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In a year of can’ts, colleges
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and college-bound seniors are
figuring out how they can.
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And with more online
applications, more technology,
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and more creativity, colleges
are finding their place
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in a pandemic world.
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You’re watching the Local News Network,
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brought to you by Kroeger’s Ace Hardware
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and FastSigns of Durango.
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I’m Wendy Graham Settle.
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Over the years, the college
admissions process has consisted
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of an application, maybe a
college visit and interview,
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and a decision.
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That much hasn’t changed since last March,
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even though colleges now have
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to accommodate social distancing
and other safety measures
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during the pandemic.
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After all, many perspective
students can’t visit campuses.
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Many have also been unable
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to take standard college entrance exams
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and remote learning has
disrupted their lives.
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So at Fort Lewis, our
application for admission
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typically opens in early September.
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We’ve seen a bulk of our
applicants come in from September
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through about January in a typical year
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and an application
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for a traditional first-year
student would include
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a high school transcript
showing their work completed
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through their junior year,
standardized test scores
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as required by the state of Colorado,
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either ACT or SAT scores,
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and then the application form itself.
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Colleges have found
creative and different ways
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to show off their campuses
without in-person visits,
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and at smaller schools like Fort Lewis,
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they’ve kept the tours operational
with some modifications.
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We are really fortunate that we get to do
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in-person options both
based on our location
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and using the best, you know,
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San Juan Basin public health
COVID guidelines in the state,
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we felt we could do our visits.
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We’re a small enough
school that we could give
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these students and families
a personalized visit.
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So instead of 35 people
sitting in a presentation
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and then going on a tour around campus,
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now students and families
come to our office
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and it’s a one-on-one meeting
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or like a one-on-family meeting
where the family comes in,
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they sit on one end of a conference table.
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We have our admission
counselor on the other end.
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There, of course is a health screening
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when they arrive, they wash their hands,
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everyone has masks and
they’re keeping distance,
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but we’re still able to do that,
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to kind of give that
personalized experience,
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and what we have found
is that both our staff
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and the students and families
actually really enjoy
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that experience.
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It’s much more individualized.
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Many colleges now offer
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online admission applications
and have added virtual tours.
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It’s now an expectation
that every college is going
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to have virtual visit options.
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You know, I think, like I said,
we’re constantly refining,
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so what we’re offering today might not be
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what we’re offering a
year and a half from now.
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If you’d like to learn more about changes
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to college admissions, contact
your high school counselor
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or college admissions advisor.
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Thanks for watching this
edition of the local news.
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I’m Wendy Graham Settle.