COVID-19 is going to change the way the Class of 2021 approaches higher education. That’s the reality.
Everyone’s talking now about the impact the pandemic may have on the Class of 2020 as they approach college, and it is. (See our former posts about college visits and gap years.) But by the time schools cancelled classes, the Class of 2020 had largely already been accepted to universities…and the pandemic hasn’t yet had an impact on schools’ ability to hand out gift aid.
But that’s not going to be the case for the Class of 2021.
This pandemic is going to hit schools’ ability to hand out gift aid hard, depending on the financial health of institutions and the market shifts to come.
As we shift into a down market due to COVID-19, schools with smaller endowment structures will have less to give. Schools with healthy endowment structures will still be giving less…but more than schools with weak financial structures.
So with a larger influx of college applicants–(think, in addition to the Class of 2021, all the Class of 2020 kids who took gap years or young adults who were laid off and are now wanting to return to school for a degree)–competing for shrinking pools of money from colleges and universities…it’s going to be tougher.
It’s going to take real planning to make sure the Class of 2021 is getting into the right colleges at the right deals.
It’s not all gloom and doom though. With proper planning, the Class of 2021 will find good deals–but it’s more important than ever that they start planning NOW and seek additional help for assistance on how to find the schools that can offer the most gift aid.
We can help you do that–that’s what we do. This upcoming year, however, our one-on-one college advising work with students is going to be more important than ever.
So contact us to see how we can help. We’re happy to chat about your specific, unique situation. There are no two high schoolers than are alike! And we would never treat them as such.
In the meantime, here are some additional tips for the Class of 2021:
-Take the ACT/SAT, even though a growing number of colleges are making tests optional. After you get your scores, contact us and we can help you decide whether you should submit them or not.
-Use this time wisely–work on your common app essays now! We are offering college essay writing camps throughout the summer–many of them virtually, as we are still following the “stay-at-home” guidelines. Contact us to find out how you can craft your perfect college essay in just three days.
As always, please contact us with any college-related questions.
