New Updates You NEED to Know If Your Teen is Applying to a UNC System School This Year

BREAKING: Test scores are now optional within the UNC system for the 2020-2021 college application cycle.

In June, we shared with you a few updates about how the UNC system was adapting its college application process to accommodate changes due to COVID-19.

“The UNC System has changed it’s admission requirements.

In March, the Board of Governors announced that students with a minimum high school weighted GPA of 2.5, or an SAT of 1010 or ACT of 19 will now be eligible for admission, according to The News & Observer in Raleigh. You can read the article here.

What does this really mean?

While the new policy still requires students to submit their test scores, it means students must only meet one of the criteria (GPA or test scores) to be eligible for admission to a school in the UNC system. 

This change will remain in place for the next three years. To read more, check out this article from The Daily Tar Heel.”

However, last Thursday, the Board of Governors ultimately voted to waive the test score requirement for one year. Applicants in the 2020-2021 application cycle can still submit standardized testing scores if they choose, but the scores are not required for application to the universities. 

This decision applies to all 17 of the UNC system schools including UNC Chapel Hill, NC State, App State, and East Carolina. 

What does this mean for applicants?

The COVID-19 pandemic has left us with unknowns including how college admissions are going to look in a world where students learn from home and can not take standardized tests. Because we are entering into a world of “firsts” and “new,” there is no quantitative data to tell us how things are going to work.

However, given our experience at Total Writing Enrichment, we believe that the switch to test optional for college applications is going to drastically increase the weight given to the college application essays. 

Just as we have no quantitative data to determine what college admissions are going to look like this year, college admissions officers only have applicants’ transcripts available for a look into applicants’ academic performance. 

Because of this, college admissions officers will be forced to rely on other aspects of students’ applications, including the essay(s). 

Now more than ever it is so important that your rising senior focus on their college application essays. Three tips for writing your teen to write their best essay are:

  1. Plan out your essays ahead of time.
  2. Organize the essays you need to write, so you aren’t doing more work than necessary.
  3. Let someone else proofread your essays after you have perfected them to make sure you didn’t miss anything!

At Total Writing Enrichment, we are ready to help your rising senior write the best college admissions essays possible to set them apart from other applicants and help them achieve their goals!

Email us today at info@totalwritingenrichment.com to secure a spot for your rising senior on our roster today. You can also follow our Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for even more content!

Enjoy your week, and remember to smile!

Moira ♥

*Moira Ritter is a junior at Georgetown University and looks forward to contributing her writing skills to Total Writing Enrichment this summer!

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