With the outbreak of COVID-19, students around globe are looking for ways to use their time at home productively while staying safe and practicing “social distancing.” While this is a time fraught with uncertainty as we worry about loved ones and public health, this is also a time where you can also use your time at home to help others, be productive, and prepare for your college applications.
To help you make good use of your down time, and maybe help others a little bit in the process, here are 10 ideas to help you continue to prepare for admissions success:
1) Help Others:
You can use this time to serve others and help make a difference in the lives of those affected most by the outbreak of the Coronavirus using online tools and platforms. You can’t leave your house and help people face-to-face, but you can still use your time at home to help people remotely. For instance, you can:
Raise funds for those in need using platforms like GoFundMe, GlobalGiving, Relief International, Charity Navigator, and more where you can raise or donate funds and supplies to those who need it most. There are thousands of children who need educational resources like books and school supplies, medical centers that need donations of masks and gloves, and there are thousands of families that desperately need food.
Use your tech skills to create a smart phone app to serve your community. For instance, you could create an app that puts neighbors in contact with one another so that stricken families can get the support and help their need in your neighborhood, create an app that provides educational tools or games for children who can’t attend school, or create an app that helps at-risk individuals like the elderly and people with respiratory conditions stay connected with family while being forced to remain isolated.
Raise funds to help those who have lost their jobs and livelihoods due to the shutdown of businesses. There are so many people who have lost their jobs in the service sector who are in desperate need of financial assistance right now such as those who work in the food industry. Now would be a great time to help them out with some much-needed fundraising and support.
2) Work on Your College List
Putting together a balanced and carefully planned list of schools to apply to is an essential part of every admissions journey. A good college list should have about 8-12 schools by the time you are finished. It is also important that your list strikes a balance between reach, target, and safety schools.
Generally speaking, about 2-4 of your schools should be reach schools (schools with acceptance rates lower than 20% and where admitted students have grades and test scores similar to yours), 4-6 should be target schools (schools with acceptance rates between 20% and 80% and where most admitted students have grades and test scores similar to, or just below, your grades and test scores), and 2-3 of your schools should be safety schools (schools with acceptance rates over 80% and where students GPA’s and test scores of admitted students are much lower than yours).
While researching, keep in mind that you are going to college to receive an education. And, for most of you, you’re probably expecting that your education will eventually lead you towards employment in your chosen career path. So, keep your academic fit at the top of your priorities when developing your school list. More specifically, you should only be looking at, and applying to, schools that offer a strong program in the majors that you want to study. Spend some time researching schools by going onto their websites and asking yourself the following questions:
Does this school offer the major(s) that I want?
Does the major have the kinds of classes and concentrations that I want?
Are there professors at that school that I am truly excited about learning from?
Does this school offer other opportunities that interest me such as internships, chances to do hands-on-learning, research opportunities, and so forth?
3) Start Working on Your Common App Essay.
Most of your college applications will be sent in through the Common App, so creating your Common App account at www.commonapp.org is the perfect way to get started. After you make your account, you will discover that there are 7 essay prompts for you to choose from.
The Common App essay is all about story telling and about showing off your personality, so have fun with this essay and create something that not only showcases your values and personality, but that is also interesting and entertaining to read.
It’s okay if you don’t write the perfect essay now. Those applications won’t be due until the Fall, so you have plenty of time to revise, rewrite, and rethink your essay. But, getting started now is a great way to get those creative juices flowing and to take a big, important step towards getting your college applications done.
If you’re feeling stuck, or not sure if your essay is very good, you can always reach out to us at Ivy Academic Prep and work 1-on-1 with one of our highly experienced, elite admissions counselors to help you make that essay shine! All of our admissions counselors work 100% online, so we’re here to help you when you need us.
4) Work on an Academic Skill or take an Online Class
With so much time at home and with access to the Internet right at the tip of your fingers, now is a great time to learn something new or to perfect one of your skills. There are a multitude of free educational resources available online. For instance, you can find free online Ivy League classes that you can take online with a simple Google Search. Or, check out websites like Coursera and resources like iTunes University to find elite college level courses available online.
Or, if you don’t feel like taking a class, there are ways that you can build other skills online. Websites like CodeAcademy offer free resources for teaching yourself computer programming. Search online and learn something new!
5) Research and Apply to Scholarships
Who doesn’t like free money?! Searching for scholarships can be a little overwhelming, so we recommend starting locally. Send your high school guidance counselor an email and ask them to point your towards local scholarships and scholarship resources. After you’ve explored local options, then you can start searching online…
No scholarship search is complete without combing through the millions of scholarships available online. Here are a few of the more reputable and easy to navigate scholarship search websites that we recommend:
They have more than $3 billion dollars in scholarships listed. This is arguably the most reputable and reliable source of scholarships available online.
Another mainstay in the world of online scholarship searches. They have more than $3.5 billion in scholarship money listed.
This website can be a little bloated and hard to navigate, but they list more than $19 billion in scholarships in their database.
6) Plan and Organize a Community Service Project for the Future:
To get started, start networking with your friends online. You can create your own club or organization, set up a website, work on organizing and planning concrete steps to reach your goals, and start fundraising.
Start planning and organizing using social media to help people in-person after the virus has subsided. Once our lives go “back to normal,” there will still be thousands of individuals and communities who will need help getting back on their feet. For instance, your local food pantries, homeless shelters, Red Cross blood banks, and other places that help others will be in desperate need of supplies and hands-on assistance.
You can start organizing now and planning for the months ahead so that once it is safe to help others in person you will be ready to get out there and make a difference!
7) Keep Your Grades Up!
Learning from home and staying on task with your school work and projects can be a real challenge. We all thrive on the routine of school, so suddenly finding yourself studying at home can present a whole new set of difficulties. Stay in touch with your teachers, create a study schedule and stick to it, and work hard to keep those grades high!
8) Start an Online Business, Non-Profit, or Website
College admissions officers love applicants who are innovative, creative, and willing to take reasonable risks. You’re also a passionate, driven person. So, why not take that passion and drive and create something! You can create an environmental organization, create and sell art, raise money to help others, create a resource that helps others, and much, much more!
9) Work on Demonstrated Interest
One piece of the college admissions process that students often overlook or don’t put enough effort into is “demonstrated interest.” Demonstrating your interest in a school means doing things like signing up for admissions newsletters from schools, signing up to be on the mailing lists of universities so that they can send you pamphlets and brochures, and doing online virtual tours.
By demonstrating your interest in a school, you’re letting them know that you’re serious about applying. Not only is this a great way to educate yourself about the schools that you might be applying to, but it is also your way of showing admissions officers that you’re truly interested in the amazing academic programs that they have to offer
You’re already working on your college list (see #2 in this list), so why not supplement that effort by letting those schools know that you are interested in them?
10) Take Care of Yourself and Your Family
Last, but not least, you should prioritize the physical and mental health of yourself and your family during this outbreak. Your health and safety is important, so take care of yourself and your loved ones. Spend some time with your parents or siblings, call your grandparents or extended family, and spend some quality time with those who live in your home.
Your grades, activities, and college preparation are certainly something worth working on, but it is also important that you are doing some personal care during this stressful time. Eat healthy meals, exercise, and get plenty of sleep. This is an emotional time for everyone, so talk to others and take care of yourself. Your physical and mental health are important!
IF YOU WANT PERSONALIZED, 1-ON-1 HELP FROM A COLLEGE ADMISSIONS EXPERT, CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED TODAY. All of our admissions counseling is offered online, so we are here to help you when you need us!
Posted by Matthew T. Riley, Ph.D., Director – Ivy Academic Prep