This year was unprecedented in college admissions. We’ve seen colleges go to test-optional as many students were unable to sit for the SAT or ACT due to the nationwide shut-down of schools and test centers. As a result, admissions offices of highly selective schools experienced a surge of applications as students across the country decided to take their shot!

3.4% Harvard
3.7% Columbia
3.9% Princeton
4.6% Yale
5.4% Brown
5.7% Penn
6.2% Dartmouth
8.7% Cornell

Admissions officers at highly selective schools found themselves having to manage to an increase of 20-100% more applications while also having to revise the way they read. There was the absence of the core standardized test score data point, which is often viewed as an indicator of a student’s ability to handle college-level work. They also had the added challenge of interpreting academic performance as many juniors received pass/fail grades for the second half of the year. It doesn’t end there. On top of that, most extracurricular activities, another critical factor in the admissions review, were put on pause as the world navigated a global pandemic in quarantine.

This year was the wild, wild west of admissions, and up until a few weeks ago, it was unclear if this perfect storm would not only change the way colleges make admissions decisions but also impact the make-up of the student body.

Now that most colleges have released their acceptance numbers, it’s clear this year was uber-competitive. Many colleges reported a more diverse and, in many instances, the most diverse class ever assembled. In certain circles, the SAT/ACT has been viewed as discriminatory toward students of color and not a reliable predictor of a student’s ability to tackle college-level work but more of an indicator of family affluence. Given the recently published results of top colleges across the nation, we see that the absence of standardized test scores resulted in more holistic reads.

More competitive colleges are reporting substantial increases in their BIPOC population (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). Many schools have stated that standardized test scores will not be required next year, yet it’s unclear how long that policy will remain in effect. Until then, It is refreshing to know that students who have worked hard for 3.5 years are not being penalized for one data point, which in several studies has not been shown to predict college performance reliably.

The Class of 2025 will be unlike any other. I am excited that we broke the mold. It’s when we decide to do things differently, we experience change and innovation.

© April 2021 Geanine Thompson, The College Guru