HOW TO TAKE A BALANCED APPROACH
TO COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
One of the many unfortunate and disconcerting side effects of COVID-19 is the additional anxiety that high school students are feeling right now about the college admissions process. Stress levels about college are often high this time of year as seniors make their final acceptance decisions and juniors and sophomores feel the pressure to achieve top grades and test scores. And now families have the added layer of uncertainty due to canceled admit days and college tours, changes to grading policies and SAT/ACT testing and dates, and the elimination of most extracurriculars.
We urge students and parents to keep the big picture in mind and remember that all students across the world are experiencing these uncertainties together. Hundreds of colleges such as Case Western,Harvard, and Oregon State have proactively shared how they will make adjustments to honor the disruptions students are currently encountering, and have emphasized that students will not be disadvantaged as a result.
Challenge Success recently provided guidance to policymakers and education leaders to adopt a grading policy that includes a shift to Credit/Incomplete or No Record as a way to support student well-being and equity. Watch this 60-minute Q&A webinar with Denise Pope and a panelist of experts to learn more.
As always, remember that a student’s entire future does not depend on this one decision. Research confirms that what you do in college matters more than where you go to college. As Dr. Pope recently said in a message to families, use this unexpected time at home to broaden your definition of learning and embrace playtime, downtime, and family time.
Keep reading for practical ways that parents, students, and educators can reduce unnecessary stress and take a more balanced approach to the college admissions process during COVID-19 and beyond.
Stay safe, healthy, and balanced.
The Challenge Success team
HONOR YOUR FAMILY 'S VALUES ABOUT
WHAT MATTERS IN COLLEGE SELECTION
On the Challenge Success Parent Survey, we ask parents of high school students:
What are the three most important qualities to your COMMUNITY when looking for a college or university for your child?
What are the three most important qualities to YOU when looking for a college or university for your child?
From data collected during Fall 2019 - Winter 2020:
68% of parents surveyed said "Ranking in the US News & World Report" is one of the top three most important qualities to their community while only 33% said this is one of the top three most important qualities to them.
55% said "Whether a college is in the Ivy League" is one of the top three most important qualities to their community while only 16% said this is one of the top three most important qualities to them.
So, what does this mean? Many parents perceive that their community values extrinsic markers like rankings and elite brand names even if they do not. We urge families to deeply consider what matters to them and not allow external competitive pressures to limit the exploration of the ‘right fit’ college for your student. Engage your children in open discussions about what they want out of their college experience and what criteria are important to them. Remember that success is rarely a straight line and embrace the squiggly paths that most students take on their road to self-discovery.
Several Challenge Success schools have created a College Rejection Wall to take the stigma out of a very normal part of the college admissions process. Families can do this at home too. Remind students that there are many paths to success!
SUPPORT YOUR TEEN DURING THE FINAL STRETCH OF THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS
Here are five practical tips from Dr. Denise Pope to help families support their teens during this last leg of the college admissions process.
1. Make a plan for how your teen (and you) will receive the news from colleges.
2. Be mindful of how you share your admissions news with others.
3. Avoid saying “just”.
4. Invest in college readiness skills.
5. Remind teens that where they go matters less than what they do when they get there.
A WELL-BALANCED PERSPECTIVE ON COLLEGE FIT A Workshop for Parents and Students
What is “fit” and why does it matter? This workshop, which draws from a recent Challenge Success white paper on college admissions, seeks to debunk several common myths by examining questions such as: What do college rankings really measure? What are the benefits, if any, of attending a more selective college? How can a student maximize the outcomes of the college experience? Participants will learn practical strategies to help reduce unnecessary pressure around the college admissions process.
Like many nonprofits in the education sector, Challenge Success is impacted by COVID-19. Please consider supporting our mission by engaging with our services or donating to our organization. Your contributions will allow us to continue to support well-being and engagement with learning for all students — wherever learning is happening.
Strategies to Support Student Well-Being and Engagement with Learning Challenge Successpartners with schools, families, and communities to embrace a broad definition of success and to implement research-based strategies that promote student well-being and engagement with learning. We believe that our society has become too focused on grades, test scores, and performance, leaving little time for kids to develop the skills necessary to become independent, resilient, and ethical individuals. Learn more about our impact and how to support our mission. Challenge Success is a non-profit organization affiliated with the Stanford University Graduate School of Education.
