Common App optional essay on Covid-19

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who hasn’t been significantly impacted?

I'd say the majority of the kids on DCUM. They get to sleep longer, eat at home and handle a reduced workload. Of course they have to deal with online school, miss sports, friends and are unable to travel. I wouldn't call that significant impact.

All the teenagers I know have been significantly impacted by this pandemic. You shouldn’t have to check off a death in the family or job loss to prove significant impact. They’ve lost the life they knew, lost their high school dreams. It’s never coming back. No Enchantment under the Sea Dance for them.

Not everyone has high school dreams; most kids are dreaming of life after high school. But if your dream was to peak in high school, then that probably isn't the topic you should choose for your college application anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who hasn’t been significantly impacted?

I'd say the majority of the kids on DCUM. They get to sleep longer, eat at home and handle a reduced workload. Of course they have to deal with online school, miss sports, friends and are unable to travel. I wouldn't call that significant impact.

All the teenagers I know have been significantly impacted by this pandemic. You shouldn’t have to check off a death in the family or job loss to prove significant impact. They’ve lost the life they knew, lost their high school dreams. It’s never coming back. No Enchantment under the Sea Dance for them.

Not everyone has high school dreams; most kids are dreaming of life after high school. But if your dream was to peak in high school, then that probably isn't the topic you should choose for your college application anyway.

PP. This thread is about the optional Covid 19 essay, not whether or not to choose that as a topic of your main personal statement/essay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who hasn’t been significantly impacted?

I'd say the majority of the kids on DCUM. They get to sleep longer, eat at home and handle a reduced workload. Of course they have to deal with online school, miss sports, friends and are unable to travel. I wouldn't call that significant impact.

All the teenagers I know have been significantly impacted by this pandemic. You shouldn’t have to check off a death in the family or job loss to prove significant impact. They’ve lost the life they knew, lost their high school dreams. It’s never coming back. No Enchantment under the Sea Dance for them.

Of course it's been tough for these teenagers, but for most kids with parents on this forum, it's been a fairly similar impact. No one is saying that judgmentally, it just won't necessarily make for a unique or standout essay when there are other kids who are writing about the impact a death or job loss due to COVID had on them or their family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who hasn’t been significantly impacted?

I'd say the majority of the kids on DCUM. They get to sleep longer, eat at home and handle a reduced workload. Of course they have to deal with online school, miss sports, friends and are unable to travel. I wouldn't call that significant impact.

All the teenagers I know have been significantly impacted by this pandemic. You shouldn’t have to check off a death in the family or job loss to prove significant impact. They’ve lost the life they knew, lost their high school dreams. It’s never coming back. No Enchantment under the Sea Dance for them.

Of course it's been tough for these teenagers, but for most kids with parents on this forum, it's been a fairly similar impact. No one is saying that judgmentally, it just won't necessarily make for a unique or standout essay when there are other kids who are writing about the impact a death or job loss due to COVID had on them or their family.

I keep hearing that ALL teenagers "have been significantly impacted". Not mine, nor their friends. They sleep longer, play video games with their friends and schoolwork is easier that it would have been otherwise. They admit that they are NOT impacted. What would they write about?!

[Anonymous]

There’s been great loss here, among the teenagers now applying to college. Those who don’t see that have forgotten, if they ever knew, what it means to be young.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s been great loss here, among the teenagers now applying to college. Those who don’t see that have forgotten, if they ever knew, what it means to be young.

Sure, but if you write an essay about your "great loss" that consisted of DL, missing prom, and not having a fun summer internship, you're going to look like a dick, because there will be students writing about how their mom lost her job, their grandmother died and they didn't get to see her, they were evicted, etc. A little humility and self-awareness goes a long way.

If there's something practical to explain -- you were unable to take the SAT or complete something because of COVID-19 that you would otherwise have included on your application, sure, include that. If it had some effect on your grades because, for example, you had to take care of your siblings while your parents worked, discuss that. If you weren't able to do X so you did Y instead, explain that. If you did some real volunteer work, share that. If you learned something through the experience that you'd like to share, do that. But an essay about how it was this huge loss for you when everyone in your family is employed and healthy will not make you look attractive to colleges. Yes, everyone has suffered some kind of loss, but some perspective is useful.

