College administrators might be thinking of themselves. We are very much hooked into the academic community in our city and there is a lot of debate on this issue. But the primary reason that colleges and universities exist is to educate. The university population skews young, as we all know and there are a lot more students than there are faculty and admin. Higher ed. institutions might want to delay their mission in order to protect their age group - true. But, as faculty I know have pointed out, there are remedies to this that shouldn't prevent an opening (albeit a modified one).
I think it all comes down to how you feel about the timing of your college education. We have by-age-group data on how delays in education impact permanent income. Iād think that adult learners (ie older than 18-22) would be particularly anxious to get back to class as their current earnings are directly impacted.
ā Do we actually know of a campus that has been impacted?ā
What do you mean by āimpactedā? I know of a number of colleges where students have tested positive. If on the other hand you mean large percentages of students sick or dying, no ā¦but you donāt know the counterfactual of what would have happened if both the sick and healthy kids had not all left campus when they did.
OK so how are your 2019 kids doing? In the midst of finals? Done? Still plugging away? (My S19 is in the last group). Has anyone been able to scrape any summer plans together? I keep encouraging my S19 to apply for internships that are still available at our local hospitals, but he doesnāt seem motivated.
I think because it is so hard right now to look ahead, heās also not really looking ahead to summerā¦but I amā¦Iām looking at no school (weāve talked about summer school online but not made decisions), no job, no saving up that summer job money for college spending money next year, no trips, and no socialization. So I REALLY think trying to get one of these internships is to his major benefit, mostly in terms of something to do and money to make. But Iām getting nowhere!
Changing the subject a bitā¦ @homerdog you should check out Blow the Man Down on Amazon. Itās filmed right near Bowdoin. Dark comedy and pretty good. Had Bowdoin been in the city, I think my D20 would have chosen to go there. I donāt love that schools like Bowdoin (So many others not picking on them) will not accept any transfer credit and I wonder if pressed, I wonder if some might reconsider given the current circumstances. I work at a college and my kids are going to be loaded up with classes this summer. Even my rising junior in HS.
@MAandMEmom we asked haverford specifically if they would consider either accepting transfer credits or allowing part time if online for fall and the answer was an unequivocal no to both questions. I think if they offered summer classes my D would sign up, even if it required a loan, just to keep herself occupied. Sheās used to go-go-go for so long that it has felt like a hard stop.
@TS0104 I really hope he can get motivated and find something useful for summer! Is he interested in the medical field (since you mentioned hospital internships)?
DD has been very lucky to have an internship that has already started and it does wonders for her morale. Even though some times she has to clean out the turtle poop. She would not do well sitting home alone. If she hadnāt gotten this, she was going to try to get into hotel housekeeping.
Heās a psych major; the internships have been in researchā¦one with a renowned neuroscientist on sleep (that he procrastinated and didnāt apply before the listing went awayā¦grrr). Another is in patient relations. Hoping more research ones will pop up, there have been a few over the past couple of months.
@MAandMEmom We have asked about transfer credits recently. They do allow some but not from community colleges and they need to be pre-approved. They have other restrictions too. I have a feeling most kids only ātransferā their study abroad classes. Lots of colleges donāt take transfer credit because they want the name of the college to mean something on the diploma and not have it āwateredā down by having classes from another school make up that diploma. Iām clear that sounds elitist but it is what it is. Lots of T20 universities are the same way. Itās the same with AP credit - stingy.
@MAandMEmom Well, itās just different than a big school. Thereās no option to go part time. Everyone takes four classes every semester. Thatās how it was for me at Northwestern too. I have zero negative feelings about it. Heās not in some big rush to finish and get credits somewhere else.
He can still take classes in the summer. They just wonāt count towards his bachelors degree. But he could take classes that Bowdoin doesnāt offer like a Data Analytics class or something and still put it on his resume. Heās just DONE with online. Hates it. So I donāt think I have a leg to stand on for talking him into another online class this summer.
Middlebury has set up a ādecision calendarā, in which they provide us with the dates by which they will make decisions regarding the summer and fall semesters. This is pretty helpful, and provides a timeline for our Daughter (and us) to make decisions regarding this period.
Ok here is an exact quote from Bowdoinās president on why heās unsure of opening campus.
āThere is much that we donāt know, and there are many health issues that simply will not be solved by September. COVID-19 is highly infectious and often spread by individuals who are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. While for the vast majority of younger people the disease is not serious, it can create severe and sometimes fatal problems for those who are health compromisedāthose with high blood pressure, who are obese, who have asthma or diabetes, and the elderly. The experts tell us that a widely distributed vaccine is at least a year away. If we are able to return to campus this fall, things will be different from what we have known. Among other measures, we will have to reduce density on campus to ensure that we can practice physical distancing in our classrooms, in residence and dining halls, and in our social spaces. We will likely need to make changes in athletics and performances, and we are going to have to have measures in place to deal rapidly and effectively with illness. This may mean having the ability to both test broadly and regularly for the virus and to quarantine anyone who is infected. And, it means we will have to be confident that an outbreak on campus would not overwhelm the local health care system.ā
Then, later in the letter:
"It is worth remembering that every college and university in this country (and beyond) is facing exactly the same issues we are, and wrestling with the challenge of how to have students on campus in the fall given the public health crisis. I spend a good bit of my own time talking with other college and university presidents, sharing information and ideas. I am also in regular contact with public health authorities, scientists, and medical professionals in order to get as much information and as many thoughtful points of view as I can. These conversations are incredibly helpful in thinking through the issues.
All of this work will allow us to make the most informed decisions possible in the time we have available, and with the health and safety of our campus community and the Brunswick community as the essential priority. Our goal is to find a way to be back on campus this fall."
@homerdog Bowdoinās president seems to be well coordinated with the actions and decisions of Maineās governor thus far. While we live in MA we have a summer cottage on the southern coast of ME and have been closely following MEās reopening strategy. So far ME is really looking to remain locked down to residents only through the end of the summer (requiring 14 day quarantines for anyone arriving from out of state through the END OF AUGUST). This is a very conservative stance.
@zipstermom I think the average age of Mainers is pretty high and thatās one of the reasons for the pressure to stay closed. And that stinks for people with summer homes there!
@homerdog I believe you are correct. And while it does stink for those of us with summer homesāwe will abide by the orders. There will be other summersā¦
@homerdog Jackson is not tolerating the online well either. He is a discussion based learner ( which is why he chose Bowdoin!). The only class he thinks it has worked ok in was the Computer Science. Here is hoping they have widespread testing / control and that they can return if safe.
Sharing with my 19 friends even though this is an update on my S16. Today was my S16ās last day of college. Classes done, finals done, and group projects done. He is so very done! I made him a surprise breakfast pastry this morning for his last day of college He was touched Who would have thought I would be present with my S16 on his last day of school. #luckyme
BUT that is not the HUGE news. Today, at 1:30 my S16 got a full time job offer. He has been interviewing for this one company for about two weeks now (seriously he had six interviews for this one company). It is an AMAZING offer for a consulting company in Downtown Boston. I am super happy and very proud of him. The job starts in August so we will even get hang with him longer this summer.