The COVID-19 Common Application Essay Question Guide
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted high school students in many ways— online classes, cancelled sports seasons, job closures, postponed internships, and an uncertain college application process. In May 2020, the Common Application, a universal college application system that most students use to apply to undergraduate programs, announced that they would be adding a question on their application about how the pandemic has impacted applicants both personally and academically. This will be a space for applicants to share with colleges important information about the impacts of the pandemic while still allowing the space in rest of the application for students to express themselves. The Common Application said their goal for the question is to “reduce anxiety for applicants affected by these events and provide them with a way to share their experience with colleges and universities.”
However, the addition of yet another essay question on the Common App can be stressful for some students. The team at Lotus Premier Education is here to help with a guide to how you should approach this question.
The COVID-19 question will be optional and will appear in the Additional Information section of the Common Application. Your response length will be limited to 250 words.
Below is the question applicants will see on the Common Application:
Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is yours to describe those impacts. Colleges care about the effects on your health and well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans, and education, including access to reliable technology and quiet study spaces.
Do you wish to share anything on this topic? Y/N
Please use this space to describe how these events have impacted you.
Should I Write the COVID-19 Essay?
A good rule of thumb when deciding if writing the COVID-19 essay is right for you is to think about if and how your essay will add something to your application that helps admissions officers get to know you. If it does, then you should go ahead and write the COVID-19 essay.
Many students will have lasting negative impacts due to the pandemic; personal loss, financial struggles, changing family dynamics, or negative academic experiences. Some students may have also had positive experiences during the pandemic— learning a new skill, reconsidering future career options, or other personal growth moments.
If you feel like you experienced either of these (negative or positive) then the COVID-19 question is a perfect place to expand on them and let college admissions officers learn more about you and how the pandemic has impacted you as a person. The COVID-19 question was also created for students to, if they felt the need, explain why parts of their application aren't as strong as they wanted them to be due to the pandemic. For example, if you were unable to access internet to do online classes, had to share a computer with family members, or had other time constraints during quarantine that impacted your grades in the spring, this would be the perfect place to elaborate on that.
Keep in mind, the college admission officers understand the situation high school students are going through. They know that the AP exams were administered remotely or cancelled, high school classes were taught remotely, and students struggled to take the SAT/ACT. We would advise against reiterating these points if you choose to respond the COVID-19 essay question.
How Should I Go About Writing the COVID-19 Essay?
Think about your position
This is an important step to keep in mind before you begin your essay. Every student and family has been impacted by the virus on a different level. All students had to navigate online classes, a shift in activities, and a change in how normal life operates. However, some families and students were affected much more than others. It is important to keep this in mind when writing your essay and make sure you know how your own privilege has played into your life during the pandemic. Make sure your are sensitive to others and check yourself before you begin writing!
Talk about any extenuating circumstances in your life due to COVID-19
This is your opportunity to address your unique situation due to the virus. This allows admissions officers to have a fuller understanding of you as an applicant and as a person. Don’t be afraid to use this essay to go into detail to offer up any and all information that you want the admissions officers to know as they review your application. If you were unable to participate in online learning due to a lack of internet, or had more family responsibility watching younger siblings, or had a last minute job switch, this is your time to shed light on it. Keep in mind that your school counselor will also answer a COVID related question about changes your school made— so there is no need to write about these in your essay, only how the virus impacted you on a personal level.
3. Discuss how these circumstances impacted you or how you grew from them
Your COVID-19 essay will be more powerful if you can give admissions officers a glimpse at your character. Use this space as a place to shed light on how you respond to hardship or change, how it impacted you as a person, or how you see yourself changed as a result of the pandemic. For example, if a family member or close friend ended up in the hospital and you decided to pursue public health as a new career path, this would be a great place to elaborate. Remember: your college application should be a window into who you are as a person, so the more you can do to give admissions officers a look into your character through this essay, the better!
The COVID-19 essay question is the ideal place to discuss any and all pandemic related information or topics. Therefore, it is probably best to avoid writing about the COVID-19 pandemic again in your personal essay or school-specific supplemental questions. There is so much more about you that college’s want to know, so stick to other topics for the rest of the application. Remember, you are defined by much more than this pandemic— all of the years of meaningful experiences you had before quarantine have helped shape you into the person you are today!