June 14, 2021
By Brianna Tartaglia
Staff Writer
This article is part of The Lighthouse’s five-part in-depth reporting series dedicated to the Class of 2021.
The pandemic has led to drastic changes in various aspects of secondary and higher education, and the college search process is one of them. Between lockdowns and college campuses being closed to the public, LHS seniors faced a uniquely challenging college admissions process.
Guidance counselor Ms. Leidemer said the pandemic has led to major shifts in the strategies colleges and universities use to recruit prospective students.
“The biggest change has been that many colleges have been holding classes and college tours virtually instead of in-person,” Leidemer said. “There have also been a growing number of schools waiving the SAT and ACT test usually required for admission.”
Leidemer said some students have suffered substantial economic and familial hardships due to the pandemic, which has altered their original plans. She said it is important for students to do their research so they can make the college decision that is right for them.
“They should be doing college searches using a Collegeboard.org resource called ‘Big Future’ that can help students narrow down college compatibility based on interests and/or requirements the students input,” Leidemer said.
“The biggest change has been that many colleges have been holding classes and college tours virtually instead of in-person.”
She also encourages students to use the websites Fastweb.com and Scholarships.com to start researching scholarships and find out which ones they may qualify to receive.
She said since the start of the pandemic, many aspects of traditional college life have been limited or absent to curb the spread of Covid-19. Leidemer said this has led high school students to express greater interest in attending schools that are closer to home.
“A lot of the feedback [from students has been] that if they cannot have the full college experience, they would rather commute from home and then transfer at a later date. However, the Student Services Department has seen many students still committing to colleges that would necessitate dorming,” Leidemer said.
Senior Iris Gonzales, who will be commuting to Rutgers University-New Brunswick in the fall, said she took advantage of online tours provided by her prospective schools. In fact, she committed to Rutgers without ever visiting in person.
“Although it was nice to at least visually [see] your future campus, it is definitely not the same as getting to visit in person, by yourself or with your family,” Gonzales said.
She said she is looking forward to studying abroad, becoming more independent and making new friends during college.
“My greatest concern would be the amount of workload from school and other activities that I will have moving forward. I hope to better my time management skills, so that way I can be more productive,” Gonzales said.
Like Gonzeles, senior Dylan Weaver will be attending Rutgers University-New Brunswick, where he will be wrestling on the university’s Division I team.
“I’m looking forward to doing big things for the wrestling team and wrestling in front of the New Jersey crowd at the RAC [Rutgers Athletic Center]. They have one of the best fan support systems in college wrestling,” Weaver said.
He said he selected Rutgers after making four official visits to the campus in addition to a couple of unofficial visits. Weaver said he felt confident selecting Rutgers because of the opportunities available to him as a member of the wrestling team.
“The coaches at Rutgers are the best,” Weaver said. “The facilities are awesome, and the team is a good [one].”
