“Your BS/MD Admissions Game Plan” is a blog series created by Dr. Paul Lowe that discusses BS/MD Admissions. With such a competitive environment and the immeasurable value and benefits of BS/MD programs, the need for an admissions game plan is ESSENTIAL.
At BS/ MD Admissions, we discern that many students and parents are clueless about what to do, when to do it, where to do it, who to contact, and why do it. They fail to discover what they are doing that’s wrong, or they discover what they’ve been doing is wrong when it’s too late!
Northwestern’s Honors Program in Medical Education also known as HPME has announced that it will not be taking applications in 2020!HPME is a 7-year combined medical program that admits students simultaneously into both Northwestern University in Evanston and the Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Northwestern’s HPME is one of the top direct BS/MD programs. The program has no MCAT requirement, accepts international students and allows students to explore their passions beyond their coursework. The University has community partnerships and programs (in leadership, research, public health, global health and clinical volunteering, etc.) to support student goals.
Since HPME will not be accepting applications in 2020, the competition to gain admissions into BS/MD programs will now increase because there will be fewer programs.
Our BS/MD Admissions practice is specialized: Dr. Lowe and his team only work with parents who understand that the BS/MD admissions process is competitive, who desire help from an admissions expert and who see the value and investment in paying for expert advice through a detailed and ongoing comprehensive admissions advisory service for their child’s dream of becoming a doctor. He also specializes in helping international students in the BS/MD process. BS/MD Admissions Advisors – 2020 Acceptances. Parents who chose to use our services want to call their son or daughter – “Doctor” when they are seniors in high school.
“Your BS/MD Admissions Game Plan” is a blog series created by Dr. Paul Lowe that discusses BS/MD Admissions. With such a competitive environment and the immeasurable value and benefits of BS/MD programs, the need for an admissions game plan is ESSENTIAL.
At BS/ MD Admissions, we discern that many students and parents are clueless about what to do, when to do it, where to do it, who to contact, and why do it. They fail to discover what they are doing that’s wrong, or they discover what they’ve been doing is wrong when it’s too late!
COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAYS
When we review and perform an in-depth student profile analysis of clients’ college application-essay drafts that they submit to us, we ALWAYS find mistakes that can result in rejections! This is unfortunate because essays can tip the scales when colleges and BS/MD programs are trying to decide between two otherwise equally qualified applicants. We find that students (even with high GPAs, great extracurricular activities and high SAT/ACT scores and excellent “manufactured” personas) don’t put much thought into their essays. Or when they do, they overlook key points in their essays. These are big mistakes because essays are crucial.
Applications for competitive colleges and BS/MD Programs ask the applicant to write a reasonably significant and compelling essay (in the 500-750 words range) about what is seemingly a broad topic. What admissions officers (there are usually two or more readers) are looking for in the essay is an insight into how well the applicant thinks, how well they can articulate a point or view, how the applicant is unique, the applicant’s emotional and cultural intelligence, what matters to the applicant, and most importantly the applicant’s character, personality and honesty.
Essays should be successfully written so that they leave a lasting positive impression on the admissions committee. When reading essays, admissions officers strive to gain a reasonably complete picture of student – strengths, achievements and aspirations as well as challenges they face and how they overcome them. At Ivy League and highly selective schools, and especially BS/MD programs, admissions officers look at every essay from every applicant, and for students who reach the level of serious consideration, essays may end up being read multiple times.
Through our years of experience, we know that the main requirement for writing a convincing, compelling, memorable and winning essays, aside from a command of the English language, grammar, coherency, optimal tone, readability, structure and flow, is to convey who you really are. Find your “voice”. We help our clients find their unique voice during our numerous in-depth interview questions and student profile analysis. Your voice is that writing style that lets your admissions officers “hear” who you are.
Competitive colleges and BS/MD program also require applicants to write several corresponding supplemental essays and short answers on a variety of topics. These essays are interconnected and interrelated. A 150-character answer as well as a 250-word essay is as important as the main essay. Naturally, your essays should not be repetitive, but should present a consistent image of the applicant. We know that a well-coordinated essay set has a synergistic effect on the admissions committee: It provides a 360-degree view of the candidate on both a professional and personal level.
