Ah January. Out with the old, in with the new.
This feels especially important this year as we turn the corner into a new administration and also the first round of vaccination.
But what does that mean for higher ed?
The long-short answer is still more or less “we’re not sure.” And we’re taking it one day at a time, one project at a time, one class of students at a time.
We are starting to get information and data on early round applications, and interestingly numbers are way up in a lot of cases. This impacts offers of admittance, financial aid awards, and shifts how colleges are building their incoming classes. Average GPA of accepted students at University of Oregon, for example was 3.6 in the early round, which is higher than we’ve seen in the last few years.
However, it’s still unknown what “going to college” is going to look like this fall for certain. So understandably, many seniors are waiting to get all of their acceptances and aid offers, and biding their time to see how things go this winter and spring, leading up to decision time in May.
ACT/SAT is on the minds of many juniors, and whether or not colleges and universities are going to maintain their more lenient testing policies for the class of 2022 as they did for the class of 2021. This is an especially relevant for those students who have already completed Advanced Algebra and are in the sweet spot for having had at least two years of high school core curriculum. The December SAT was canceled and College Board just announced they are dropping SAT essay and subject test components.
As such, juniors are asking: What kind of prep should I be doing? Is it worth it to take a practice test? What if I only have a math class for half of the year during on line school, will I be as prepared? Is testing even going to factor in?
My advice to juniors is to put in some prep effort this winter in preparation to take a test this spring as things open back up and become available. Keeping sharp on math and other core subjects will not only support your eventual ACT or SAT, but can also only help your overall academics, so it’s a good use of time.
See my resources page for free prep options to do at home, as well as a list of local providers if having some extra structure will help you stay on track.
One provider in the Portland area, North Avenue Education has a great blog and a variety of support options both for test prep and study skills. You can also check out the Spotlight on NAE for more info.
Click here for more To Do’s in January, and happy New Year!
