As you all know, the college admissions landscape has experienced some major changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Standardized testing policies are less stable than the stock market, college visits are (mostly) not happening, and I could write this entire post about the challenges that recruited athletes are facing right now!

Interestingly enough, though, the one development that I’ve gotten the most questions about is the one that is probably the least relevant to my client base. But as I always say, “you don’t know what you don’t know,” and this is definitely an area where a seemingly innocent misstep could result in major problems down the line.

In May, the Common Application® recently announced that it would provide students with “a dedicated space to elaborate on the impact of the pandemic, both personally and academically.” This prompt is completely optional and will appear in the additional information section of the application.

Here’s the prompt:

Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is yours to describe those impacts. Colleges care about the effects on your health and well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans, and education, including access to reliable technology and quiet study spaces.

• Do you wish to share anything on this topic? Y/N

• Please use this space to describe how these events have impacted you (250 words). 

I know how terrible this time has been. Believe me. I get it.

This is one of those areas where you have to tread really lightly and sort of check your privilege, as much as I don’t enjoy that phrase.

This essay is NOT asking what you did during the pandemic at home or how you hated being stuck inside for four months. Rather, it is intended for students who have had substantial, distinct challenges. Although we have all had to adapt to the new realities of this pandemic, these realities have been undoubtedly harder for certain people than for others.

Here is a list of substantial challenges that are worthwhile to mention:

• A parent’s unemployment or underemployment (even if temporary) that caused financial stress

• A student’s need to contribute to family finances that resulted in missing class/less time for homework

• A student’s obligation to homeschool siblings during the school day instead of focusing on their own academic progress

• A death or serious illness of a friend or family member due to the coronavirus

• An immediate family member’s work in a front-line setting (this could range from the hospital to the grocery store and anything in between) that caused stress and fear in the household

I recently listened to an episode of The Daily (a podcast from The New York Times) that provided a great example of a substantial challenge in a student’s life during the pandemic. While this story offers a more extreme example, it does highlight the nature and purpose of this new essay - here’s the episode.

To put this in context, I’m only suggesting that TWO of our rising seniors write this essay. So, while it may be tempting to use this space to explain some challenges of living during a pandemic (because we all know - this is new and scary and not easy for any of us), I urge students to really consider whether or not their challenges fall under the category of “substantial.”

If you were upset about being stuck inside or disappointed with the way your high school managed online classes, I hear you and absolutely sympathize, but this is not a substantial or unique challenge. And believe me - I want students to share what they did during the pandemic, but this essay is certainly not the place for that - it should go in the activities section or in the context of a supplemental essay (if appropriate).

In fact, if a student who did not experience substantial challenges used this essay to talk about their difficulties, it would probably be perceived quite poorly. So, let’s not use this as a place to complain. Save that for friends and family (or anyone in our office - we’ll swap war stories with you ANY day of the week!).