No sports, clubs, or letter grades during the pandemic? How that affects your college application

This year's college applicants are asking what to do when the college application process is limited by a disease.

Sports and clubs were unable to go on during the Pandemic. Many school districts across the country offer the option for students to not receive letter grades for classes they took.

Some students have been left with a choice of passing or failing, rather than actual grades on their transcripts.

The National Association for College Admission Counseling's chief education and policy officer says that college admissions officers have been prepared for these changes since before the current admissions cycle began.

The admissions officers understand the challenges the students have faced because they have faced them themselves. The students were locked down as well.

The radical idea on college campuses is to use endowments to help students and staff in crisis.

What are colleges looking for right now?

Admissions officers are looking for what applications have changed.

Admissions officers say that a transcript filled with "pass" or "credit" grades won't count against you. Steve Robinson, senior associate vice president for enrollment management at the University of Utah, said that the letter grades that are on your transcript will be considered.

Robinson thinks that a lot of schools are looking at the academic rigor of a student's attempt. In a rural high school, there aren't as many Advanced Placement opportunities, but the student took everything possible that the high school offered academically, even if they have pass grades.

Testing requirements have changed. Colleges began to make the submission of standardized test scores optional even before the Pandemic. Due to the difficulties of the Pandemic, the practice spread to more schools.

The new normal looks here to stay, as COVID has made getting into a top U.S. college even more competitive.

Extracurriculars do not look the same as they did before. In some cases, how students spent their free time during the Pandemic is taking the place of the extracurricular section of their application, at least in the eyes of admissions officers.

The Common App, a standardized college application accepted at roughly 900 schools, can offer space to write about your experience during the pandemic, such as the hardship you faced or a new skill you learned.

In some cases, admissions officers have been pleasantly surprised and amazed at what students continued to do even while in lock down.

College athletes are cashing in on the new NCAA rules.

Your application plays to your strengths.

A strong application is one that best shows what you have accomplished with the option to submit test scores.

If you received a good score on the SAT or theACT, you should send it to the college you are applying to. If you didn't get a score on your application, don't include it, says ChristineHarper, associate vice president for student success and chief enrollee officer at the University of Kentucky.

What benefits the student the most will be used. With some portion of applications now optional, students should look back at everything they have done and present the best version of themselves to a college.

The Pandemic has forced college admissions officers to reexamine their expectations of students, particularly since high school students had different access to their usual activities, says Keri Risic, interim executive director of admissions at the University of Minnesota.

There is a harsh truth about black students at America's elite colleges.

Changes to those activities are not seen as a negative. If you have something to share on your application that gives perspective on how you experienced the admissions epidemic, officers want to know that.

While there are adjustments students can make to stand out in the application pool, the overwhelming message admissions officers have for prospective students is to worry less.

Students should rest easy because colleges understand the position they are in. Give yourself time to think.

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Colin Beresford is a writer. The email address is cberesford@nerdwallet.com.