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.

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

On September 1, 2020, a California State Court judge issued a preliminary injunction stating that the University of California system may not use standardized test scores like the SAT and ACT in their admission evaluation process. This ruling was made in response to the extreme limitations of testing during COVID that have been exacerbated for students with disabilities. These students have had less access to testing sites and/or needed accommodations during testing which are protected by the California Disabled Persons Act and the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Although the judge’s ruling bars the use of standardized test scores by the UCs for applicants to the fall of 2021, the legal process is not yet complete and we will learn more after a litigated case management conference on September 29, 2020.

In terms of the college application process, almost nothing has been impacted quite as significantly by COVID-19 as standardized testing. A testing expert joins us to share her insights into what to expect when it comes to these evaluations this fall. In our second and third segments, we’re answering your questions related to college finance and admissions.

by Steve Brennan, former admissions officer at Occidental College

At Bright Horizons College Coach, we speak with hundreds of families every week about college admission. And every week, we try to put a stressed out family at ease by saying something like, “Don’t worry about the PSAT or PreACT – colleges will never see that score.” Or, “It’s true that the 11^th grade PSAT can have implications for merit scholarship consideration, but no college admission officer will ever see it and use it for admission.”

In the too-often opaque admission process here was advice that didn’t start with, “Well, it depends…” or have multiple caveats. And? Families had one less thing to be anxious about. Anytime we can dial down the stress surrounding the college admission process for students and families, that’s definitely a win.

Enter the University of Michigan.

With next fall’s plans pretty a giant question mark, many families are trying to understand what online study versus on-campus study will do to their costs. We’ll share what you need to know about funding an online education. In other segments, we’ll offer some standardized testing advice as test dates are cancelled and more colleges opt to go test optional in the coming year. Finally, we’ll revisit computer science, this time with Rick Bischoff of Case Western offering the college perspective.

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.

Many of us are unexpectedly finding ourselves at home all day… and with a teenager. At College Coach, we regularly work remotely with high school students on their college application processes, so wanted to share some thoughts about how to make sure the weeks ahead are productive ones. While distance learning may or may not be an option for your student, here are some ideas that we’re sharing with our remote students to help advance their college processes and make the most of this unexpected down time.

Standardized tests play an important role in the application process at many colleges, and those colleges will generally accept submission of either SAT or ACT scores. So which test should your child take?