COVID-19 has cancelled numerous aspects of everyone’s life, but for the class of 2021, the biggest worry is about what comes next.

Applying to college has always been a hassle, but for this years’ seniors, it’s a whole new level of complications. The majority of campuses are closed or have very few students on campus, making it harder to visit. If a student is able to schedule a visit, it is hard to understand the vibe of campus without students there. For those applying to schools far away, air travel may be the only option for visiting, but there are many risks that come along with that.

With all these complications, the class of 2021 is experiencing struggles in the application process that haven’t been seen before. While many students in the class of 2020 had to commit to schools without visiting them, this year’s seniors are applying without ever visiting campus.

Elon University saw a significant decrease in Early Decision applications this year. In the fall of 2019, 372 students applied ED to Elon, while this fall, only 261 applied ED. This drop in applicants is mostly due to the inability to visit campus, therefore people do not want to commit this early, as ED is binding. 

As the pandemic continues to develop, it will be interesting to see how the college admissions changes. Hopefully by decision day, cases will be down, campus will be open, and travel will be safer. Best of luck to the class of 2021!

Sources

Sophie Rosenthal | 11/9/20 10:37am. “COVID-19 Affects Early Decision  Applications for Incoming Students.” Elon News Network, www.elonnewsnetwork.com/article/2020/11/covid19-impacts-early-decision-elon-university.