We have been busy helping our late-late-start seniors submit for the November 15 early deadline. Good luck to everyone submitting this weekend!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

LATEST AFFIRMATIVE ACTION LAWSUIT HITS UNC

The anti-affirmative-action group Students for Fair Admissions, which has previously brought litigation against Harvard and the University of Texas, is currently arguing against UNC in the Winston-Salem federal court. The group claims that UNC discriminates against white and Asian-American students in admissions, while the university argues that its use of race in admissions is just one factor that is considered holistically in the context of the application. Just yesterday, a federal appeals court upheld the 2018 ruling in Harvard’s favor on this same issue. We will be watching closely to see if any of these affirmative action cases, including this most recent one, make their way to the Supreme Court. 

FLORIDA PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES SEE APPLICATIONS DECLINE

We have written before about the State University System of Florida’s refusal to go test-optional this cycle. This makes Florida the only state in the US (aside from Wyoming) to require students to test. As we expected, the controversial decision has resulted in a decline in applications - applications to Florida public universities are down a whopping 50% this cycle! 

USNA NAMES FIRST BLACK FEMALE BRIGADE COMMANDER

Midshipman 1st Class Sydney Barber (a senior at the Naval Academy, for those unfamiliar with the lingo!) has been named brigade commander for the spring semester. This is the university’s highest student leadership position, and is the first black woman and the sixteenth woman to serve as brigade commander in USNA’s history. She will be responsible for the day-to-day activities and professional training for the nearly 5,000 Naval Academy midshipmen.  

FCPS ATHLETICS AND RETURN TO SCHOOL UPDATE

As Fairfax County Public Schools continues with the phased-in approach to in-person learning after last night’s heated school board work session, they have also released an update on school sports. FCPS athletes will be allowed to return to the Virginia High School League competition in December, with basketball practices beginning on December 7 and all other winter sports practices on December 14. Loudoun County will also be competing this winter, and Arlington gave in to the pressure and reversed their previous decision - so they will too!

IVY LEAGUE SPORTS WILL NOT COMPETE IN WINTER SEASON

In another sports update this week, the Ivy League Council of Presidents released a unanimous decision yesterday to suspend intercollegiate competitions for winter sports. Students will still be allowed to practice and train on campus, and will not lose a season of NCAA-eligibility.

APPLICATIONS ARE DOWN OVERALL - BUT THAT MAY NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE

As we mentioned last week after Shannon’s “Coffee with the Carnegie Mellon Deans” conversation, applications to college are down overall this cycle as a result of the uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Fewer students this year have applied early or filled out the FAFSA compared to previous years. However, for many of our students, that may not have as much of an impact as you might think - applications to highly selective schools, especially those that are newly test-optional, are UP this cycle. The number of highly selective schools in the US represents a very tiny fraction of the whole - everyone is trying to get in to the same 50 (or so) schools when there are over 4,000 four-year colleges and universities in the United States. While we did expect numbers to rise at the selective institutions, particularly at the public schools with lower tuition thresholds, I don't think any of us thought that UVA would have a 35% year over year increase in early decision applicants! That’s incredible.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

Harvard and Columbia have introduced new certificate and “lifelong learning” programs to their business schools, a move that could change the way we think about business education. The idea behind these programs is that rather than completing a business degree in two years and graduating with an MBA, students will return to their education over a lifetime, through online re-education and certification. We have been busy with business school applications this cycle, and so far our students remain interested in traditional, two-year MBAs - but we’re interested to see how these programs change the landscape of MBA admissions. 

Georgetown University Law Center has debuted a new “Lawyers as Leaders” course to celebrate its 150th anniversary and respond to the political and cultural events of 2020. The course focuses on social justice and is the largest class in the Law Center’s history, enrolling over 300 students. During this course, Dean William M. Treanor interviews Georgetown Law faculty about pressing issues for young lawyers. Videos of these conversations are also available on Georgetown’s website, a great resource for any aspiring lawyers or any students interested in social justice! 

We wrote last week about how schools are preparing for students to leave for a long break this Thanksgiving, but parents also have to prepare to have their students home. This New York Times article offers tips for parents during this unusual time. From practical points about scheduling travel and quarantine, to checking in on your student’s emotional state, this is a must-read for any parent feeling apprehensive about welcoming their children home for the holidays. 

Also last week, we mentioned that we would be paying close attention to how the outcome of the election will impact higher education. This article gives some big-picture ideas of how higher education policies might change, particularly in response to a Vice President who is an HBCU graduate and a First Lady who is a community college instructor. We know that information about higher education policies will continue to develop, so keep an eye out for further updates!

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

As we wrap up early applications with our late-late-start seniors, many of our juniors are just starting to research and put together their college lists. We have had a lot of questions about how to get a feel for the school when the student is unable to visit in person. If you are in the same boat, check out our post from earlier this week for some tips to help really get to know a school during virtual visits.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the search process, find out more about how we can help by booking a Meet & Greet!