Art by Primo Lagaso Goldberg
In a year like no other, high schoolers from the class of 2021 faced an unprecedented college application process: visiting college campuses was much harder, SAT/ACT scores were optional, online learning took up many hours of the day and the pandemic was in full swing.
All members of the LWHS community have suffered because of the pandemic — whether it be Frosh being unable to receive a proper introduction to their high school experience, faculty struggling to adapt to teaching through Zoom and just about everyone learning to cope with the complex emotions that come from social isolation.
The class of ’21 lost half of their junior year and much of the campus camaraderie and experiential opportunities of their senior year to the COVID-19 pandemic. One’s 11th and 12th-grade years are meant to be cherished and remembered, but for this year’s seniors, the much-anticipated experience has been reduced to cabin fever and computer screen headaches.
In addition to Zoom classes that take up most of the day and homework assignments that occupy much of students’ after-school time, seniors were tasked with working on their college applications. Although distance learning provided seniors with more time to work on applications, the extensive screen time was draining for many.
“By the end of the day, there’s so much fatigue from staring at a computer screen all day,” said Mimoh Lee ’21. “I didn’t want to sit down, do my homework and then work for several hours on college applications.”
The inflated amount of time spent on electronic devices was not the only challenge for seniors. The removal of standardized test requirements at most colleges prompted students across the country to apply to more selective schools, which has lowered acceptance rates proportionally.
Krista Klein, a member of LWHS’ college counseling office, cited how at hyper-selective colleges like Ivy League schools, the number of applications increased drastically. She added that MIT applications were up 66%. Waiving the usual test requirement drove students to apply to these prestigious institutions, hoping they would gain admittance strictly based on their transcripts, extracurriculars, essays and recommendation letters.
The pandemic has also made the process of choosing a college to attend even more difficult than before. Due to safety regulations and a general fear of COVID-19, many students have been unable to visit the colleges they applied to, which has forced a plethora of seniors to choose the place they will spend the next four years of their life solely based on online information and what the college shares with them.
Though many aspects of this year’s college application process were viewed as detrimental, these same factors actually benefited many students. Being stuck in one’s home gave some seniors the time they needed to complete their applications efficiently. This additional time inspired members of the class of ’21 to apply to more colleges than they initially thought was possible, effectively expanding the range of colleges they could potentially attend in the future.
Lee applied to 21 schools. She justified her decision by saying, “With the uncertainty of COVID, I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted.” She noted that if she could have visited campuses, “it would have helped [her] narrow [her list] down more.” When asked if she would have applied to the same amount of schools if we weren’t in the midst of a pandemic she responded, “Definitely not, it was too much work for me.”
The absence of SAT/ACT requirements at most colleges benefitted students unable to access costly tutoring and test-prep classes, as well as those who do not excel at test-taking. The SAT/ACT is a classist system that favors students from affluent families as the tests do not assess a student’s knowledge, rather, they evaluate a person’s ability to take tests under a time limit and their cultural knowledge — skills that expensive test prep classes teach. Many individuals are embracing the change and are in favor of colleges staying test-optional in the years to come.
Klein communicated that a handful of Juniors have already decided that they will not take the SAT or ACT. “They want to take a moral stance,” Klein said.
As vaccines become more readily available and this year’s college process comes to a close, seniors, like me, are finally getting to have somewhat of a normal senior experience. Though bittersweet, the little things such as returning to campus and seeing classmates and faculty once again carry much weight. Seeing and hearing about my peers’ amazing plans for the future fills me with joy, especially due to the difficult circumstances we were forced to overcome this year. I am eager to maximize what little time we seniors have left at LWHS before our high school experience is reduced to a cherished memory.
