Our goal is to support you through the wrinkle of this journey and make the most of the challenges we face. With everything that has happened this past week, I would like to share our thoughts on the following developments and topics:

AP/IB Tests
    The College Board announced that it will offer AP exams online. These tests will be 45 minutes long and tests will include material covered at most schools by the beginning of March. As we wrote in our previous email, AP scores are not a factor for admission. Do your best on these exams to earn college credit. We have told students that if signed up for these exams, take them. There is no downside. You do not have to report scores you are not proud of. The College Board should be releasing additional information about these exams in the coming week(s). If you have additional questions, please contact your high school teachers or test prep tutors.
   IB Exams will not be offered this year. We know this is disappointing for students who seek to use their tests for college credits, but that decision is completely out of your control.

SAT/ SAT Subject Tests / ACT
    As mentioned last week, the SAT, SAT Subject Tests and ACT have both been cancelled through May. Whether the tests are offered in June and beyond is an open question. If you are planning on taking the June or July SAT/ACT tests, please sign up ASAP. Test center options are limited and test dates will fill up quickly. As soon as we learn more, we will inform you.
    Many are asking whether the SAT or ACT will be required next year. We do not yet know how these tests will be factored into the application process for most schools. Some schools have already transitioned to a “test-optional” policy for next year including Case Western and Chapman. MIT recently dropped its requirement for SAT Subject Tests. MIT will not even accept them next year. There has been discussion among the UCs to go test-optional as well.
   We anticipate colleges to place more weight on applicants’ transcripts because the entrance exams are not currently being offered and may not be offered in time for the next application cycle. That said, we think strong college entrance scores can improve one’s odds of admission even if no longer required. If you are looking to begin prepping for the SAT or ACT, or improve your current scores, you can work with tutors remotely or independently with prep books. We are happy to create a test plan for you and provide recommendations for tutors and independent prep materials.

Grades
   We are unsure of the long-term effects of COVID 19 on the college admissions process, but believe that a bigger emphasis will be placed on an applicant’s grades over test scores for the 2020-2021 cycle. Grades remain in an applicant’s control even through remote learning. Please take stock of your current academic progress and determine if there are any ways to improve your grades, if needed. This is not about being “Straight A or Bust”, but rather an opportunity to reinforce that we want every student to do his or her best and focus on what is in their control. If you would like to discuss plans for contacting your teachers or improving current grades, please let us know.

Leadership Opportunities
   Continue to look for opportunities to serve others from a safe distance. We are encouraging every student who has time to focus on their “wow factors”. Whether it is writing a children’s book, tutoring younger kids online, creating a YouTube channel or blog, or selling something you create for a cause, every student is living in a world where they can do something to help. Life will reward those that are able to use their ingenuity and creativity to make an impact.
   In general, we do not think fundraising carries the same weight as doing something that requires a student to roll up his or her sleeves and get their hands dirty. Especially in communities like where we live, they often raise questions about who is bankrolling the donations. Please focus on opportunities that require students, even from home, to demonstrate grit, leadership, and passion.

Online Courses
   We have received many questions about opportunities to continue learning with a reduced school load. Courses taken for enrichment may not appear on the high school transcript or be considered for admission purposes. We do not think AP classes offered by pay-to-play test prep centers will be given the same weight as classes offered by community colleges or high schools.
    If interested in a way to demonstrate interest in a particular field, consider taking an online course this summer through a community college. These courses can be submitted to colleges and depending on your high school’s policy, show up on an official high school transcript. If interested in a particular niche, consider free course sites like Coursera for classes on topics like abnormal psychology and constitutional law.

Summer Programs/Internships
   We are encouraging students to develop backup plans for their summers in case the disruptions we face are prolonged. Ideas for summer include wow factors, online social media marketing gigs for parents’ or friends companies and online community college classes. These pursuits demonstrate a commitment to passion development and resilience. We are in uncharted territory and believe the best course of action is to make the most of this situation.

Book Recommendation of the Week
   Each week, I will be providing a recommendation for a different book for the entire family to read. Like I mentioned last week, avid readers become great writers. But beyond developing stronger writing skills for college and career, reading provides perspective, which is something we all need at the moment.
   One of my favorite books I read this past year is All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel follows a young French girl and German soldier trapped in the Allied siege of St. Malo during World War II. The war scenes are gripping and the relationships are heartwarming. This book shows the power of people to band together and how small acts of kindness can profoundly change others’ lives. It also serves as a powerful reminder that while what we face is a challenge, we are able to do so from the comfort of home with Netflix, Snapchat, and Postmates.

Logistics
   Our office remains closed but we are meeting with students virtually. As always, we are here to help you make the most of your journeys to college. Please contact Meredith Stenta to schedule or reschedule any appointments. Her email is meredith@earningadmission.com. We are responding to texts and calls as well. Our office phone number is 949-933-6086.

Closing Note: Encouraging Positivity and Responsible Behavior
   None of us are happy to be going through this, but it is my hope that every one of our students can learn and grow from this experience. This scenario has taught us the profound impact our actions have on our neighbors and communities. Teenagers may feel infallible at times (I did in high school and college), but this is an incredible teaching opportunity to understand how we affect those around us.
    Yes, it is a bummer that prom has been cancelled and it is a challenge to pick a college without being able to step foot on campus. However, there is a lot to be thankful for--our health, families, and opportunities to grow. Let’s be creative and make the most of what we face while flattening the infection curve.  
   I was asked today during a session what excited me today, and that question moved me. There is a lot to be excited about. For me, it was starting a new book (American Pastoral by Philip Roth if anyone wants to read it with me). I also discovered after buying food to cook that I do not own a single pot or pan to cook with which means I have to go to the store (I guess I am a typical millennial after all). I am going to be asking students in every session to tell me something good, interesting, or exciting because if we are mindful of what surrounds us, I am sure all of us can find plenty to appreciate.

