Almost halfway through the month of August!!!!! YEAH!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

DOJ DECISION

Yesterday, after a two-year civil rights investigation, the Justice Department concluded that Yale has discriminated against White and Asian American applicants in its admissions process. Yale, of course, denies this claim and is apparently still providing their defense to the DOJ. So we’ll see where it lands, but unfortunately, this is something we have begun to see every year now, and to answer your next question – yes, it’s happening all across the U.S.

Interestingly enough, there are a few states (including Texas, California, and Florida) which prohibit colleges from using race or ethnicity-based affirmative action practices. Some have moved to percent plans. No matter which side of the card you fall, this will be fascinating to follow. Maybe more states will begin to follow suit?

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND JOINS THE COMMON APP!

Yessssss!!!!!! Maryland has jumped on the bandwagon and as of August 12th is now offering students the option to apply through the Common Application (in addition to the Coalition Application).

The school’s hope is that high school seniors who may not have previously considered UMD will now check the university’s box on the Common App and explore all it has to offer. In the DC area, this will be fantastic for the many students who did previously consider Maryland and decided it wasn’t worth all of the work to apply.

As for me? I know everyone is sick of hearing me talk about it, but I can’t help thinking about this article every time UMD comes up in a meeting. It really stuck with me, and not in a good way.

COVID WAIVERS AT PENN STATE

On Wednesday Penn State announced that all students would be required to sign a liability waiver ahead of their return to campus for the fall semester. Despite 64,000 student signatures agreeing to the first COVID-19 Compact, that original statement was retracted after 24 hours when some students and members of the faculty questioned the waiver’s “I assume any and all risk” language and intent.

Penn State has since amended the wording and released a new, updated compact. For those interested, you can read all about it here.

BIG 10, PAC 12 & BIG EAST CANCEL SPORTS

By now you’ve heard that the Big 10, Pac 12 and Big East have canceled their Fall 2020 sports seasons amidst COVID concerns, exploring an option to resume football play for a spring season. It will be up to each individual conference to make the decision. We all know that things change rather quickly these days, so as I’m writing this update, who knows - the SEC, ACC and Big 12 could all be calling it quits, too. But as of right now Duke, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Rice haven’t throw in the towel.

TESTING UPDATES FOR FAIRFAX COUNTY STUDENTS

FCPS is preparing for 11th grade students to take the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) in-person in October. Students that’d like to request specific accommodations must do so by August 18th, which is fast approaching.

The district is still planning to offer school-based SAT testing on September 23, which is great - but a number of students learned this week that their August administrations were canceled. My best advice: call the test center directly if you are signed up for an upcoming SAT and need an update. The College Board list is not accurate! If your son or daughter is scheduled to take the SAT on the 29th and decides to take the test during the school day on September 23 instead (just like I mentioned last week), I’d love to know so I can give others a heads up in hopes that they can snatch up that seat.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

With the ever-changing college admissions landscape due to COVID, colleges are rushing to put new standards into place to help them navigate the months ahead. I’m always intrigued by the creative ideas I see popping up! This NPR read (which four of you sent to me! Thank you!) explains that Tulane is adding an interview option, while Bowdoin is offering an impromptu short answer section. I think the Bowdoin add-on is ingenious – bravo to them!

For families who are sending their college students back to campus this month, here’s a little NYT article about what your child can expect, plan for, and do to live their very best pandemic life.

And I’ll end with this thought-provoking opinion piece taking a look into how all of the safety protocols on campuses could backfire. Sorry, I just don’t think any of this is realistic. I thought Scott Galloway’s take was both hilarious and spot on:

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

I never thought simple human interaction would make me so happy, but it was amazing to have Staci here with me all week. Such a treat. It had been FIVE MONTHS! since another person entered this office. And speaking of treats - we have been getting spoiled out the wazoo all week long. Flowers, cupcakes, and wait for it - even a dozen krispy kreme donuts today!

Also, the experience of smiling (and posing!) for a picture during social distancing is new to me! Do you sit close to each other? We weren’t sure. Smile with a mask? Unclear. We’ll figure that out eventually…

I apologize in advance that I am a bit behind on my emails - so many questions came in over the last few days and I have been in meetings almost nonstop. I will catch up tomorrow - thank you for your patience.

Have a great weekend, everyone!