Our analogy to an essay is music: We help you revise your lyrics using our knowledge of you, your character and activities so that the admissions officers can happily sing your songs – your essays!
Dr. Lowe and his team of admissions advisors provide advice to make your essays personable, enlightening, energetic, harmonious and memorable to admissions officers. We suggest content improvement and help you develop admissions-effective essays. Our goal is to make our clients standout from the crowd and pass that all-important final cut!
Our over 20 years of advisory admissions experience and long-standing professional relationships with admissions officers provide us with the tool-kit of strategies and knowledge to help our clients successfully navigate the BS/MD Admissions process in the COVID-19 landscape.
Our BS/MD Admissions practice is specialized: Dr. Lowe and his team only work with parents who understand that the BS/MD admissions process is competitive, who desire help from an admissions expert and who see the value and investment in paying for expert advice through a detailed and ongoing comprehensive admissions advisory service for their child’s dream of becoming a doctor. He also specializes in helping international students in the BS/MD process. BS/MD Admissions Advisors – 2020 Acceptances. Parents who chose to use our services want to call their son or daughter – “Doctor” when they are seniors in high school.
“Your BS/MD Admissions Game Plan” is a blog series created by Dr. Paul Lowe that discusses BS/MD Admissions. With such a competitive environment and the immeasurable value and benefits of BS/MD programs, the need for an admissions game plan is ESSENTIAL.
At BS/ MD Admissions, we discern that many students and parents are clueless about what to do, when to do it, where to do it, who to contact, and why do it. They fail to discover what they are doing that’s wrong, or they discover what they’ve been doing is wrong when it’s too late!
When considering a BS/MD program, we advise our clients to PLAN, PLAN, PLAN, and then re-PLAN. Early planning and goal-setting are important in the long run for admissions success!
If you’re parent of a high school student looking for BS/MD admissions guidance, you’re probably overwhelmed in finding the best and meaningful advice that increases their chances of acceptance into a BS/MD program. You can complement their years of hard work by seeking the correct advice that gets them noticed by admissions officers.
While high school counselors provide college counseling, based on our interaction with our clients, high school counselors do not specialize in BS/MD admissions advising nor have the school-specific knowledge of BS/MD programs.
Books and guides are wonderful to give you a general overview of applying to BS/MD programs. However, they are not student-specific or school-specific. They tell about the general “how-to’s”, but these strategies are not specific to an individual student profile and character. Furthermore, from the time of manuscript completion to publication, sometimes 1 to 3 years, the BS/ MD admissions landscape changes. Take, for example, the COVID-19 pandemic. This has disrupted the conventional BS/MD application process.
Free college-planning websites – There is a saying: “You get what you pay for!”
Many independent educational consultants are experts in college admissions counseling, but do not have our unparalleled knowledge of BS/MD programs and knowledge of BS/MD programs as it relates to international students and H4 students. Additionally, as experienced BS/MD Admissions Advisors, we know and understand what it takes to be a successful BS/MD applicant.
WHAT TO DO: Seek an BS/MD Admissions Advisor who has had experience and expertise in admissions strategies to BS/MD programs for U.S. as well as international students. Choose an admissions advisor, who specializes in BS/MD admissions, who is not doing it part-time, who understands the medical school journey and or is a BS/MD graduate and who has admissions success.
OUR GAME PLAN STRATEGY:We have dedicated advisors for our BS/MD Admissions Advisory services. It’s one of the reasons that parents hire us to help them develop a strategic admissions plan to increase their child’s chances of acceptance. Our dedicated medical-school-specific knowledge and expertise WORKS!
With a lot at stake, in a short period of time, in such a competitive environment, BS/MD applicants need a winning BS/MD Admissions Game Plan that works in the COVID-19 environment.
Our over 20 years of admissions advisory experience and proprietary admissions strategies provides the basis for our methods and knowledge to help our clients successfully navigate the BS/MD Admissions process in any and all environments, including the COVID-19 landscape.
Our BS/MD Admissions practice is specialized: Dr. Lowe and his team only work with parents who understand that the BS/MD admissions process is competitive, who desire help from an admissions expert and who see the value and investment in paying for expert advice through a detailed and ongoing comprehensive admissions advisory service for their child’s dream of becoming a doctor. He also specializes in helping international students in the BS/MD process. BS/MD Admissions Advisors – 2020 Acceptances. Parents who chose to use our services want to call their son or daughter – “Doctor” when they are seniors in high school.
