The college landscape seems to be changing day by day and there are some very important things to know!
Many of our families are really frustrated by the inability to have their student take the SAT and ACT. In Illinois, students are being told that there isn’t enough room for them at the ACT testing site so they will need to take it at a later date. Others have registered to take the ACT in a different state which has never been something that has happened previously. This is extremely frustrating and anxiety provoking but there is a silver lining!
Because of the lack of opportunity to take standardized tests, colleges are responding. More than HALF of four year universities and colleges are now test optional for the 2021 application cycle! This is amazing news for many of our students but frustrating to those that test well and have done test prep. This is the first year that we at JJB Educational Consulting have guided a student to NOT take the ACT because all of her schools are test optional.
Furthermore, Common Application, which is one general application that can be attached to nearly 900 member colleges, has notified us that students will have an optional essay prompt allowing student to write about any difficult circumstances or success during the COVID-19 outbreak. Some students may decide not to write this supplemental essay but it is great for students to have the opportunity to do so.