ACCEPTED STUDENT DAYS FOR HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS:
Now is the time you have been waiting for. You have worked hard; you have waited patiently; and college admission notifications are rolling in. You are getting lots of good news and you have earned it! Now the best part: YOU get to decide where you want to live and learn for the next four years. Under normal circumstances, Accepted Student Days are one of the absolute highlights of the college admissions process. Colleges have invited you to join their community and they are eager to roll out the red carpet and show you why their institution would be a great choice for you. Typically, Accepted Student Days provide the opportunity for college swag, meeting new friends, and excitement for things to come! They kick off an emotional and bittersweet journey for you and your parents. It is the beginning of the process of you leaving home and starting the next stage of your life at your new college.
With the outbreak of the coronavirus, many colleges are closing their doors to in-person attendance and are transitioning to remote learning for the rest of the semester. For the Class of 2024, Accepted Student Days and the decision process will be different. This, like all that is happening with coronavirus, is unfortunate and unprecedented. Accepted Student Days are being cancelled or being replaced with virtual events. Unfortunately, this will make choosing a college more difficult for many students and their families.
Colleges are closing and transitioning to remote learning.
Many colleges are announcing alternate events in lieu of the traditional Accepted Student Days. They are doing their best to welcome prospective students and their families with events ranging from virtual Q&A’s with college administration to opportunities to speak to current students on video. These students will be eager to share everything from their favorite class, to their favorite professor, to their favorite on campus eatery. They will be there to give advice and share their stories. This may not be the same as the Accepted Student Days you dreamt of, but take advantage of it, embrace it, and enjoy it. Hopefully, it will help you choose the college and community that feels right for you.
COLLEGE VISITS FOR HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS:
For high school juniors and their families, typically spring break means college visits, information sessions, and tours. You have mapped it out, planned for months, and booked visits at the schools you are most excited to see. You may have purchased plane tickets, booked hotels, or arranged to meet up with current students that you know from home. It was going to be a special and productive trip. Unfortunately, for the Class of 2025, spring break is more likely going to be spent at home. But it’s OK. You can still check out colleges and gain insight to determine which are the schools that may be right for you. Here are some ways to “visit colleges” from home.
Check out the College Homepage: By looking at a college homepage, you will find out right away what a college chooses to highlight and what they are most proud of. Dig in to learn more about what interests you. This will start to give you an idea about what excites you at a particular college.
Follow Your Colleges on Social Media: This will help you learn about what is going on at each school from an inside perspective, the good, the bad and the ugly.
Take a Virtual Tour: While nothing is quite the same as being on campus, virtual tours are a great way to get a feel for a college. Most college websites offer a virtual tour under the visit page, or you can head to Campus Reel, which offers 15,000 videos, tours, and experiences on over 300 college campuses.
Contact Admissions: Reach out to the admissions offices of all the colleges on your list to let them know you have to postpone or cancel your trip. Ask them if they have any virtual options for connecting with their admissions team. Some colleges offer phone calls or may be able to set up a video call with a student admissions ambassador. For now at least, videochat is the “new normal.”
So make lemonade out of lemons and start planning your remote tours. Get excited to learn about the schools that could be great for you all from the comfort of your own home.
Click here for an updated list from College Kickstart of college closures as a result of coronavirus.
Contact info@interviewmama.com for help with your college admissions process and choosing the best fit college for you during these unusual times
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