We are currently receiving calls from parents who are receiving emails about the upcoming school agenda from their local school districts. The shift to online instruction is a predicament for many schools. Some school districts are still figuring out whether to reopen, how they should reopen and if they should reopen. Some school districts are still in the midst of the planning stages of best practices for each grade level of education, including distance learning and online instruction. This uncertainty has beset the over 13,000 school districts nationwide, with many pushing back start dates, planning hybrid models or deciding to go entirely online.
A recent study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that school closures this past spring may have prevented 1.37 million cases of COVID-19 in the country between day 17 and day 42 of schools’ closure periods. The researchers estimated that 40,600 fewer Americans died overall during that period because schools shuttered.
Even with the possibility of some schools reopening (which, based on the current progression of COVID-19, is a low probability), many parents in our “Dr. Lowe’s Admissions Strategies” discussion groups were reluctant to have their children return to school, not only for the safety of their children, but also because of the risks of dissemination to other demographic groups. Their concern is based on the fact that there have been reports of parents sending their children to summer camps and within weeks of attending (even with social distancing policies and strict safety and hygienic measures) there have been COVID-positive tests among attendees. The worry is that the school environment will be an even more challenging venue to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks.
Parents are understandably concerned about the safety of their children at school amid the complexities and unknowns of COVID-19. Several parents from different areas in the U.S. have told us that they are pooling resources for their children’s education. They are gathering small groups of children to learn at home this fall called pandemic pods, home-school pods or learning pods in which groups of three to 10 students learn together in homes under the tutelage of the children’s parents or a hired teacher. Other parents have formed parent pods with the intention of not sending their children to schools and conducting their own home school networks.
In terms of college counseling, parents have expressed concerns because of the shift to online education and the reduced in-person contact with high school counselors. With college admissions dynamically changing and the effect of COVID-19 on college admissions to Ivy League and highly selective colleges and universities and BS/MD programs, our goal is to ensure students successfully navigate the college admissions process. This can be especially more challenging for current rising juniors and seniors. Admissions requirements have changed and many students will need more comprehensive, individualized guidance. The new milieu created by COVID-19 will require innovative approaches to successfully navigate the new college admissions environment.
“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe
“Parents hire us because they chose to pay an admissions expert who will help them avoid making mistakes.” – Dr. Paul Lowe
Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe, founder and managing director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group, provides comprehensive counseling advice, exclusively for admissions to top private schools; Ivy League and highly-selective colleges/universities; BS/MD programs; graduate and medical schools and top visual and performing arts programs. The admissions affiliate: Ivy League Admissions Advisors specializes in admissions to Ivy League and highly selective colleges, Dr. Lowe also specializes in helping students who have been wait-listed, deferred or rejected gain admission into their top-choice schools: College Application Rejected. and student who wish to transfer to another college: College Transfer Admissions Advisors.
“Your BS/MD Admissions Game Plan”is a blog series created by Dr. Paul Lowe that discusses BS/MD Admissions. With such a competitive environment and the immeasurable value and benefits of BS/MD programs, the need for an admissions game plan is ESSENTIAL.
At BS/ MD Admissions, we discern that many students and parents are clueless about what to do, when to do it, where to do it, who to contact, and why do it. They fail to discover what they are doing that’s wrong, or they discover what they’ve been doing is wrong when it’s too late!
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
When considering a BS/MD program, we advise our clients to PLAN, PLAN, PLAN, and then re-PLAN. Early planning and goal-setting are important in the long run for admissions success!
Here is what we advise our clients regarding extracurricular activities:
Extracurricular Activities demonstrate your passion, character and personality.
Extracurricular activities must be profound, meaningful and innovative.
Extracurricular activities must have a direct relationship with who you are.
Extracurricular activities must foster positive relationships and true interconnections.
BS/MD admissions officers are looking for highly motivated BS/MD candidates (high school seniors) who invest their time and effort in their passions, not just students who do extracurricular activities just because they might look good on college and BS/MD applications.
