Colleges and COVID-19

While listening to the news, I heard that the high school class of 2021 will have the easiest chance to get into college out of any class in a while because of COVID-19. The reason why this virus makes it easier for us to get into college (especially for an affluent school like New Trier) is that many foreign students won’t be leaving the country to go to colleges in America, and colleges will prioritize students who can pay in full because they have lost so much money due to the virus. When reflecting over this, I initially was thrilled that some of the schools that were longshots for me I might have a chance to get into, but then that stopped and I felt a sense of shame. This was not a personal shame since I can’t control the wealth of my school district, but I do believe we get an unfair advantage because of how prosperous and wealthy New Trier is. I started to hate the thought that I will get into a better school instead of another kid who's smarter and more deserving than me but either is foreign or can’t pay tuition in full. Ultimately, I am given advantages that other kids aren’t but I realized that instead of dwelling on how fortunate I am, I just need to work the hardest I can to really deserve a spot at a university since that would feel so much better knowing I got in for hard work instead of my parent's money.