Part of our job at The Koppelman Group is to keep up with the conversations that are happening within and between admissions teams around the country. Right now, a lot of the conversations are centered on what is happening with the Coronavirus and how to keep all the cogs moving and balls rolling in the right direction. Looking forward is hard to do when you aren’t quite sure when we will take our foot off the social distancing-pedal. However, one forward-thinking conversation that is making its way through the hub-bub is how college supplements are going to be reshaped to reflect the unique qualities of this school year. Namely, colleges will be more curious than ever about how you spent your time.
It is not new that colleges would want to know what you do when you’re off the clock, and Stanford is undoubtedly not alone in asking what you’d do with an extra hour. Plenty of other schools inquire about your summers, non-academic activities, and what you do to relax — all in an effort to understand who you are when you aren’t cracking open a textbook. When they ask these questions, they are underlining how being a successful person (and a desirable applicant) requires more than just being a good student.
The Coronavirus and resulting school closures amp up the importance of colleges seeing who you truly are up to 1000. Switching to distance learning will be a formidable challenge for many students, and grades will likely reflect that. SATs/ACTs and APs will also be impacted far beyond when school lets out for summer break, so admissions teams need to find ways to measure students without being able to fully rely on the metrics the college admissions process is built upon. One way to do this will be to see what you did when everything was in question. Did you sit in front of your computer watching “Love is Blind” or did you learn something new? Did you do the bare minimum, or did you go above and beyond?
Knowing that almost every school is going to ask a question directly or indirectly related to how you spent the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic should be empowering. It’s rare that we can see so clearly what is going to be headed our way when supplements are released in August. To have such a firm idea of what is coming is a gift. For you, it should also be a motivator.
So, what do you do when you know in advance what you are going to be asked on your college applications?
You know they are going to see your transcript, so you work hard in school.
You know they are going to see your activities, so you engage in a variety of activities and seek leadership roles.
You know most schools are going to see your standardized test scores, so you study and prepare.
Now you know they are going to ask what you did this spring when your world slowed down and suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, you have more free time than you have had in years. What next?
What you do when you have a large block of unstructured time shows your true colors. If you’re curious, engaged, thoughtful, and kind, that will show through. If you are boring, self-centered, or lazy, you won’t be able to hide it. Set yourself up for success when colleges ask you what you did by moving with purpose and passion. We’ve pulled together a few ideas of things to do in your downtime over the next few weeks or months, but we hope they will simply serve as inspiration for your own unique and exciting socially-distanced adventure!
If you are drawing a blank and need hands-on help navigating college admissions, send us a note. We specialize in assisting students every step of the way.