CORONAVIRUS EFFECT: Even with the pandemic, the foundations for college admissions, specifically with regard to extracurricular activities, still apply and remain unchanged. With regard to extracurricular activities: commitment, achievement, depth, impact still matter. There are still ways to achieve the above, but it has to be unique to YOU! You must make the most of the opportunities available to you. You should also underscore the best activity for you that makes you stand out. We always ask our clients: “How does an extracurricular activity apply to your unique student profile?”
Ivy League and highly selective colleges and universities, and specifically BS/MD programs, are seeking a diverse student body made up of specialists who can share their passions and achievements collaboratively. They are not looking for the typical BS/MD candidate who has the sort of Jack-of-all-activities or have the typical fluff “BS/MD I want to be a doctor from high school” activities. Quality supersedes quantity! The quality has to be student-specific. We encourage and guide our clients to pursue meaningful activities.
There are lots of “how-to” books and guides to getting into BS/MD programs out there but all were published pre-COVID; now their strategies are obsolete and outdated. With a lot at stake, in a short period of time, in such a competitive environment, BS/MD applicants (and their parents) need a winning BS/MD Admissions Game Plan that works in the COVID-19 environment.
Our over 20 years of admissions advisory experience and proprietary admissions strategies provides the basis for our methods and knowledge to help our clients successfully navigate the BS/MD Admissions process in any and all environments, including the COVID-19 landscape.
Our BS/MD Admissions practice is specialized: Dr. Lowe and his team only work with parents who understand that the BS/MD admissions process is competitive, who desire help from an admissions expert and who see the value and investment in paying for expert advice through a detailed and ongoing comprehensive admissions advisory service for their child’s dream of becoming a doctor. He also specializes in helping international students in the BS/MD process. BS/MD Admissions Advisors – 2020 Acceptances. Parents who chose to use our services want to call their son or daughter – “Doctor” when they are seniors in high school.
Over the past month, our offices have been receiving many phone and email inquiries about BS/MD programs. Most of these inquiries are from very anxious parents of high school juniors who have read guides or books about BS/MD programs, researched information and talked with their friends whose children are currently attending BS/MD programs.
Their children typically have this type of applicant profile: High GPA, at least 5 AP courses, high SATs (if they were able to take them), musical, artistic and/or athletic extracurricular activities, research/clinical internships, shadowing doctors, helping the poor or starting a not-for-profit organization to help the poor or traveling to a developing country to volunteer; and of course, a two-page resume! What parents don’t understand or seem to ignore is that their children sound all the same on paper and as a result can be easily thrown in the rejection pool.
What parents are really calling me about is to find out what to do during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine its impact on their children’s college admissions chances. Internships, upcoming summer programs, volunteer programs, doctor shadowing and research opportunities have all been cancelled. In several weeks, their children will be rising seniors and in the throes of the competitive college application process to Ivy League and highly selective colleges, universities and BS/MD programs.
In our recent webcast: Applying to BS/MD Programs – COVID -19, we discussed our go-to strategies that should be used when applying to BS/MD programs in the COVID-19 pandemic landscape. The sudden onset of these unprecedented times has brought new changes in applying to BS/MD programs. Books and guides regarding BS/MD programs (which were published before COVID-19), although informative, do not address the how-to’s and the do’s and dont’s of applying to BS/MD programs during the pandemic. They do not address the new variables such as lack of availability of test scores, cancellation of internships, summer programs, research projects and gaps in resumes. Past strategies and guides do not show students how to navigate these changes and what students need to do in order to be strongly considered for these programs. In addition, high school counselors do not specialize in providing advice for BS/MD programs.
Our recent discussions with admissions officers at institutions with BS/MD programs revealed that they anticipate that BS/MD candidates’ applications and resumes will have vacuums/gaps including entire spring quarter or trimester without extracurricular activities volunteer work, sports, and scientific research in addition to new and online classroom experiences and grading systems. The consensus is that students have to be creative and innovative with these gaps and have to explain what they are doing with their time. Admissions officers are not just looking at resume-building based on online activities.
As one admissions officer stated: “The COVID-19 crisis has reset how we will be evaluating BS/MD applicants this fall.” Several stated that for qualified candidates they will base college and BS/MD application decisions on the information that is available to them at the time of the application. What they are looking for is an insight into how the student thinks, how they interact, and how well they can articulate a point of view under these unprecedented conditions. BS/MD programs will be even more competitive! Even in the COVID -19 admissions environment, BS/MD programs will NOT have a lot of trouble filling their seats. Especially, when they guarantee admissions to medical school from high school!
