Calvert-Kubrom, former admissions officer at Lewis & Clark College

It is time for a follow-up from our September article about the California State Court preliminary injunction that could have banned the University of California system from using standardized test scores!

For much of October, news about this case has been unclear because an appellate court temporarily stayed the ruling requiring the UCs to stop using the SAT or ACT in their admission process. Essentially, the UC system was still allowed to use standardized test scores in their admission process for applicants to fall 2021, with each campus given the freedom to decide if they wanted to adopt a test blind or test optional policy. This piecemeal approach left students confused and unsure of whether or not to submit scores.

Standardized test date cancellations across the world have led many universities to institute temporary and permanent test optional policies. This week we’ll help you decide whether or not to report your test scores to the colleges on your list who aren’t requiring them. It’s October 1, and the FAFSA is out—we have all the details you need to know to file this important financial document. Finally, host Ian Fisher joins the show to share his story about not getting into his first choice college.