[Anonymous]

Loss of a way of life, loss of faith, loss of trust in government, loss of a traditional transition to adulthood—there have been great losses that some in the 2020, 2021 graduating classes have enough insight to feel. These losses are worthy themes for essays.

[Anonymous]

College counselor here- the trick to this field and the general additional info field is that it is not flowery, and there is no hook. There is no larger lesson or larger insight that you want the college to draw from this like the personal statement. This is not a second personal statement. It is objective, to the point, and sticks to the facts.

“Even though my high school went online in March, I did not receive reliable technology until the middle of April due to a district shortage. Sometimes I was able to...”

“Last February, I had been accepted to Summer at Brown, where I would take an Introduction to Psychology class. Psychology is not an elective offered at my high school, so I hoped to learn more and see if this was a potential major. Unfortunately, the program was cancelled/my mother lost her job, so we could not afford the program.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College counselor here- the trick to this field and the general additional info field is that it is not flowery, and there is no hook. There is no larger lesson or larger insight that you want the college to draw from this like the personal statement. This is not a second personal statement. It is objective, to the point, and sticks to the facts.

“Even though my high school went online in March, I did not receive reliable technology until the middle of April due to a district shortage. Sometimes I was able to...”

“Last February, I had been accepted to Summer at Brown, where I would take an Introduction to Psychology class. Psychology is not an elective offered at my high school, so I hoped to learn more and see if this was a potential major. Unfortunately, the program was cancelled/my mother lost her job, so we could not afford the program.”

Good feedback. What would you recommend DC write for this optional prompt? He did better in 11th grade that he had expected, no doubt helped by the lower rigor of DL, got to connect with friends he had not been able to previously due to ECs, sports, etc which were all cancelled, He was planning on a summer internship (was waiting on responses when Covid started) and both places he had applied told him they were not doing it. No big deal according to him. He could not volunteer with friends who did because we have older people with health issues living with us. He had not taken the SAT - cancelled multiple times - but eventually did end of August, happy with the results and did not want to improve on it although he could have (his choice). DC strongly feels that he should not write to this prompt since he thinks he has not really been impacted, especially considering how others out there are dealing with real impacts. His counselor did not give a straight answer when asked.

Normally we let him go with his decision but the feedback on this seems to be mixed.. "Don't write to it unless seriously impacted" on the one had to "Everyone was impacted, write something" on the other..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College counselor here- the trick to this field and the general additional info field is that it is not flowery, and there is no hook. There is no larger lesson or larger insight that you want the college to draw from this like the personal statement. This is not a second personal statement. It is objective, to the point, and sticks to the facts.

“Even though my high school went online in March, I did not receive reliable technology until the middle of April due to a district shortage. Sometimes I was able to...”

“Last February, I had been accepted to Summer at Brown, where I would take an Introduction to Psychology class. Psychology is not an elective offered at my high school, so I hoped to learn more and see if this was a potential major. Unfortunately, the program was cancelled/my mother lost her job, so we could not afford the program.”

A writer would never answer this prompt in this way. The prompt asks if the applicant wishes to address the deep and long-lasting impacts of Covid-19. Objective, to the point, sticks to the facts? How boring. No, you don’t give a writer 250 words to address this and expect a handful of objective facts. STEM kids do as you like, but the writers will write.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College counselor here- the trick to this field and the general additional info field is that it is not flowery, and there is no hook. There is no larger lesson or larger insight that you want the college to draw from this like the personal statement. This is not a second personal statement. It is objective, to the point, and sticks to the facts.

“Even though my high school went online in March, I did not receive reliable technology until the middle of April due to a district shortage. Sometimes I was able to...”

