College applications have changed this year because students and counselors have to come up with a new plan to work on college applications. Colleges have created a new format in their applications due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

College applications have loosened their restrictions as the Class of 2021 students do not have to submit their SAT/ACT scores. Most colleges have the test score submission as optional because students weren’t able to take the test through the schools due to COVID-19. Guidance counselor Jamie McKenna wants to see the colleges switch to this format permanently.

“This forces colleges to look at different aspects of a student than a three-hour test. This year might be an interesting time with test scores in the future,” McKenna said.

She wants to see change after this year as colleges will start picking students by their personality, grades, activities, and achievements rather than a simple test score that shows nothing about the student. Students applying to colleges also agree that this is a good change where it gives them more opportunities to show what kind of person they are and not having to stress about one test that can define their future.

Seniors Robert Van Kast and Luke Lenning explained how applications can be stressful. 

“Yes, stressful being very time consuming, especially with schoolwork on top of it. With the essays, there are so many topics to choose and write about,” Van Kast said.

“Essays are very descriptive, and minimizing your words can be time-consuming,” Lenning said.

As the college applications are still time-consuming during the change in format, choosing the right college can be hard. When accepted, most students later go on a tour of the college to see if they like the campus. They have a tour figuring out if they can see themselves going to a school that suits their preferences.  

“It’s all about the feel when you’re there at the college. When seeing the campus and buildings, it’s all about seeing if I can see myself going to the school,” Van Kast said.

Even with the change of the college application format, students are still pursuing college applications holding what’s next for their futures.