With a lot at stake, in a short period of time in such a competitive environment, BS/MD applicants (and their parents) need a winning game plan that works in the COVID-19 environment.
Our over 20 years of advisory admissions experience and long-standing professional relationships with admissions officers provide us with the tool-kit of strategies and knowledge to help our clients successfully navigate the BS/MD Admissions process in the COVID-19 landscape.
Our BS/MD Admissions practice is specialized: Dr. Lowe and his team only work with parents who understand that the BS/MD admissions process is competitive, who desire help from an admissions expert and who see the value and investment in paying for expert advice through a detailed and ongoing comprehensive admissions advisory service for their child’s dream of becoming a doctor. He also specializes in helping international students in the BS/MD process. BS/MD Admissions Advisors – 2020 Acceptances. Parents who chose to use our services can now call their son or daughter – “Doctor”.
All of our BS/MD Admissions clients including international students were accepted to BS/MD programs!
Our parents of the below students are happy, overjoyed and excited that they can now call their sons and daughters “Doctors“!
Boston University – 2
Brown University PLME – 3
CUNY/Sophia – 1
Drexel University – 2
Northwestern University – 2
NJIT/Albert Dorman Honors College – 1
Penn State/Jefferson Medical College – 2
RPI/Albany Medical College – 1
Rice/Baylor – 1
Rutgers/New Jersey Medical – 2
Siena College/Albany Medical College – 1
Stony Brook University – 2
SUNY – Downstate – 2
SUNY – Upstate – 2
Temple University – 1
TCNJ/New Jersey Medical
Union College/Albany Medical College – 2
University of Cincinnati UCD – 1
University of Rochester – 2
Washington University in St. Louis USPM – 2
Our BS/MD Admissions practice is specialized: Dr. Lowe and his team only work with parents who understand that the admissions process is competitive, who desire help from an admissions expert and who see the value and investment in paying for expert advice through a detailed and ongoing comprehensive admissions advisory service for their child’s dream of becoming a doctor. He also specializes in helping international students in the BS/MD process.
It’s April and we are receiving calls and emails from parents whose children were rejected or placed on the or wait-list (which means that “we love your child, but we don’t have spot available today, tomorrow or perhaps never”) for Ivy League and highly selective colleges and universities and top private day and boarding schools.
When I ask the question: “Did you hire an admissions expert?” The answer is always No!
It is surprising to me that these same parents may hire the best tutor for academic subjects, the best building experts for house repairs, the best soccer or lacrosse coach or the best hairstylist. However, when it comes to their children’s educational future, which ultimately affects their future, they choose to make the decision that an admissions expert is unnecessary.
Benjamin Franklin famously advised “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” For those of you who tend to worry, here are the reasons why you should hire an admissions expert so that you don’t develop irreversible worry wrinkles or “the dreaded elevens”:
Admissions experts have personal and current specialized knowledge of what is happening at educational institutions because of their long-standing professional relationships with admissions departments and officers.
Admissions experts know that the devil is in the details; research, due diligence and thorough assessment are par for the course.
Admissions experts understand how to use an application as personal branding and marketing tool for your child’s admissions success.
Admissions experts understand the diplomacy, advocacy and strategic game plan are needed for admissions success.
Admissions experts understand and embrace the competitive nature of admissions process.
Admissions experts understand that valuable advice is investment in your child’s future, not an expense.
Admissions experts view admissions as a non-formulaic, competitive endeavor. Admissions experts help your child achieve the goal they’ve worked on since childhood – acceptance into their top choice school.
The question that parents who are about to enter the admissions process should ask themselves: Why worry?
“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe
“We provide our clients access to our specialized knowledge!”– Dr. Paul Lowe
Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe, founder and managing director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group, provides comprehensive counseling advice, exclusively for admissions to top private schools; Ivy League and highly-selective colleges/universities; BS/MD programs; graduate and medical schools and top visual and performing arts programs.
