The reactions among applicants I had were swift: some parents are dropping the US altogether or adding /pushing Canada. I’ve explained that there are 'blue’s areas and that 'red’doesnt mean people will threaten or insult their kids but they look at me with anger because I try to avoid generalization - ‘we don’t want to take the risk’ or ‘sorry these people are unpredictable and it takes only one excited dangerous guy to do harm’.
One family specifically asked me to check or ask the election results in the town or county where each college is located - they don’t want to be placated, they don’t care about voters’motivation or reasoning or rationale, for them any county or town where the majority voted ‘red’ is written off. No if or but or what. I’ve tried to explain it’s unfair but they don’t care. Suddenly the US has become a dangerous place in their eyes. Some, who wanted to send their kids to protect them from terror, pointed out support from one terrorist organization (I immediately said it’s been repudiated but the family was like ‘of course, no candidate wants that public, but they found enough to like to endorse him, so what does that tell you?’) and well publicized glee from another terrorist group. These parents aren’t just scared, they’re panicked because suddenly there’s no ‘kinda safe far away’ place, no haven for their kids.
My guess is that this year and next some universities are going to see a drop in applications, especially depending on the area they’re in, but that it’ll normalize later on as long as there are no incidents. Canada will increase its numbers.