I think a lot of kids who didn’t take time off this school year for whatever reason might take a break in the fall if things don’t change. It seemed a little scary in summer 2020 to make the leap to not go back to school but now we all know what it’s like and students can make their decisions based on campus realities.
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There are likely to be better alternatives in the fall as well, at least for those vaccinated. Travel and employment opportunities may open up, and there should be far fewer, if any, restrictions in some states.
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These stories of wanting to be elsewhere because a certain urban area is just awful (monotonous, lonely, crime rates increased, etc) is repeating itself throughout the US. We took off and spent our dollars and several weeks of our time in FL in January. If you have to be remote, you can do that from anywhere. Our high schooler moved down there with us. Had we been a tad more mobile we probably would have picked up and moved permanently. FL was sure a lot nicer, more cheerful and more pleasant than Minneapolis! And we met a LOT of people who were doing exactly what we were doing.
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I don’t see any realistic scenario where fall '21 isn’t going to look remarkably better than the current academic year. I think masks will be around for a long time, but I don’t see that as a significant impediment to doing/gathering/socializing. I’ve spent time in both NYC and Boston in the past year, and in these cities, mask-wearing has been ubiquitous in public spaces (indoors and outdoors). Life is still going on…
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Good article in todays NYT about COVID absolutism, and how some overly stringent regulations discourage compliance with regs that actually matter. Colleges should take note.
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I’m sorry that your daughter can’t have the senior year she pictured! DC is actually a great city, and I’m sure it will rebound, but I don’t know when. Between Covid and the security issues, it must feel almost dystopian.
D19 also has her job in the adventure program, and they are training to lead outdoor trips. Maybe they’ll get some in this spring with masks/distancing. It’s good for her to have multiple scheduled meetings or activities per week, since her classes are all virtual. I can totally see how this isn’t going to work for every college kid.
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I think my advice to those selecting schools for next year is to probe deeply and make sure you are agreement with the school’s general policy-there is no one right way to handle future variants, lockdowns or whatever. At some schools, hosting 5 kids to watch the Super Bowl will get you kicked off campus; at others, it is fine. Know before you go.
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It’s crazy. Apparently enough people flipped out about not being able to get their books and necessary supplies that local news got a hold of it. They reversed the rule yesterday…
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I wish I had been kidding. Fortunately they reversed it. They also extended the deadline to receive a full refund for housing and dining to this Monday. They are receiving some very bad press, including buzz about the kids in quarantine not receiving food or water, and having to order through door dash. It sounds like a disaster.
Ds is home, and honestly seems relieved. I think the isolation and the lack of compliance with the covid safety rules by a large number of students was more unsettling to him than he let on. He’s planning on getting some lifeguarding hours at the local indoor pool where he’s worked in the past, and he still has a couple of friends in town studying from home to connect with. It’s going to be ok.
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Agree. I’m optimistic about large-scale uptake of the vaccine over the next few months and into the summer, so the risks of being face-to-face next fall should be drastically reduced.
Even at that point the world might not still be quite what it was in fall 2019. I wonder if a country that locks down hard, vaccinates as much as possible, and drives the Covid-19 incidence down to a dribble will be eager to open its borders to countries where the infection is not under control. I guess this depends in part on vaccinations and on their efficacy with the virus variants.
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What did you mean by “local jews”. What does a religion have to do with this?
I’m sure that was a typo (local news).
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thanks for clarifying. J and N are close on the keyboard.
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I was wondering if there was any method in the madness of disallowing more than one piece of mail per week, and concluded that perhaps they were concerned about having to staff the mailroom with additional personnel. Otherwise it made absolutely no sense. However, even under this “benefit of the doubt” sort of assumption, it’s a dumb policy. When you essentially lock people in their rooms, you shouldn’t exactly be surprised to find the volume of mail has increased!
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I’m glad she is home. Probably the best place for her to be so she can breathe again and not having as many worries and stress. And I like hearing she has some local friends she can interact with, maybe study with, etc.
Thanks for the update.
The school was crazy to have had that package policy and I’m glad they came to their senses and reversed it. But still. Sheez!
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Typo! So sorry! Edited.
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Hamilton had all classes back in the fall, and all classes are back again this spring. 70% of courses meet in person.
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How often does Hamilton test? Other small rural schools should be able to pull this off if Hamilton did. Wonder what the rest of the rules are!
In the fall they tested 3x/week for a month, then went down to 2x/week. Right now they are testing 3x/week because the semester just started, but will reduce it down to 2x/week after a month.
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The first two weeks students were not allowed in other dorms, but they lifted that Wednesday. You can visit friends in other dorms as long as you are wearing a mask and “staying distanced.” There is a limit on how many people allowed in a dorm room, but I can’t remember the number. Dining, athletic facilities, and all buildings are open for studying/hanging out alone or with friends. (Though dining has plexiglass between tables.) Right now you need permission to leave campus though. Last semester they let students leave campus to go in to town, and the jitney even started running to Utica again. That didn’t happen until a month or so in to the semester though.
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