I realize we have had many discussions going on about what college is going to follow what plan but I am sensing a sea change among students returning for sophomore/junior/senior years…I’m getting it from my kids’ many and myriad friends and a general buzz from parents…but a whole bunch of kids are collectively planning on working/internshipping this fall instead of returning…many are beginning to realize that even if there are classes, there is nothing else. No sports. No dance performances. No club meetings. No dining hall discussions. No late night group study halls. No “coffee with the Dean.” No nothing. Well, except tuition.
And i’m not saying that the colleges have a choice…but I am sensing a groundswell of kids out there making this decision. What are you guys seeing?
I have yet to hear that BUT I think it depends on where people are going to school and what their plan is. I live in Wisconsin and while my kid doesn’t go to an in-state, the majority do. So far Wisconsin had given pretty much no information of what fall will look like except to say they will open and that announcement just came this week. At the flagship most returning students live off campus so they all have apartments secured. I think most will return and go live in their off campus apartments since they already have leases. Not sure what freshman will decide but I suspect most in-state kids will still go. But the state of Wisconsin is fairly open and doing well right now.
D goes to a private OOS. I suspect if things are super restrictive come fall some might not attend, especially freshman, but so FAR all my D’s friends plan to go. We’ll see if things change when all the details of the fall plan come out in a couple of weeks.
Don’t know anyone who is going to take time off as of right now but that could chance once schools start making their final announcements on what the fall will look like.
I don’t think spring semester will be any different than fall though, and certainly the following year or two could be impacted as well.
Tough to make choices with so many unknowns and when all choices are sub-optimal.
I hear a lot of students considering it. However, some of that may be simple venting/grumbling, impatience or frustration at not knowing what to expect in the fall at many schools. I sympathize with that. When push comes to shove, though, I bet most of them will go, especially if their seat and/or their scholarship isn’t guaranteed to be there again in the spring or next year.
Good point by all that most colleges haven’t decided…but what i’m seeing is more that students see what is ahead…the kid I spoke with last night is a rising junior at Columbia and his parents are paying the hefty tuition but it’s hard to justify if he’s at home…better for him to make money. (decision by both the student and the parents).
In the case of my D in grad school in boston, 2 of her 3 roommates are not coming back for Year 2 if its online…one will work from her parents’ home on the west coast (so she’s not signing a lease for next year…she’ll take classes remotely) and the other will skip the semester altogether (she is already in debt and doesn’t want to spend the money without the experience).
In the case of my younger son (a rising junior at state university), he just doesn’t want another semester like the one he just finished…so he’s looking for fall internships and then will head back next January.
Are schools really going to be giving students that option?
At Purdue some of D’s friends tried to rearrange co-op terms and the CoE co-op office said a hard and firm no to that. (D considered it as well if classes weren’t going to be back on campus).
Students are welcome to do online only from home but taking the semester off is a totally different conversation. From what we’re hearing, the only students they are allowing to take the term off are incoming international students who can’t get their visas and possibly immunocompromised students IF their courses are not being offered on line. Beyond that I don’t believe they will hold anyone’s spot and students would need to reapply.
Also, what happens to their aid?
I honestly can’t imagine the budget nightmare if schools just let anyone take the semester off.
Bowdoin has told students any of them can take leaves, but they can’t guarantee that they will be able to return in their desired semester, based on enrolled numbers at that point in time. Because it’s a meets full need school, I doubt there are FA implications, but there certainly could be at other schools.
Fundamentally, schools can’t make students attend, of course at the selective schools there will always be someone to take open spots. Transfer activity will probably be active this summer and for spring semester. And if incoming freshman want to take a gap year and have to reapply, there are worse things than that.
My D just texted me from work that one of her best friends from college just submitted his leave of absence form. Other school friends in her large group chat have discussed doing this, but so far, no one else has made it official.
Her school is bringing all the other classes back to campus in the fall, while her class will be totally remote. My D and many of her fellow sophomores are not happy.
D18, OOS, will be taking less classes and is debating if she will return to campus housing in the Fall. She hates the online format and why pay for a dorm when you can’t go to class? Friends from other schools are saying the same thing. Looking for internships, instead of going back.
My rising junior is going back, but she’s looking for off campus housing so that if they are hybrid or remote she’ll be with friends and in a more comfortable situation than a dorm.
Internship opportunities for people who haven’t completed their degree might be limited right now though. On the news there are often stories of graduates and young professionals who are struggling to get full time work, either they where laid off, furloughed or jobs in their sector are not there.
My son school is in true college town they have had a 400% increase in Covid19 cases. As of today the school is still planning on having in person classes for summer 2 and the fall. Most of the kids are freaking out and I can’t say I blame them. For the most part only freshman live in the dorms and everyone else has to secure an apartment this month. This is difficult to do when to don’t know what the future holds. Although my son will only have a virtual graduation ceremony, I am so glad I don’t have to worry about him being in a college town during this pandemic.
This depends on how many families suffered a financial setback and how many students decide to take a gap year. Both will cost schools a lot of money. Some colleges may need to reassess their meets need policies.
The online versions of classes given this past semester were done on an emergency basis. I hope young people and parents will give them a chance. Many faculty are learning more about the potential, taking workshops and doing serious planning for online classes this fall.
Some schools will not survive if a lot of students don’t come. Money (and liability) are big motivators in all this, obviously. Columbia, on the other hand, will do okay.
If a family’s finances have suffered enough for it to be impossible to pay, I think that is a reason not to attend, though letting the financial aid office know about special circumstances can help.
I think need-blind policies are more at risk than meets-full-need though. The Bowdoin president is on the record as saying they may not be able to continue being need-blind when reviewing apps.
OTOH he said that when the stock market was much lower than it is today (S&P is around 40% higher than March lows) so I assume their endowment has recovered its losses.
Nope. Maybe it’s a regional thing. Haven’t heard of anyone that I know in the Midwest. I agree, classes were an emergency plan. I bet they can get creative. Many will still say it’s not worth it. My seniors going back. Gave him the option and he looked at me like I was crazy.
Completely agree. I understand the desire to find an internship or full-time job while taking a gap year, but I wonder if that’s realistic. Competition is fierce. There’s not a lot out there. A lot of companies are in a hiring freeze, and not even taking on interns due to the uncertainties with the economy. I hope students are securing a position or internship before deciding they will just work for a year. (Unless they are not picky about the job and will even consider working in a grocery store, or other low-wage position.)