WELCOME TO WEEK SEVEN OF THE CORONAVIRUS BLOG!
Welcome to Week Seven of the Coronavirus Blog! Thank you to everyone who read the blog last week! As a reminder, or for anyone just joining us, I’ll be sharing college-related updates with you each Friday while we ride out the waves and impacts of coronavirus. These will include tour and admission information, how schools are staying connected, and news from the home front (me!). If there’s anything specific that you’d like to see featured here, don’t hesitate to reach out and I’ll do my best.
NEWS AND UPDATES
NACAC’s College Openings Update is Now Available Online
NACAC has posted on their site their annual College Openings Update: Options for Qualified Students (formerly the Space Availability Survey).
This is a voluntary listing of NACAC member postsecondary institutions that are still accepting applications from prospective freshman and/or transfer students for the upcoming fall term.
The College Openings Update is designed as a tool for counselors, parents and others assisting students who have not yet completed the college admission process. Typically, colleges will continue to join the update after the May 5 public release date, so check back periodically to see additional colleges still accepting applications.
“We Get It.” College Admissions Deans Speak Out
In trying to stay on top of ever-changing news regarding online or on-campus classes and assessment of college applications for the fall, I have been watching webinars, speaking with colleagues and following news from the individual colleges themselves. Admittedly, it’s hard to keep up with information that changes so quickly and that comes from so many sources!
In this May 7th Forbes article written by Brennan Barnard, Director of College Counseling &Outreach at the Derryfield School, he does a great job of synthesizing all of this information in one place and offers some useful. He recounts, “I asked admission leaders to focus on what they wanted students and families to know about applying to college next year. The common theme in their responses was, “WE GET IT!” He reminds his readers that “it is important to recognize that ever-evolving college admission process is a human experience. It sometimes feels like admission leaders are anonymous machines “behind the curtain,” conducting ambiguous evaluations of applicants, but the truth is that they are living, breathing people who understand what students are experiencing. They are in this work because they want to admit students and create opportunities. Many have children of their own and they are mothers, brothers, sons, and aunts. At this challenging time, they too are wearing masks to the grocery store, commuting to their kitchen table to work, and are worried about the health and safety of their loved ones. There is humanity in the uncertainty of the college admission experience.” Beyond that, they discuss their outlooks on Spring Grades, SAT/ACT and IB/AP tests. Read the full article to find out the details.
COOL THINGS STUDENTS AND COMMUNITIES ARE DOING IN THE MEANTIME
It’s Showtime!
Although we have not been able to head out to movie theatres, live theatre performances, or live concerts over the past couple of months, college students have been finding ways to adapt their performances to virtual platforms. This week, we thought we’d share with you a couple of stand out arts and culture moments that put us on the edge of our seats!
Here’s your ticket to The Method Gun, a farcical take on Streetcar Named Desire, originally devised by Austin’s Rude Mechs and performed here by students from the Wesleyan Theatre Department.
Here’s your ticket to an hour of classic music performed by rising stars from Juilliard School of Music.
THE HOME FRONT
The weather has cooled off a bit here in sunny south Florida and it has been absolutely beautiful the last couple of days. We just found out about an hour ago that Palm Beach County has reopened (phase 1, although it’s a bit confusing)… I’m not sure I’m ready to eat in a restaurant just yet. Guess it’ll be a few more weeks of takeout!
