That does seem early. I obviously don’t know all colleges’ plans but every one I’ve seen (except the ones in Canada) start late Jan or Feb.
Yes, it is early. They moved the date up so that they could change the summer semester into a regular semester. That was part of their de-densification plan. Now they are stuck with it. I’m not questioning their original plan, because who really knew how this whole thing would roll out, and at least they tried something. But now I think they’ve got to make this adjustment because the cases will be pretty high after X-mas/New Years.
My youngest is going back 1/19 as well for a week remote then hybrid. My older one goes back 2/18 for a week remote then classes hybrid late february. It feels way too early for the 1/19…As in too early post holiday surge.
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My D’s classes start on Jan 13th. Though they canceled spring break, the calendar didn’t change much otherwise. Big southern flagship.
Both want to study abroad in the fall. They both had programs cancelled due to the pandemic.I know the news out of Europe rn is really bad, so I am not getting their hopes up. I guess I am relying on widespread vaccination to have helped humanity by then…
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Haverford and Bryn Mawr have just announced they’re pushing their spring semester back by two weeks, at the beginning and the end. My daughter has to try and change her travel and Covid testing plans, and the semester now directly butts up against the start date for the summer program that she applied to. Hopefully no more changes will be coming before February. New start date is 2/12.
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It has been very quiet on this thread. I have gotten a couple of emails preparing my youngest for a 1/19/21 return to campus urging quarantine and if possible pre testing. The numbers in MA are exploding, the highest increases are among 20-29 yr olds and 0-19 yr olds. I have serious trepdation that they can pull of a start to the semester on campus given the current surge and with possible variants out there. And no info about a vaccine time line for this age group.
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How did the school do in the fall? The school hasn’t planned any pre-testing since you say “possible” testing?
Infections seem to be on a different level right now (especially with the new variants) compared to last fall. I’m not sure testing alone is sufficient to contain the virus from spreading anymore.
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I assume that no school is only using testing - remote class, masks, social distancing etc. S19’s LAC did just fine with their plan for fall and they’re just planning the same. I am curious if any schools are doing more than they did for fall. Certainly, there were some schools whose sad efforts were not effective.
I think schools like Bowdoin wiil do fine. Colleges in large cities or places where there’re more activities outside of campuses will likely have problems.
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going back before Feb does sound like a bad idea.
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My daughter’s school only had a fraction on campus in the fall, in February they are allowing half of the normal amount of on campus students (no doubles). My daughter will have zero in person classes yet again, unfortunately she’s an exercise science major with at least 2 labs every semester. Testing was random in the fall, although students were encouraged to get tested on campus (offered 3 days a week). No spring break this year.
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They began planning well into last summer and did an excellent job of pivoting. They welcomed all students back and partnered with the Broad Institute for testing withhin 24 hrs of arrival, singles, one week totally remote on campus, twice weekly asymptomatic testing of entire student body thereafter. Classes were mixed and they made so many other infrastructure changes. The results were that Infections were extremely low, like negligible considering it is outside of Boston and a porous campus. Granted the athletic season was cancelled. The college has my full support for their results and experience in the fall. What is not clear is that winter/spring onboarding feels completely different with rapid spread and introduction of the variant or other variants even given their successful fall experience on campus.
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What would you like the school to do differently? Or is there nothing but you’re just concerned about the local level of infection? I assume they’ll continue what they did last fall and, if they find more cases, they’ll just have more kids in quarantine and isolation and maybe they’ll lock down even more than they already did for fall. Make all classes remote for short periods if needed. Dining all take out…that sort of thing.
I guess I am just worried about the level of infection nationally, not just locally. I am not concerned about the college pivoting with any or all of the above. Maybe it is more aptly described as a diffuse worry based on the news.
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My daughter decided not to change her travel plans. She’s still going back to school in mid-January, but will be in the area a month before school starts. She really misses her friends and since their apartment will be their pod, she’s happy to get back to them even if school is pushed back. Her friends parents (she’s staying with them as the apartment is school owned and she cannot move in early) have been vaccinated (they’re doctors), and she and her friends plan on just spending time together without creating any extra risks for anyone.
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Penn closed all of its college houses last fall but will reopen them this spring with most classes still online. I feel good about their plan to minimize disease transmission.
They increased the number of testing sites and switched to saliva-based testing for faster results. All students returning to campus will be tested for Covid twice per week on assigned days, must show proof of flu immunization, and enroll in a daily symptom checker for building access.
Housing pods are only the people with whom one shares a bathroom. Every student has a single room and the maximum ratio of students-to-bathrooms is 6:1. D will be sharing a three bedroom apartment with two other young women. They have their own kitchen so that will cut down on trips to the dining hall. A two-week quiet period will also be enforced during which students may only leave their housing pod for essential reasons.
Spring break has been shortened to two midweek days with the other three days of break redistributed throughout the semester as planned campus wide engagement days.
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With CV-19 raging out of control now, do you think colleges are going to revise their “reopening plans” this spring semester or charge ahead as they expected a few months ago?
It’s a very fluid situation…
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My current college student who is home for the break is otherwise living in his college city with roommates. All remote classes. They have been very careful and no cases so far among their bubble/friend group.
What are your students doing re testing and returning to off campus apartments? School does test them but on a schedule that doesn’t necessarily fit all their arrival dates.
We have had no maskless contact with anyone and have gotten precautionary (negative) tests. But not everyone has the same routine. Wondering what others are doing re their student returning to school “living” and roommates but not under the school protocols or in the dorm.
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