Coronavirus (Covid-19) and UT-Austin Admissions

Abandoned classroom in Pripyat, Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Ukraine

Updated June 12, 2020

Please visit this site for the latest and most accurate information: UT-Austin Coronavirus Updates and this FAQ site administered by Enrollment Management and Student Success

My recommendations will not change because of UT-Austin going test-optional, which I discuss here. If you choose not to submit an ACT/SAT, you still need to have most or all A’s on the honors/AP track to be competitive, especially for majors that are in high demand.

As of April 9, UT is transitioning to online summer orientation for Summer/Fall 2020 Enrollees. As of early May, most Texas universities are intending to open in some form for Fall 2020.

UT-Austin essay topics for Freshman Spring/Fall 2021 remain the same. I share my thoughts about discussing Coronavirus in your college applications.

President Fenves May 6, 2020 speech outlines UT’s Summer/Fall 2020 operation plans. “We will announce the plans for the fall semester as they evolve, with a resolution by the end of June.”

On May 20, UT-Austin announced their intentions to re-open for Fall 2020.

Here is the most up to date list of test-optional universities.

My personal experiences and initial thoughts on the Covid-19 pandemic

The novel Coronavirus Covid-19 is causing unprecedented disruptions to the United States and global economic systems. High schools, universities, and the entire education system confronts complex challenges with few straightforward answers. Each campus will need to decide how to best accommodate their applicants, students, and staff.

I realized that the world was entering uncharted waters when the Chinese government quarantined Wuhan in mid-January, at the time the largest city closure in modern history. Until the end of February, I was traveling the South Pacific, islands that are especially prone to infectious diseases due to minimal healthcare infrastructure and fragile ecologies. On the same day that Kobe Bryant died, I experienced a severe electrocution causing freak foot injury in Tonga that left me in bed for a few weeks. Visiting the Tongan hospital discouraged me from ever wanting another health incident in the pacific. I experienced three cyclones and two tropical disturbances in six weeks. It’s been a strange few months.

Samoa experienced a Measles epidemic in November-December 2019 that produced an island-wide quarantine, border closures, and mass vaccination campaign, a prescient sign of things to come. When New Zealand received their first confirmed case on February 28, I anticipated that Samoa, who flies daily to NZ, would shut their borders and lock down the country quickly. I bought a next-day plane ticket and returned to New Zealand, forfeiting many onward plane tickets and plans already made.

The South Pacific contains a few of the remaining places completely Coronavirus free like Tonga, Samoa, Kiribati, Nauru, and Tuvalu, the latter island I was supposed to visit in mid-March. It’s weird to think I may have been stuck in one of the world’s smallest island nations that receives less than 500 tourists annually with limited or no internet access. The South Pacific hasn’t been spared of natural disasters, however. Many islands were recently leveled in a Category 5 Hurricane, Harold, including a few places I had stayed.

I’m also a high-risk potential patient because I live with a genetic-based compromised immune system that plagued me in my childhood, teenage years, through to college, and occasionally today. I’ve been in self-isolation going on six weeks. Staying at home saves lives.

I’ve been watching and following the novel Coronavirus closely for the past months, spending many hours each day reading and researching. It’s an overwhelming feeling as news and facts shift and evolve. I’m thankful that I’m safe and secure in New Zealand until at least the end of September. The government leadership here is extremely capable and effective, and it’s exciting to confront the prospect of near-total eradication of the disease and a return to normalcy sooner than most. Many tens of millions of families find themselves in less fortunate positions.

My primary advice during this crisis is to take care of your physical, emotional, and mental health and check in on your loved ones. It’s okay to feel lazy or indifferent or anxious and simply want to play video games or binge Netflix. I’ve had a very unproductive last six weeks or so, and I’m fine with that. Now presents a good opportunity to practice kindness to yourself and loved ones. For those of you or your family members who have fallen ill, I wish you a swift and full recovery.

I hadn’t posted any updates because I didn’t feel I had anything to contribute to the discussion. I’m watching and waiting like everyone else. I don’t have a crystal ball or any concrete answers to what may happen on college campuses in the coming months nor with their varied admissions processes. I don’t think it’s helpful to speculate or traffic in unconfirmed rumors.

I spoke with two families this morning who shared their concerns about potential impacts and disruptions due to Coronavirus. I’m receiving increased e-mail traffic with similar inquiries, so I acknowledge the necessity of making a post. I’m thankful for my rigorous UT-Austin honors liberal arts and humanities degrees because they taught me how to think, process information, and consume media. Adapting during highly uncertain times requires critical thinking and flexibility.

Instead of posting answers, I’ll share with you some of the questions and resources to help guide your transition to Fall 2020 enrollment or juniors and younger students preparing their applications for Fall 2021 and beyond. I intend to update this post as UT-Austin announces their upcoming admissions policies and eventually share tips and advice for college essays in the Age of Coronavirus.

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The Covid-19 college admissions questions that I am asking

Nobody has concrete answers to what the world will look like even a few months from now. That includes university administrators and admissions officers. We’re all figuring things out as we go along. I have few answers, and many will depend on the specific universities you have in mind besides UT-Austin. Let me share the general questions that guide my Covid-19 inquiries.

