Oklahoma seniors slow to apply for college in wake of pandemic Kathryn McNutt Oklahoma Watch Many Oklahoma seniors have yet to take an admissions test or apply for college as they begin their final semester in high school. “I know it has everything to do with the pandemic,” said Christopher Lynch, vice president for enrollment and student success at the University of Central Oklahoma. COVID-19 put students out of the classroom and parents out of work. It severely limited access to the ACT college admissions test and gutted the traditional college campus experience. As of mid-December, applications to UCO from first-time freshmen were down by 709 students or 35% from the same point in December 2019.