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MSJA COUNSELING: COVID-19 UPDATES

2020 school year information

AP UPDATE

As previously announced, the policy remains in effect that all AP students will take the appropriate AP exam(s). However, if taking an AP exam combined with the current situation regarding COVID-19 or any other extenuating circumstances will cause you stress, please contact your counselor to discuss your options.

The Mount deadline to change the status of your AP test(s) is April 22nd.

SENIOR COLLEGE INFORMATION

  • Seniors interested in discussing college options are highly encouraged to contact their counselor to schedule a Zoom meeting. In particular, any student experiencing difficulty in making a college decision or seeking a waitlist spot should reach out.
  • The College Attending Form was due on Monday, April 20th. Please refer to the detailed email sent to all seniors by Mr. Lattanze, prior to Easter break. Contact your counselor directly with any questions regarding the form.
  • For students who completed a FAFSA, and whose financial circumstances have changed considerably, we encourage you to reach out to individual college financial aid offices. Financial aid administrators are afforded a degree of professional judgment under the law for state and federal aid, as well as for institutional aid, and will work with students and families whose financial situation has been negatively affected by COVID-19.
  • All college decision letters (accept, waitlist, deny), and honors/special program and scholarship acceptance letters were due to Mr. Lattanze at rlattanze@msjacad.org on Monday, April 20th. Updates may be sent as screen shots from portals, as forwarded emails, or as a scanned image. If you do not have access to a scanner, the CamScanner app is free, and allows you to scan with your phone or iPad. Decision letters are critical for statistical purposes, and honors/special program and scholarship letters for student recognition purposes.

JUNIOR COLLEGE INFORMATION

  • Individual college planning meetings will take place via Zoom for all juniors during the month of April. Please look for an email from your counselor in the near future to sign up. These meetings are required for all juniors. Contact your counselor directly with any questions.
  • Personal Information Sheets have been emailed to students and are due by Thursday, April 30th to Mr. Lattanze at rlattanze@msjacad.org. This required document is critical to counselors writing a best recommendation letter.
  • Parent Questionnaires have been emailed to students to share with a parent/guardian and are due by Thursday, April 30th to Mr. Lattanze at rlattanze@msjacad.org. Questionnaires are optional, but extremely helpful for counselors in understanding the parent perspective during the college process and in writing the recommendation letter.
  • The “Strive for College Knowledge” virtual college exploration week will be held April 20th-May 8th. This free event includes three weeks of virtual college presentations for juniors to explore college options. Over 450 colleges in 47 states, and 13 countries are now participating. If a student cannot attend a live presentation, they should still register. This will enable a link to the session recording to be sent once available, and also allows colleges to follow up with you directly, and be aware of your interest (important for colleges that track demonstrated interest). Students are encouraged to participate live at the appropriate time if possible, in order to have live access to admissions panelists for questions.

AP COURSES

See the AP Update section above and the March 27th Mount COVID-19 post for Mount specific AP information.

All AP and course-specific exam information is available on CollegeBoard’s AP Student Update site, with highlights below:

  • Traditional face-to-face exam administrations will not take place. Students will take a 45-minute online free-response exam at home.
  • The new exam schedule, course-specific exam information, and general test information is now available online.
  • To be fair to all students, some of whom have lost more instructional time than others, the exam will only include topics and skills most AP teachers and students have already covered in class by early March.
  • Colleges generally support the needed changes and are committed to ensuring AP students receive the credit they have worked this year to earn. Individual colleges are reviewing changes and making related decisions. Please visit individual college websites for additional details, or contact admissions offices directly with questions.
  • These mobile-friendly online classes and review sessions, designed to be used alongside work from school, are live streamed, recorded, and available on demand. Click here for more details and the schedule for online AP classes and review sessions.

SAT & ACT

SAT:

  • CollegeBoard has cancelled all March, May and June SAT, and SAT Subject Test administrations. CollegeBoard's website is the best source for additional and updated information. Additional details have been shared directly with registered students via the email provided at the time of registration.
  • If safe from a public health standpoint, weekend SAT administrations will be provided every month through the end of the calendar year, beginning in August. This includes a new administration in September and previously scheduled tests on August 29th, October 3rd, November 7th, and December 5th.
  • Students can register for the above administrations starting in May (exact date TBD), and can get early access to register for August, September, and October if already registered for the June test, or in the Class of 2021 and does not have SAT scores.
  • College Board is working with school partners in preparation to significantly expand capacity for students to take the SAT once schools reopen.
  • Free resources from Khan Academy and College Board are available online, including full-length practice tests and personalized learning tools.

ACT:

COLLEGE RESOURCES

National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC):

NACAC has created a central resource of campus changes to the college admission process due to the coronavirus outbreak. This includes information provided by colleges and universities worldwide, with information on each institution’s plans and policies for admission events; for consideration of high school transcripts and standardized test scores; for decision and deposit dates; for summer and fall semester plans; and more. This resource was updated on April 20th with additional questions and responses from institutions. Individual college websites should also be referenced for the most up-to-date information.

Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling (PACAC):

PACAC has created a central resource page with useful updates and links, including virtual visit opportunities for learning more about colleges and universities currently closed due to coronavirus.

LOCAL COLLEGE FAIRS

At this time, NACAC has cancelled all remaining National Spring College Fairs. Additional updates are available online on individual fair pages. The PA Association for College Admission Counseling (PACAC) has also cancelled all remaining Spring Regional College Fairs, including the local Main Line Regional Fairs.