The college application essay … AKA 650 words (on the Common App) that strike fear into the hearts of students everywhere! And, of course, in 2020, there’s a new twist: Common App is providing a dedicated space for students to elaborate on the impact of the pandemic, both personally and academically.
COVID-19 has affected everyone’s life, but has it affected your life enough to write about it?
There’s lots of advice swirling around on the web and in conversations (probably in Zoom rooms), but only you can decide if COVID-19 has affected you so profoundly that you need to write about it. College reps can’t tell you yes or no. Your college counselor can’t tell you yes or no. Your family can’t even tell you yes or no.
Only you have lived your life. Tell them about it—or don’t—and trust them to understand. Lydia Mann, director of admissions outreach at CTCL-member school, Clark University, and a director on the CTCL Board, writes beautifully about this year’s essays and how she believes they will be reviewed by admission counselors.