Applying to College in the Midst of Covid: How Have Applications Changed over the Years?

While underclass students continue to work hard in their classes, seniors, in addition to their work, are currently applying for college. Many Seniors are applying early decision, a binding agreement between a student and one college.  Others are applying early action or regular decision.

However, the application process is very different than it used to be, with schools becoming even more competitive than before. For example, PBSnews.com revealed that Stanford University is the hardest school to get into, with an acceptance rate of just 4%. 

Due to Covid, the application process has also changed tremendously, especially how students complete interviews and go on tours, something that in the past has been a big part of applying to college. 

In a survey of seniors, 39.5% of students said they had had an online interview, and 100% of those who did complete an online interview said they “enjoyed their online interview.”  Only 27% of seniors have had an in-person interview.

One student who went to an in-person interview said, “I prefer in person because not only was it easier for both me and the admissions officer, but it felt more natural.” 

When the students were asked “did you go on any online tours,” 80.8% of people replied “yes.” 92.3% of the surveyed seniors had also gone on in-person tours.  

“I definitely [attended an] in person [tour] since I got a better feel of what college would feel like going there. Also, just the feeling of being at the college helps to narrow it down to which schools best fit into your personal likings,” said one respondent. 

 Lastly, when students were asked “did you have any trouble with Naviance [the online platform where students apply] or any other online applications,” one student replied, “I did at the beginning with linking my Naviance and Common App accounts but afterward I did not run into anything major.” Another report, “Yes, but minor, (formatting on my application, etc).” Because students are so used to online ways of learning, it seems like Naviance is a breeze.

Overall, college applications have changed pretty dramatically over this past year. Good luck seniors!