“Last February, I had been accepted to Summer at Brown, where I would take an Introduction to Psychology class. Psychology is not an elective offered at my high school, so I hoped to learn more and see if this was a potential major. Unfortunately, the program was cancelled/my mother lost her job, so we could not afford the program.”

A writer would never answer this prompt in this way. The prompt asks if the applicant wishes to address the deep and long-lasting impacts of Covid-19. Objective, to the point, sticks to the facts? How boring. No, you don’t give a writer 250 words to address this and expect a handful of objective facts. STEM kids do as you like, but the writers will write.

Write what? Everyone knows how to "write". The question here is what to write and more importantly should they write. The person giving advice seems to be a college counselor. Let's hear more from people like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College counselor here- the trick to this field and the general additional info field is that it is not flowery, and there is no hook. There is no larger lesson or larger insight that you want the college to draw from this like the personal statement. This is not a second personal statement. It is objective, to the point, and sticks to the facts.

“Even though my high school went online in March, I did not receive reliable technology until the middle of April due to a district shortage. Sometimes I was able to...”

“Last February, I had been accepted to Summer at Brown, where I would take an Introduction to Psychology class. Psychology is not an elective offered at my high school, so I hoped to learn more and see if this was a potential major. Unfortunately, the program was cancelled/my mother lost her job, so we could not afford the program.”

A writer would never answer this prompt in this way. The prompt asks if the applicant wishes to address the deep and long-lasting impacts of Covid-19. Objective, to the point, sticks to the facts? How boring. No, you don’t give a writer 250 words to address this and expect a handful of objective facts. STEM kids do as you like, but the writers will write.

Write what? Everyone knows how to "write". The question here is what to write and more importantly should they write. The person giving advice seems to be a college counselor. Let's hear more from people like that.

Wrong

[Anonymous]

To clarify, the prompt:

Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is yours to describe those impacts. Colleges care about the effects on your health and well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans, and education, including access to reliable technology and quiet study spaces. For more information, check out our COVID-19 FAQ.

https://appsupport.commonapp.org/applicantsupport/s/article/Where-can-I-explain-how-COVID-19-had-an-impact-on-me

Where can I explain how COVID-19 had an impact on me?
COVID-19 has affected students in dramatically different ways. If you need it, the COVID-19 and natural disaster question in the Additional Information section is a place for you to describe the impact of these events.

The question is not intended to be an extra essay. There’s also no need to describe how your school responded to these events. Your counselor will have an opportunity to discuss impacts like closures, online instruction, and grading policies. Instead, consider how these events may have impacted you, your family, and your learning environment. Examples might include:

Illness or loss within your family or support network
Employment or housing disruptions within your family
Food insecurity
Toll on mental and emotional health
New obligations such as part-time work or care for siblings or family members
Availability of computer or internet access required to continue your studies
Access to a safe and quiet study space
A new direction for your major or career interests

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To clarify, the prompt:

Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is yours to describe those impacts. Colleges care about the effects on your health and well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans, and education, including access to reliable technology and quiet study spaces. For more information, check out our COVID-19 FAQ.

https://appsupport.commonapp.org/applicantsupport/s/article/Where-can-I-explain-how-COVID-19-had-an-impact-on-me

Where can I explain how COVID-19 had an impact on me?
COVID-19 has affected students in dramatically different ways. If you need it, the COVID-19 and natural disaster question in the Additional Information section is a place for you to describe the impact of these events.

The question is not intended to be an extra essay. There’s also no need to describe how your school responded to these events. Your counselor will have an opportunity to discuss impacts like closures, online instruction, and grading policies. Instead, consider how these events may have impacted you, your family, and your learning environment. Examples might include:

Illness or loss within your family or support network
Employment or housing disruptions within your family
Food insecurity
Toll on mental and emotional health
New obligations such as part-time work or care for siblings or family members
Availability of computer or internet access required to continue your studies
Access to a safe and quiet study space
A new direction for your major or career interests

Thanks for this.. So, its OK to choose not to write about this even if there was a minor impact? None of the items listed were issues for my kid and I realize that those were just examples..