10 Things You Can Do to Build Your College Application During Covid-19 Lockdown
I had such a great response from parents and students all around the state about my last article wanting more information on ways to specifically build a college application during this pandemic lock down. So here are some easy ways that you can continue to build your college resume while still being at home!
1. Develop an academic plan- I see family after family not know of the many opportunities that are available to students to meet their future college and career goals. It is easy to think that your student will magically know all the programs and options out there and which is best for them. I receive many panicked emails at the start of each school year because parents and students just found out about something. Building a truly individualized plan takes time and knowledge. Part of that is exploring your student’s personality for career options, researching academic programs, and building an academic resume that tailors to your college goals. This should always be the first step and is why I place it as the first chapter in my book, College UnMazed.
2. ACT/SAT Prep- While we all know that the ACT and SAT have both suspended for the summer, but they will be coming back in the early fall with more test dates. According to Sylvan Learning Center, starting with the August 29th test date (hopefully), there will be an SAT administration every month through the remainder of the 2020. This includes a new date for September. ACT has not officially cancelled the June/July test as of yet, but are providing make-up test dates and will be offering remote proctoring options in late fall/early winter of 2020. With all that said, testing will be up and going as soon as possible. So instead of backing away from ACT/SAT test prep, like most students will be doing, now is the time to actually commit to a strong test prep schedule. Utilizing programs like Khan Academy, ACTstudent.org, and other prep sites, will be greatly beneficial to make sure you ace the test on the first try. If you are struggling with test prep on your own, reach out to a reputable tutoring company, like Sylan Learning, that is offering remote tutoring to keep you on track to meet your test score goals.
3. Learn a skill- Whether it be a new skill or increase your capacity for an old skill, now is a great time to focus on something that makes you happy and expands your skill set. Let’s say you are second chair in the band, use this time to create a practice schedule that gives you more practice to master that special piece of music. Better yet, find an online tutor or class that helps you gain more skills. For example, programs like, Simply Piano and Fender Play, can teach you new instruments during this time. Many offering free lessons. Not interested in music- then consider things like Adobe, coding, photography, foreign language, knitting, painting and so forth. Explore new areas of interest or perfect what you are already doing.
4. Develop a business- When I was a teenager, eons ago, we mowed lawns for extra money, picked up soda cans (in Iowa it was a 5-cent deposit for returned cans), and babysat. Today there are still a host of small businesses that you can do to help build your academic and personal brand. For example, if you are an artist, consider opening an Etsy shop and sell some of your items. One of my former students had a small pet sitting business that allowed her to go to college debt free (and had one of the funniest college essays of all time). Another of my student built an app for his rowing team to do a rideshare program, built a business plan, and received some investors to make it a reality- Yale was appreciative of his ingenuity! College admissions looks extremely favorable on students who take initiative, develop business plans, create websites, and follow through with a business, activity or event. It can be small, but now is a good time to think and start something new!
5. Explore your academic passions- While similar to “learning a new skill”, this is a time to really explore major-specific areas of interests. There is a plethora of online courses out there that can help you explore what your best career options may be. Having worked with students from all different types of schools (big, small, rural, urban, public, private, charter, etc), I know there are different opportunities for students to explore their career options through their school. Some schools, because of staffing or size, are quite limited on career/ elective focused classes. However, with the opportunity to take massive open online courses (MOOCs) the world is open to students, no matter where they attend. Take courses from top-notch colleges (Duke, Harvard, UPenn, University of Chicago, etc) and from top U.S. companies (Google, Facebook, Microsoft, etc). See infographic for names and information!
6. Volunteer- I know you cannot leave the house, so it seems odd for me to say go out and volunteer! But there is still a tremendous need out there for all-hands-on-deck to get through this. Let’s take the Humane Society- they still could use bedding mats for their animals or chew toys. Other ideas are hosting an online book reading or craft with an elementary teacher. This is a great time to also rally your club members and find where you can help in your community by making cards for the elderly or spearheading a canned food drive. It truly is amazing what you can accomplish by making phone calls! You can also use this time to plan out your events for your clubs for school next year, so when everything is up and running, you are ready to go.
7. Explore colleges- While this may seem odd with colleges being closed, colleges are putting a lot of resources and time in virtual tours and webinars. Many selective colleges use demonstrated interest, which is the degree in which you show a college you are sincerely interested in their school, as part of their admissions process. Accessing these virtual tours can connect you with schools and admission representatives you are interested in to find out more about the college.
From the College UnMazed workbook- My College Priorities Sheet
8. Get ahead- While similar to academic planning and exploring your academic passions, there are some other concrete ways to get ahead in your high school and college credit while at home. One of the most overlooked ways to get ahead is by taking the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams. CLEP, offered by the CollegeBoard, are basically Advanced Placement tests without taking the course. CLEP can offer students to earn high school and college credit in topics students excel at. With over 30 exams, it is easy way to earn credit. Unbeknownst to many families, Florida state statute, 1003.4295, provides an overview in how these acceleration credits transfer both to high school and college credit. Using the credit-by-exam equivalency, students can clearly map out both their high school and college credits to make sure they are saving time and money. Even better, a program called modernstates.org offers free tutorials for the exams and will help pay for the exams.
9. Develop your college materials- I strongly recommend for students during this time, no matter their grade, to start building their college materials to help with the college admissions and scholarship process. If a student does not have a solid set of materials (resume, essay, letters of recommendation) they can be a tremendous disadvantage to other students. Using this time to start these materials, edit, and have analyzed can make a huge difference in being accepted or denied, or even reducing stress! Right now- College UnMazed is offering a free step-by-step course with purchase of the workbook. It provides you all the tools your family needs to be successful throughout the entire high school to college process.
10. Breathe and declutter- I have just mentioned 9 different things you can do to start strengthening your college path, but one of the biggest is to use this time to really focus on what matters most. This time should be allowed for students to hit pause, regroup and reflect on what is working and what is not working. Some of us extroverts are missing the socialization and the feeling of being busy and needed. But, often times we get overwhelmed, stressed, and fatigued because we take on too much. On the other hand, introverts are liking this down time to relax and disconnect, but may not be pushed out of their comfort zone. These are obviously generalizations, but the point is that now is a great time to really get in touch with what makes you “YOU”. Take this time to reevaluate your priorities, look for new opportunities, and develop a plan to move forward. Parents and students should talk this over, because the act of discussion and verbalization makes items actionable and more tangible.
Overall, the best advice I can provide is to use this as a positive event. Come out of this time stronger and better than when you came into it. We (college admissions) understand the complexity of the situation, but we will also be looking for students who really used this opportunity to do some of the above-mentioned items. This will show that you are persistent, have a growth-mindset, and are willing to chart your own path.
As always, I am here to help so please reach out.
Dr. Amanda Sterk, author of College UnMazed
asterk@unmaze.me