Covid19 FAQs: USA Class Of 2024

Students are presently receiving their much awaited acceptances from US colleges. However, with universities sending back students in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic, there is uncertainty amongst prospective international students. Some of the common queries being asked are:

• Will the Fall 2020 semester start on time?
• What will be the decision with regard to students from the more affected countries?
• What is the status of university tours?
• Why are so many students being placed on waitlist?
• Will students be permitted to defer their acceptances?
• By when do students have to confirm their acceptance?
• Will the IBDP and A-AS level exams be held on time?

The situation is being monitored and responded to on a day-to-day basis. However, there is this one certainty guiding the decisions and actions of every education provider in the world- and that is ‘education of our children must continue’. 

Let us attempt to understand what can be expected during the Fall 2020 international college admissions:

As we can see, the acceptance decisions are being taken and informed on time by the Colleges. It is noteworthy that several students are reporting being placed on the waitlist.  This is understandable because Colleges want to secure their enrolments, and in the prospect of cancellations by students who are unable to travel, more waitlists are ensured conversion. It is advisable for the students to accept the waitlist at their preferred colleges.

International travel stands frozen presently, and in the advent of extension of these travel restrictions, the colleges are preparing to conduct classes online for the 2020-21 batch till the students can join their colleges. Based on their individual circumstances, some students may even defer their admissions by a year to join next year.

Often, international students and their parents travel to the colleges they have gained acceptances from- before finalizing their preference. This year such campus visits have been cancelled. Though it is not quite the same, but virtual tours can be a substitute; links for the same are present on the college websites.

Check- https://campustours.com/ or https://www.youvisit.com/collegesearch/. Some colleges will facilitate a guided virtual tour for those who sign in at a pre-decided time. Most colleges have also cancelled the ‘Admitted Students Weekend’ or are having it online for those students who have already been admitted for this Fall.

Significantly, many colleges have extended the admission reply date by a month. Conventionally, the deadline for students to assent to their offer of acceptance to a college is May 1st- this deadline has been extended to June 1st by most colleges.

For those students who intended to take the AP exams in May for college credits, it would be a relief to know that the exams may not be cancelled and students may be permitted to take the exams online. This needs to be monitored for any changes.

The IB will be taking the following actions for the 2020 May Examination session: 

• The May 2020 examinations for Diploma Programme and Career-related Programme students will not be held in any country. 
• Student will be awarded a Diploma or a Course Certificate(s), depending on what they were registered for, which reflects their standard of work. 
• These will be awarded based on the student’s coursework and the established assessment expertise, rigor and quality control already built into the programmes. Over the past weeks IB has undertaken significant modelling using global data to make decisions to supply universities with student results that fairly reflect their standard of work. 

The CIE Finals also stand cancelled for all students globally. Schools will conduct internal assessments to award a final grade. To know about this situation, you should contact your school administration directly.

We are dealing with a situation which requires constant alertness to updates and a respect for flexibility in adapting to new developments. It is important to be in touch with the International College Advisors and other concerned authorities designated by the colleges. As we proceed further, it is important to regularly check the college websites and social media pages for updates regarding admission advisory, policy decisions, course selection, online classes, travel policies etc.

The transition to college may seem more challenging this year than ever before, but this situation can be managed through greater engagement with our peers, parents’ groups, college authorities and advisors. With heightened sensitivity to our collective needs, this can eventually emerge as a favourable support system for the prospective international students of 2020.