THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, means colleges and

prospective students alike are in for an admissions cycle like no other. Both face unprecedented
challenges and questions as they grapple with their respective futures amid the ongoing fallout of the
pandemic.

Colleges must examine applicants without the aid of standardized test scores for many – a factor that
prompted many schools to go test-optional for now. Even grades, a significant component of a college
application, may be hard to interpret with some high schools adopting pass-fail classes last spring due to
the pandemic. Major college admissions factors are suddenly skewed.

"I can't help but think other (admissions) factors are going to matter more," says Ethan Sawyer, founder
of the College Essay Guy, a website that offers free and paid essay-writing resources.

College essays and letters of recommendation, Sawyer says, are likely to carry more weight than ever in
this admissions cycle. And many essays will likely focus on how the pandemic shaped students' lives
throughout an often tumultuous 2020.

[ READ: How to Write a College Essay. ]

But before writing a college essay focused on the coronavirus, students should explore whether it's the
best topic for them.

Writing About COVID-19 for a College Application

Much of daily life has been colored by the coronavirus. Virtual learning is the norm at many colleges and
high schools, many extracurriculars have vanished and social lives have stalled for students complying
with measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.

"For some young people, the pandemic took away what they envisioned as their senior year," says
Robert Alexander, dean of admissions, financial aid and enrollment management at the University of
Rochester in New York. "Maybe that's a spot on a varsity athletic team or the lead role in the fall play.
And it's OK for them to mourn what should have been and what they feel like they lost, but more
important is how are they making the most of the opportunities they do have?"

That question, Alexander says, is what colleges want answered if students choose to address COVID-19
in their college essay.
But the question of whether a student should write about the coronavirus is tricky. The answer depends
largely on the student.

"In general, I don't think students should write about COVID-19 in their main personal statement for
their application," Robin Miller, master college admissions counselor at IvyWise, a college counseling
company, wrote in an email.

"Certainly, there may be exceptions to this based on a student's individual experience, but since the
personal essay is the main place in the application where the student can really allow their voice to be
heard and share insight into who they are as an individual, there are likely many other topics they can
choose to write about that are more distinctive and unique than COVID-19," Miller says.

[ READ: What Colleges Look for: 6 Ways to Stand Out. ]

Opinions among admissions experts vary on whether to write about the likely popular topic of the
pandemic.

"If your essay communicates something positive, unique, and compelling about you in an interesting and
eloquent way, go for it," Carolyn Pippen, principal college admissions counselor at IvyWise, wrote in an
email. She adds that students shouldn't be dissuaded from writing about a topic merely because it's
common, noting that "topics are bound to repeat, no matter how hard we try to avoid it."

Above all, she urges honesty.

"If your experience within the context of the pandemic has been truly unique, then write about that
experience, and the standing out will take care of itself," Pippen says. "If your experience has been
generally the same as most other students in your context, then trying to find a unique angle can easily
cross the line into exploiting a tragedy, or at least appearing as though you have."

But focusing entirely on the pandemic can limit a student to a single story and narrow who they are in
an application, Sawyer says. "There are so many wonderful possibilities for what you can say about
yourself outside of your experience within the pandemic."

He notes that passions, strengths, career interests and personal identity are among the multitude of
essay topic options available to applicants and encourages them to probe their values to help determine
the topic that matters most to them – and write about it.