Which universities are extending their Fall 2020 first-time freshman enrollment deadlines?
Are current college students eligible for partial or full tuition and housing refunds?
What happens with soon-to-be enrolling freshman and summer orientation?
Will universities offer Advanced Placement (AP) credits for the experimental, shortened at-home exams?
Which universities will choose to go test-optional for Fall 2021 and possibly beyond?
Will universities including UT-Austin change their topics or keep them the same?
How will high schools handle spring semester grades? Pass/fail? Fourth or fifth six weeks only? Will it factor into ranks and GPAs?
How will universities adjust the way they evaluate transcripts?
Will it be possible to take or retake the SAT/ACT in the fall?
How will housing work for incoming students? Is it possible to practice social distancing in on-campus residence halls?
Will some or all college campuses be closed for Fall 2020? If so, might some or all classes take place online?
Are professors at risk of losing their jobs? Research labs experiencing funding cuts?
Is it possible that some or all college campuses might begin the fall semester later?
What role will Coronavirus have on freshman student enrollment? Might families be more likely to choose universities closer to home and/or less expensive options given the uncertain climate?
How is financial aid and scholarships for incoming, future, and current students affected?
Will college sports, particularly football, occur in the fall?
How does this effect Fall 2020 transfer admissions who completed their applications by the March 1 deadline? Will more or less transfer students gain admission, or will there be no impact?
How might transfer decision releases be different? Could there be delays?
Which smaller colleges and schools or public universities with less endowments or public funding may close or consolidate?
Is it worth it to delay or defer enrollment and for a given student to consider taking a gap year?
Will the upward trend in application numbers continue rising, leveling off, or potentially decrease for UT-Austin and other universities?
How will campus visits work? What are online or alternative options for exploring campuses and programs?
Which majors may be more popular in our current or post-Covid 19 world?

I’ll venture one speculation about Fall 2021 first-time freshman admissions. I think the probability of delays or cancellations for the college application season are low. UT’s process takes place almost entirely remotely. A distributed network of counselors and reviewers reads and scores applications from their computers. There will need to be the small, in-house document processing staff, but I don’t anticipate too many interruptions with the upcoming cycle. I’m proceeding under the assumption that applications will commence as usual.

I’m also constantly checking the below resources. In the section after, I’ll share relevant news articles and investigative journalism that is helping me to assess the above questions.

Pick up your copy of my college admissions book Your Ticket to the Forty Acres

Helpful Resources to Bookmark

It’s outside of my scope to constantly update all of the changes happening nationwide. Let me share a few resources that I regularly visit to revise my admissions knowledge Rolodex.

UT-Austin Coronavirus Updates and FAQs Official Website

Please consult the above page for UT-Austin’s updates. As of April 17, almost all of them concern current students and faculty and less about admissions. I expect that to change in the coming weeks as freshman are supposed to begin orientation.

Texas A&M’s Official Coronavirus Updates and Policies

The easiest way to find Covid-19 information is to Google your prospective universities + Covid 19. Every campus should have an official page.

National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) Covid-19 Updates

NACAC provides a thorough overview of nationwide policy changes and adaptations regarding college fairs, SAT/ACT, best transcript practices, international students, deadline extensions, etc. Is it Time to Rethink Standardized Testing in College Admission?

The US Department of Education Official Website

College Board AP/SAT Exam Updates

ACT Covid-19 Updates and Test Prep Workshops/Seminars

Chronicle of Higher Education Article Database: Coronavirus Hits Campus

Inside Higher Ed Live Updates: Latest News on Coronavirus and Higher Education

Relevant Covid-19 and UT-Austin and other college admissions news articles

It’s so difficult to get reliable information. Coronavirus is demonstrating the critical importance of media literacy and consuming a diversity of viewpoints. Here are a few articles and commentary that are helping me to clarify the college admissions and higher education landscape.

I’m sharing the most recent ones first and will update. Most of these should be freely accessible and not behind a paywall since it’s Coronavirus coverage.

Expecting Students to Play It Safe if Colleges Reopen Is a Fantasy | June 15, 2020, New York Times

Masks required and fewer parties (allegedly): What college will look like this fall | June 11, 2020, Washington Post

Masks required in UT-Austin buildings this fall, planning official says | June 5, 2020, Daily Texan

College Board Scrambles To Maintain Status In The College Admissions Game | June 5, 2020, Forbes

A Post-Pandemic Strategy for U.S. Higher Ed | June 2, 2020, Harvard Business Review

UT plans to move 400 biggest classes online this fall | June 1, 2020, Daily Texan

Texas A&M System makes plans for how to handle in-person instruction this fall | May 29, 2020, Texas Tribune

SMU Waives ACT/SAT Score Requirements For Admission Next Year Due To Coronavirus | May 29, 2020, CBS DFW

Will the Pandemic Revolutionize College Admissions? | May 29, 2020, The Wall Street Journal

This Summer Will Scar Young Americans for Life | May 28, 2020, The Atlantic

Here’s a Look at the Future of Higher Education | May 26, 2020, Mother Jones

The Future of College Is Online, and It’s Cheaper | May 25, 2020, New York Times