Calling All High School Junior Parents!

Planning for college applications is challenging and confusing. Throw in a (year-long) global pandemic though, and things can get even messier. 

If you are feeling overwhelmed in guiding your high school junior in their college application process, don’t panic. While there is still some uncertainty, we know some things about the upcoming college admissions process are for sure. 

Most significantly, many colleges are opting for a test optional policy for fall 2021 applicants (current high school juniors). 

  • Test optional really does mean test optional. 

If a school has a test optional policy, they are not going to penalize applicants for not submitting test scores. 

  • Applicants who choose to submit their standardized test scores might have a slight advantage though.

While students who choose not to submit test scores will not be penalized, those applicants who include test scores are providing more resources for college admissions officers. Test scores can be additional evidence of an applicant’s academic strengths.

  • Other parts of the college application, especially the college application essay, are a lot more important than before.

As mentioned above, admissions officers want as much information about applicants as possible. Without test scores, admissions officers are going to rely more on college application essays and extracurricular activities to get a sense of applicants’ strengths and weaknesses. 

For more information – check out this link!

It’s never too early to start productively planning. Start talking to your high school junior about testing options and exploring the policies at different schools. You can check which schools are adopting test-optional policies this year here

For more tips on preparing your high school junior for college applications, check out last week’s blog post, “The Biggest Secrets to Junior Year and College Planning.”

Part of your plan might be helping your teen write memorable, killer essays, so don’t miss the opportunity to get your teen on our roster for college essay writing in the fall before spots fill up!

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Moira

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