As the coronavirus upends our daily lives, weighs down our health-care system, and threatens our most vulnerable citizens, the subject of college admissions might seem trivial. We all have other things to think about right now.
Yet, as director of a college admissions-based nonprofit and a private college counselor, I have been inundated with calls, texts, and emails from frazzled parents and anxious students trying to understand how the pandemic will affect one of the most important periods of their lives. While we as a society are justifiably preoccupied with the disease that is currently ravaging cities around the world, other parts of our lives still matter. With that in mind, I have some advice for college-bound high schoolers, particularly juniors and seniors.
First, for all you seniors who are wrestling with indecision after receiving your college acceptances: your anxiety is understandable. Just remember that, while the excitement of these spring months — usually a time of celebration and anticipation — may have been tempered by events beyond your control, your college acceptances still represent the culmination of years of diligent academic effort on your part. You should be proud of how hard you’ve worked, and how far you’ve come, and the doors you’ve opened for your future self.