Due to COVID-19, colleges and universities are changing their admissions criteria. Some schools, like Cornell University and Harvard University, are waiving the SAT or ACT for admission, due to the difficulties in taking the exam. Some students may not have access to the resources needed to study for the exam or even have a place to take it as test centers around the country stay closed. This change is unprecedented so no one really knows how this year’s admissions will turn out. However, there are still some things that students can do to prepare for this change.

When I started my freshman year of high school, I noticed that a lot of students would take advanced placement (AP) tests for classes in which they were not in (or that they were in the pre-AP or honors version of the class that did not have an offered AP class at my high school). I thought that was peculiar at first, but then I realized that was honestly a smart thing to do. Read further, and I will explain why.

Human beings are storytellers. Look around and you’ll see stories everywhere. Game of Thrones? A story. Call of Duty? A story. That huge billboard you drive by every day? The conversations you have with your friends? The warnings you tell your children? Stories. We make sense of the world and our own lives through narrative. Every experience that we have as human beings becomes integrated into our personal stories. The ones that we remember well, or that led to something significant, become part of our life story.

In most top colleges’ supplemental essay portion, the first prompt is usually the “why us?” question. Although it sounds like a question that colleges use to flatter themselves, what are college admissions committees actually trying to know about students through this question?

After spending countless hours planning, writing, and editing your applications, you finally hit the submit button and you wait. However, an aspect many students forget in the college application process is the interview process. (Don’t fret if you don’t get an interview, as it largely depends on how many available alumni have volunteered to interview students in your area as well as how many students have requested an interview.) However, if you are given a chance to interview, take the opportunity.

What if I could tell you there was one thing that would help you boost your grade, strengthen your letters of recommendation, and help you figure out your future? There is! Office hours.