Last month, Harvard released a statement via their Making Caring Common Project, called “For Colleges: Endorse ‘Care Counts in Crisis: College Admissions Deans Respond to COVID-19’” a letter endorsed by 350+ higher ed and other industry leaders across the nation. Just a few of these endorsers include deans from American University, Boston University, Bowdoin, Bucknell, Columbia, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, Kenyon, MIT, Northwestern, Oberlin, Pomona, Smith, Stanford, Yale...and the list goes on.
The letter itself is worth a read, but the TL;DR of it all relates to the question of: what do colleges care about during this upcoming admissions season?
According to this letter, they care most about evidence of compassion, community engagement, and care. Community can mean anything, ranging from family (chosen and not chosen), and community (local, physical, virtual, and conceptual). The literal list is: 1. Self Care; 2. Academics; 3. Service and Contribution to Others; 4. Family Contributions; 5. Extracurricular and summer activities.
So, what are some things that you can do to show evidence of your engagement with those principles of value for your application? We’ve come up with a list of a few that can be applied pretty universally. Of course, if your family has been significantly financially or physically impacted by COVID-19, please don’t add more to your plate by stressing out about how you can bulk up your academic and extracurricular profile. Your main focus should be #1 on the above list -- self-care -- in that case.
Aside from the list below, there are tons of other options. We encourage you to think creatively about this! Every family, person, and community is different and needs different things. The point is, to think outside of the box and to spend time engaging in what is needed most right now, which is quality time. And effort. We are also thinking about this list in terms of potential fodder for essays, so do with it what you like.
Cook dinner. Often.
Parents often get into a routine without even thinking about it because they don’t have a ton of outside help. And food prep and feeding times get lumped into that obligation pool quickly. Taking the burden of food prep and meals off of them and trying on an apron is one small way to consistently improve and bolster dynamics in your house. As with anything, practice makes better, so start small: choose 1-2 recipes to tackle that week and make them a few times. We’re positive no one will complain about having homemade pesto pasta or omelettes two nights in a row when they’re not the ones who have to cook it. And who knows, you could have a hidden talent and passion for assembling dishes in the kitchen. Or bake! Everyone loves dessert.
Be a local “camp counselor.”
Working at home alongside children can be a real productivity-killer. We’re sure some of you experienced that when you were still in school. But get this -- parents don’t get the summers off. And their kids can’t go to camp this year. One way that you can contribute is by taking your own siblings, or the younger children of local neighbors, off of their parent’s hands and organizing a mini “Camp” 1-2x/week for a couple of hours. We don’t mean going full Babysitter’s Club, we just mean thinking of a few creative ways to keep young kids engaged (outdoors! At a local park!) and out of their parent’s Zoom call peripheries for a few hours per week. Do it with a friend, call yourselves counselors, and tire some kids out doing some sort of activity.
Sew masks and give them out to your community.
Not everyone has the time, energy, or funds to be able to sport some chic patterned masks. But if you’re creative and have some time on your hands, you could hand-sew masks very easily (use old t-shirts -- after washing! -- or random scraps of fabric) and distribute them to your neighbors. Combining 1 and 3, you could create some very kind care packages for your neighbors and call them “Masks and Muffins.”
Find a local mutual aid organization and contribute your energy.
Mutual aid projects are created around the idea that each community member has something useful to contribute to their communities at large. And that by harnessing each individual’s ability to contribute, each community can thrive and operate more independently. It’s a system of checks and balances; needs and offerings. Right now, there are a lot of vulnerable individuals whose health is put at risk when they go outside. It’s less risky for a young, healthy person to go outside and engage in everyday activities, like, say, walking a dog, mowing the lawn, organizing a garage, or running to the grocery store to grab milk. Offering your time and energy via a local mutual aid organization can enable you to engage with your community during a time when many individuals who are immunocompromised are scared to leave the house. Keep your mask on and keep your distance while doing all of these activities, of course.
Organize a local drive.
This might sound like a lot, but organizing a local food drive is something that can pretty easily be done with the help of a couple of friends (preferably one with a car). Lots of families are doing massive “clean-outs” right now, which means that they might be getting rid of canned goods they don’t want taking up pantry space. Canned goods are good for basically decades! And people are food insecure right now. Talk about mutual aid. We know you’re capable of this.
Let us know if you need more ideas or if we’re missing anything big -- there are so many options!