Last year, after strict lockdowns in the spring, the writing of a large portion of final exams in European countries was postponed. For example, British A-levels and GCSEs, Dutch final exams, IB program finals, and others were delayed. In the United States, SAT and ACT exams were only partially conducted. Universities therefore removed the requirement of taking the SAT and ACT for applications. This resulted in considerable chaos in processing applications and significant delays in results. Some applicants were notified that they had been accepted and were expected to start university in September only at the end of August.
Modified method of evaluating candidates
The reason for such chaos and delays in decision-making was partly that universities had to move away from evaluating neat numerical grades and grade point averages. They had to focus more on a holistic evaluation of candidates, meaning a comprehensive analysis of the prospective student. In a holistic admissions approach, even greater emphasis was placed on the candidate’s CV. This means analyzing their activities, achievements, interests, international experience, and motivation letter or interview. This was great news for versatile and resourceful individuals with rich experiences who were able to “sell” themselves better. However, it was less favorable for those who had diligently prepared for exams they ultimately could not take.
In addition to affecting some students, the increased focus on holistic evaluation also created major challenges for university admissions committees, which faced the difficult task of objectively analyzing a large number of applicants. How objective can one really be when evaluating motivation letters and other written work? You can imagine that it is not easy to determine which essay is better, or which candidate is more suitable for a particular program, based on one or two short essays. Of course, high school grades were also taken into account (in some cases all four years, in others only the final three).
It seems that history is repeating itself this year, as some candidates are still waiting for responses from universities in the UK. In previous years, the deadline for receiving admission decisions was in March, and the deadline for choosing a university was mid-May.
Academic year 2022/23
Based on developments in 2021, it can be assumed that admissions for the 2022/23 academic year may follow a similar path. For future students, this means that the earlier they begin thinking about the content of their motivation letters and working on a strong CV, the better their chances of admission. As we can see, holistic evaluation is becoming increasingly embedded in application and admissions processes.
