Parents of the HS Class of 2020 (Part 1)

Our April break school trips to China and Italy have been cancelled and they are not sure what type of refund, if any, they are going to get. Luckily my D was not going but some of her friends have been working for a year to pay for their trip themselves and they are just devastated. They may get a voucher for future travel but since they’re seniors, they’re not sure what they would use them for. I feel so bad for them.

We’re thinking of a family trip to the beach in FL in April but my husband is afraid to buy the flights. Flights seem really cheap right now so I want to pull the trigger:

Anyone concerned about their kid going to Disney? Florida has declared a public health emergency and Disney trip is coming up soon. Last time my kid was at Disney he got strep throat so concerned about infection in general.

My kid is supposed to go to Disney right after graduation, in late May. We aren’t terribly concerned just yet, as a lot can happen between now and May.

We have a spring break trip to Disney planned. Right now it’s wait and see.

Hmm, we’re flying to two admitted student events this weekend, IU and UIUC. I’m not cancelling, since I live in NYC and so it’s not any better to be here than there! I was on the subway today, so not much I can do but wash my hands!

DD senior trip is to Disney. It was about $2,500.00. Its in April. I did buy the travel insurance. I would hate for the trip to be cancelled. I did buy the insurance. I hope it covers it if it is cancelled.

Human beings are very interesting creatures. in the USA 36000 people die per year in car accidents, 70000 from overdose, probably double that from drinking related illnesses, 15000 to 20000 from the flu. 150000 hospitalized.

We drive, drink, (bad decision)drink and drive, (bad decision) do drugs and never cancel a vacation because it’s flu season.

I know it’s a little scary but all of the US deaths in Washington were based in a critical care and hospice center for primarily the elderly. It’s terrible but these patients had terminal illnesses. In China the smoking rate among adults is astronomical.

And we don’t know how many people actually have had it already as it presents so mildly in many.

The individuals in our state who have it claim it’s milder than a bad cold.

All bad. But our reactions should be to slow it down and protect the elderly, the sick and the very young.

And to stay calm.

These viruses follow a pattern. They usually Peter out by later spring. The vaccine will start to be tested with clinical trials in April.

It will all be ok. I plan on traveling to southern Italy in the fall and will not buy the insurance. They might pay me to come.

Cancelling spring break I get. Summer maybe. After that I wouldn’t worry at all. I heard they are cleaning out stores in Washington state of canned goods.

The 1918 Spanish Flu killed 675,000 U.S. citizens and 50,000,000 worldwide and the second phase of the illness (where most of the deaths occurred) was from September to November. I know the healthcare system is much better in 2020 but let’s not forget the history of pandemics killings many many people in the world. This is what concerns me, we don’t have a vaccine and we don’t know how many people are carriers of the coronavirus in the U.S.

Time will tell.

They begin clinical trials on humans in a few weeks. Coronavirus is not new. This variant of course, is, but there’s science.

Comparing 1918, a period of time of world war 1 , living and working conditions that aren’t comparable, the knowledge around basic hygiene and sanitation and modern medicine just stokes unnecessary fear. Imho. It’s making people cash out 401ks. This can injure them much more.

Yes. Current travel restrictions and discipline around quarantine is super smart. Especially right now and with our kids. I get it.

The quieter stories than what is headline need. They are already starting to close the makeshift hospitals in Wuhan and the volume of cases is dropping. It’s going to be ok.

I understand being cautious. I agree 100 percent. I’m just thinking out loud about mass hysteria and media hype.

Thanks for everyone’s thoughts on this. I am especially sensitive since I have more than one family member considered high-risk even though not elderly. Hopefully everyone can come together to just limit the effect of this.

Totally agree. My wife is immune suppressed with Chrug Strauss. It’s definately worth paying attention to for our loved ones. Hopefully the scientists will do their work and have success. I’m hopeful.

What really scares me is thought of losing the electric grid or internet. That could be really bad.

But let’s put warm thoughts out to the universe on this and the college front. And hear about these great students accepted into fantastic schools over the next few weeks.

We are in the wait and see mode. S20 has been looking at Spain and Italy for a year now. We will not be traveling until late July, so we have some time. We did have a conversation last night to get him thinking about other options. We are traveling for our admitted students day and a short spring break trip to the Colorado Rockies over Easter week. Zero plans on canceling that trip.

I am letting my D20 travel domestically over spring break next week. Her little brother’s class is heading to DC next month. I’m keeping a careful eye on how things develop in that time.

We had the same experience with the Big 10 Schools and ended up at a different SEC school (Tennessee). As an aside, I wanted him to apply to UF but he wasn’t feeling it; they aren’t doing the type of research he wants to get into.

We have also made the decision to drive to orientation (we are in PA), I doubt we will be doing an accepted students day. The drive is as much to see what the drive is like rather than fear of the airport, and we may do some sightseeing along the way. Of course the Orlando airport is much busier than the Knoxville airport. So I’d be erring on the side of caution too.

@MAmom111 United just announced that if you book by March 31st, they won’t charge change fees. Definitely check the fine print, but that might help your Florida trip. Good luck!

.

American too.

My S20 was happy to get an email acceptance to Cal Poly SLO today - prob won’t end up there, but it was a nice boost while waaaiiiiitttttinnnnnggggg to hear back from the remaining schools.

I know, this waiting is just too much. I am glad that we have good options in hand though. I can’t imagine not having anything and still waiting.

Big 10 were some of our more affordable schools, although all are not treated equally. Michigan and Penn St. (and of course NU) give basically nothing. Iowa, UMinn, and MichSt all came in towards the cheapest of D20’s 9 admits. The clear winner was Mizzou, but it did not come with a direct admit to nursing.

@pickledginger , my D got into CPSLO, too. Still awaiting decisions on the bulk of her list but most likely wont choose CPSLO. March Madness, for sure!