This week is decision time for many Ivies and highly selective colleges and universities! COVID-19 has closed down many K-12 school districts around the world for the rest of the school year. If you’ve been following the directions of well-known books and/or chats, by now you must realize that your current college admissions “playbook” or plan may be ineffectual. What will high school juniors need to do as they continue their admissions journey and prepare for their senior year?
1. Plan, plan and plan.
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll wind up somewhere else” – Yogi Berra
As the world around you changes daily, you will need to formulate a new plan, create a timeline and meet your goals. Deadlines are a crucial aspect of the college admissions process.
2. Make a balanced preliminary college list. Start your search by familiarizing yourself with many different colleges and universities and facilitate your research on the different options that are available. Visit the websites of the schools you are considering.
3. “Visit” colleges. Start to “visit” campuses. Review college websites, take a virtual tour, and learn more about student life by reading the student blogs linked there.
4. Begin to consider letters of recommendation. It’s not who is writing or what they are writing. It’s how they are writing about you in a meaningful way. Choose your recommenders wisely.
5. Standardized Tests. Plan your SAT and/or ACT timelines. Even though standardized tests are cancelled through June you should still plan for the future!
6. Grades. Colleges view grades with the utmost importance. Remember, your grades should come first. Colleges look at junior year grades to understand the academic abilities of a student. Junior year grades are the last full year of grades for admissions committees to look at in determining a student’s acceptance. A recent survey by the National Association for College Admission Counselors (NACAC) found that admissions officers gave “considerable importance” to grades in students’ college-prep classes. Even though your school is now providing online courses, take them seriously. From my discussions with admissions officers at several of the Ivies and highly competitive colleges, they will be closely reviewing your performance in these courses.
7. For BS/MD applicants. For many students, their internships and research projects have been cancelled. From my discussion with BS/MD program admissions officers, they “will be seeking bright students who, in these unprecedented times, show a commitment to the BS/MD track and want to be a doctor”.
8. Seek expert admissions advice. With the disruption in school schedules and so many schools closed, the challenge for high school guidance or college counselors to provide students with adequate college counseling has dramatically increased. In many private as well as public high schools, remote/online learning does not apply to college counseling, leaving many students to navigate the college admissions process on their own in a competitive admissions environment fraught with minefields. High school juniors and their parents need valuable advice from experts who understand the competitive admission process, as well as those who have long-standing professional relationships with college admissions officers.
My recent conversations with admissions officers have been informative and valuable. As an admissions officer stated; “The current COVID-19 pandemic will NOT negatively impact how we review applications this fall”. Another mentioned to me, “We still want students who are involved, academically motivated, who have demonstrated success and are willing to contribute to the future vibrancy of our campus community.”
“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe
“We provide our clients access to our specialized knowledge!”– Dr. Paul Lowe
Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe, founder and managing director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group, provides comprehensive counseling advice, exclusively for admissions to top private schools; Ivy League and highly-selective colleges/universities; BS/MD programs; graduate and medical schools and top visual and performing arts programs. The admissions affiliate:Ivy League Admissions Advisors specializes in admissions to Ivy League and highly selective colleges, Dr. Lowe also specializes in helping students who have been wait-listed, deferred or rejected gain admission into their top-choice schools: College Application Rejected. and student who wish to transfer to another college: College Transfer Admissions Advisors.
Understanding facts of any situation is essential to one’s ability to analyze that situation for a positive outcome. So before getting into the ramifications of “the coronavirus” in college admissions, we’ll look at the pertinent facts. Let’s first define the name of the virus: The new virus is called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 or SARS-CoV-2. The disease caused by the new virus has been designated COVID -19 (COrona VIrus Disease 19 – because the year it emerged was 2019). It’s known to infect humans causing respiratory tract illness (upper respiratory, as well as lower respiratory illness which could be fatal), and to date there is no vaccine to protect people from COVID-19.
This virus has not been seen in humans before and scientists are still learning specifics about the disease. It has been found to be highly contagious, spreading by small droplets and contact, and is potentially particularly virulent in certain demographics. Thus, the reactions we see in the news regarding the attempts to control the spread the disease. We find ourselves in a place where the world is attempting to slow the spread of the disease as scientists attempt to develop vaccines and treatments. Current efforts in effect in the United States and other parts of the world are an attempt to control community spread. Because of these attempts, educational institutions and facilities have taken drastic steps in order to help control of the spread.