In what seems like a never ending stream of extraordinary college admissions news recognizing that this process is broken, the College Board recently announced that they will be assigning an “adversity score” to each test taker.  The College Board administers the SAT and the SAT Subject Tests.  This adversity score is assigned based on the socioeconomic conditions in the applicant’s community, school, family marital status and education levels, among other factors.

We all want a fair process for ourselves and our kids when it comes to applying to college.  But this is not the answer. While I applaud efforts to make college more accessible and diverse, this is an ill-conceived effort to level the playing field that comes at the expense of hard working and honest students seeking to put their best foot forward in this process and be evaluated on the merits of their applications.  

The adversity score exposes the college admissions process for the social and financial experiment it is at many schools: constructing a class consisting of mega legacies to increase donations, athletes that generate ticket sales from games, and those determined to be “in need”. Where the rest of the applicant pool fits in, is a mystery. 

The Wall Street Journal first broke this story, and can be accessed here.  The most interesting part of this story from my perspective is that 20% of Yale’s incoming class are from families where they will the first to attend college. At many highly selective schools, 1/3 of the class are mega legacies and 1/3 are recruited athletes.  So when Yale states that 20% of the incoming class is first generation, this means that over half of the “normal applicants” are being lauded for their socioeconomic status. 

In a perfect world, colleges would evaluate applicants based on their accomplishments, passions, and abilities.  Not whether a family can buy a building or qualifies for financial assistance. But alas, we live in an imperfect world.   

This process rewards those who are able to excel at what matters to them.  Rather than fret on some arbitrary score, focus on what you can control.  The SAT is not required.  The ACT does not assign an adversity score to applicants at the moment.  For students that have determined that the SAT is a better fit, and for the many more who will be taking Subject Tests, please do not fill out any demographic questions that are optional if you are concerned they will negatively impact you or your child’s applications.  This includes parent education levels, income, home addresses, etc.  If you can use an office address or PO Box in another community that may be viewed more favorably in the process, consider doing it.
​
These external developments are frustrating, anxiety-inducing, and often unfair.  We are here to guide every family through this process and make the most of it.

The recent college admissions bribery scandal has shed light into the secretive practices at many highly coveted colleges like Stanford, USC, and Yale. Jason England, a former admissions dean and an assistant professor of creative writing at Carnegie Mellon University, provides an indepth look into how admissions offices work and why this process can be frustrating even to the most qualified applicants.  We highly recommend reading his article to understand how this process works and why many talented applicants are not accepted at their dream school.  Click here to access the article.  

The lengths families went to make it seem like they earned admission to colleges like Stanford, Yale, and USC is shocking, but not the fact that people but their way in.  It is the worst kept secret in the college admissions world that it is pay to play, and this is part of the reason it is such an uphill battle for doing it the old fashioned way.   

At the most selective schools, anywhere from 2/3 to 3/4 of the spots are spoken for even before a school begins to accept applications.  In a class of 1,500, 1/3 are claimed by recruited athletes and 1/3+ are claimed by legacy families.  This means that 50,000 people are competing for the 500 remaining spots, which makes it a 1% acceptance rate for “normal” applicants.  But it gets worse, these 500 spots must be evenly dispersed across the country, the world, and all different backgrounds—they all cannot come from the same over qualified community.  The numbers are tough. 

These figures are not meant to discourage students from applying to selective colleges.  Rather, I want us to have a healthy mindset about the odds and what this process rewards: hard work, creativity, and a willingness to look outside the box to find paths that ensure our kids develop into healthy, happy, and financially independent adults.  Let's recognize the challenge we face and find ways to stand out and build interesting stories to develop a niche.  Learning how to navigate a competitive process by building a story is a life skill that will propel your kids to do amazing things well beyond college and that is the most important part of this process.
​
We will continue to encourage your child to his/her best and provide any support that we can for your kids to build their brand and ensure that they have the best odds to earn admission to a college that is a great fit.  We are excited to see what we can accomplish together! 

Out of our hometown of Newport Beach, California, we were rocked by posts emerging on social media of a Nazi drinking game at a high school party. 

There are two things wrong with this: (1) Nazism and (2) underage drinking games caught on camera.  I am not going to delve into how offensive/dumb this was—but rather focus on what these types of incidents mean for this process. 69% of college admissions officers report snooping on social media to search for applicants.  Demonstrating support or approval of hateful ideology or illegal underage drinking is not what an applicant wants to be associated with. 

Applying to college is the culmination of building a brand over several years.  This brand should demonstrate work ethic, leadership, and an ability to contribute to a community.  All it takes is one offensive post, tweet, or inappropriate picture to tarnish a person’s brand for their life.  Your kids’ employers will search on social media to find them.  The people deciding whether they are admitted to their dream school will do the same.  Poor judgment at a minimum can be a disqualifier in a competitive process. Please remind your kids as I do to: (1) set their accounts to private and (2) do not post anything that could be considered offensive or in poor taste to a hyper sensitive person.  This includes liking posts or commenting on them. 
​
How do you determine whether something is in poor taste?  I ask students if they would feel comfortable having their name and picture on the front cover of The New York Times and a copy of whatever was posted/liked/shared.  If the answer is no, there is your answer.  We live in an era where it is easy to offend.  When in doubt, be conservative in applying this test.  Our perception of what is "OK" tends to diminish with age.  Also remember, we can be found guilty by association.  If every person is doing something illegal, and your child happens to just be there in the picture, many reasonable minds would assume that your child is also participating in that activity as well.