Current effects:
Public high schools as well as private high schools are closed, making it difficult for students to meet with guidance counselors for college planning.
For students applying to BS/MD programs, it’s a whole NEW competitive admissions environment! Books about BS/MD process and BS/MD programs do not show you how to navigate the BS/MD admissions process during the current coronovirus pandemic!
Colleges are cancelling in-person classes and shifting to online platforms or learning management systems.
Students are being asked to leave campuses and dormitories are being closed. Some colleges have already cancelled or postponed graduation ceremonies.
Many colleges have moved classes online and some have directed students not to return after spring break.
Most institutions have barred staff from college-related travel as the coronavirus spreads.
May 1, the national deposit deadline for applicants, has been pushed back by a month.
SAT’s (Scholastic Assessment Tests) are cancelled through May.
National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) has made the decision to cancel all Spring National College Fairs.
International high school students who wish to study in the U.S. are facing numerous challenges regarding school closures, cancellation of testing dates, and more. The biggest impact may be on students’ abilities to get a visa for the fall semester because of delays in visa interviews or border closures.
TOEFL testing dates have been canceled or postponed in several countries.
Despite these drastic changes, it should be understood that colleges and universities plan to continue their missions to provide the best education possible for their students. Furthermore, even in the face of a pandemic, college admissions will continue. Based on my experience, extensive historical research, along with emails and Skype discussions with admissions officers, the college admissions process is continuing. High school seniors are and will still be receiving decisions throughout March and early April.
Many of my clients have emailed us to request additional advice in this environment of online classes, extended school vacations and online test assessments. We advise our clients accordingly as they continue their college admission preparation. For many students (and parents), there is uncertainty, anxiety and fear as they shift to distance learning. Evaluation of scholastic achievements through distance learning is not a novel experience for college admissions personnel or my firm. We have advised and continue to advise international as well as U.S. home-schooled clients. I can assure you, with certainty, that there are unique opportunities, educational benefits and admissions advantages to online learning. All of our home-schooled clients have been admitted to their top-choices colleges, including the Ivies and highly selective colleges and universities.
For our current clients, we continue to develop new strategies.
For high school seniors, no senioritis – schools can still rescind your decisions, so even with online courses, you must continue to do well.
For juniors, most in their third quarter or beginning their third trimester, with regard to your college admissions profile, you must still develop ways to stand out.
In addition to home consultations, we have always complemented our personalized service by communicating with our clients remotely via Skype or Zoom. COVID-19 has not disrupted our long-standing routine. For our international as well as U.S. families, it’s business as usual. We continue to communicate remotely.
This new situation makes high school students and their parents anxious or unnerved. The reality still exists that you are still COMPETING with other students for those coveted spots at Ivies and highly selective colleges and universities.
For our part, we will continue to use our experience, admissions strategies and analytics to review all the nuances and consequences of COVID-19 in the college admissions process. Given the ever-changing nature of the conditions surrounding the virus, we prepare our clients for all possible scenarios. We focus on positive results and outcomes. We continue, as we always have, to plan for the unexpected. We use our team’s diverse background and collective effort to navigate uncertainties. We problem-search as well as problem-solve.
We advise our clients that COVID-19 has not stopped college admissions, especially to the Ivies and highly competitive college and universities. Understanding that school closures may impact college counseling and support (at public as well as private boarding and day high schools) during the application process, we have implemented more college counseling support services to help our students. By doing all of the above, students will be successfully prepared for the college admissions process as we overcome the COVID-19.
“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe
“We provide our clients access to our specialized knowledge!”– Dr. Paul Lowe
Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe, founder and managing director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group, provides comprehensive counseling advice, exclusively for admissions to top private schools; Ivy League and highly-selective colleges/universities; BS/MD programs; graduate and medical schools and top visual and performing arts programs. The admissions affiliate: Ivy League Admissions Advisors specializes in admissions to Ivy League and highly selective colleges, Dr. Lowe also specializes in helping students who have been wait-listed, deferred or rejected gain admission into their top-choice schools: College Application Rejected. and student who wish to transfer to another college: College Transfer Admissions Advisors.
Dr. Paul Lowe - Admissions Expert 