That’s very sad indeed. Not wanting to spend the money on virtual schooling out of state certainly makes sense; However, As a nurse that’s worked in the covid units, I’m very proud Penn State considers the health and safety of their staff, students, and community in their academic decisions. It is certainly your right to go somewhere else that doesn’t
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I am not here to judge the decision of PSU or any other college for other individuals, or what the schools deem best for their community. At this point, I can only do what we think is best for our own child considering all of the health factors involved (physical, emotional…).
Our son and his friends have been deeply affected by the 18 months of remote learning etc. in our state, and it is not in his best interest or mental health to continue this way for what would then be a fourth year of affected schooling (if another option is possible).
Managing risk is difficult, and luckily in this case, I’m not responsible for not doing it for an entire school, just my child. He is currently (statistically) more vulnerable to other health issues than Covid. Thankfully we have many doctor friends at Hopkins and UMD, who agree with our current assessment.
I know I’m not alone in these thoughts, as almost every parent I’ve spoken to around us (off all political persuasions) are monitoring this closely as well. Many are even adding new applications to other states/colleges as we speak due to these concerns.
All of that said, I’m not here to change anyone else’s mind, and it’s highly unlikely mine will be changed (barring some unforeseen change in statistics). So while I respectfully understand your opinion, it will not change mine or make me think less of other schools managing risk differently than PSU. And at the end of the day, perhaps PSU will find remote unnecessary, or perhaps it will be necessary and data will have changed to the point that I am in agreement. Only time will tell!
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More kids have died at Penn State due to hazing, alcohol, drugs, and trash chutes than from Covid.
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Everyone has a right to their opinions, including mine that we would have avoided much of the last 2 years had more people decided to consider what was best for entire communities, not just themselves.
That said, I like to keep this page a completely “politics-free” spot as most people are in desperate need of that. So comments about red states, or blue states, etc obviously begin a debate.
Covid mitigation should not be political, but of course, it has been made so.
I hope you find the right place for you and your son and that you all remain safe and healthy.
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Reminder - Political Posts will be flagged for moderators.
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Does anyone know if they will still be giving out decisions until the 24 or no because they are out of office?
Congratulations! What were her stats? (if you don’t mind sharing them)
wondering the same
4.95w/3.96uw
1470 (690v/780m)
A’s in summer college classes
Sports (captain)
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Someone upthread said they would not accept an offer if Penn State went virtual for Spring; omicron has arrived here and as the only hospital in the county is already at capacity (and no visitors, elective procedures, etc) , it seems at least possible that by January 2 students will be asked to stay home a bit longer, as they were in 2020. Once the local wave lessened a bit, classes resumed in person. Right now we are seeing 100-125 new cases a day, and that has been the case for about 10 days.
Not encouraging political debate at all – just updating from real life here in a purple state. Be patient and be safe.
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Politics aside, lot of these decisions are about liability. If universities do not have enough capacity for quarantining or to provide medical care they will consider going virtual.
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I appreciate your nuanced information. Bringing kids back a few weeks later in fully normal fashion seems a reasoned approach. Unfortunately we come to this college decision with some heavy baggage. Our school district was fully virtual, and it took a lawsuit by a group of parents to get our kids into normalized instruction after 18 months out of the building. As a teacher and a parent, both my students and own children were affected quite negatively. Going back a week or two later until things subside uses common sense, while fully virtual for an entire semester seems quite extreme at this point. Again, time will tell what they do, and I agree with another poster that many decisions seem more about legal CYA. Again, thanks for the added and specific information.
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Certainly PSU is adept at spinning CYA into some sort of imaginary benevolent gift – but the majority of students live in this small town (not dorms) with a senior-citizen heavy population , a large public school system, and a small hospital that is already understaffed. It’s a genuine set of factors to consider and it’s done in consult with stakeholders.
Only time will tell, and I certainly hope the extended winterbreak combined with the students’ high vax rate brings them back in person on schedule. I agree that nobody should be paying a boatload for online only; I just don’t know that all colleges aren’t facing the same sorts of choices.
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I just also wanted to quickly chime in — my son just finished his first semester at UP and illness was rampant all semester. Lots of non-COVID bronchitis, mono and the “Penn state plague” compounded the stress on the University Health System as well as the local MedExpress and other UrgentCare facilities. All the families I knew had to ship meds to campus because local pharmacies couldn’t keep up. Now I’m seeing new case counts in Centre County in the dozen-range rather than 100+ So having that breathing room to allow systems to reset is so necessary for our kids to go back eventually.
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I concur with the above post.
My daughter had double pneumonia during fall semester and it was really difficult to get her tested for covid, and also to find treatment for her double pneumonia because the hospital system and all urgent care facilities were so backed up with Covid. I only live 2 hours away so I drove up because she was so sick and we ended up sitting outside the ER in our car because the waiting rooms were full. We waited more than 6 hours to be seen. The doctor said they were at peak capacity with covid cases and non covid cases were having trouble getting seen.
Lots of positive cases in the area can overwhelm Mt Nittany pretty quickly and can make seeking treatment for other illnesses really difficult.
The Nittany Lion Inn has still not reopened because it’s being used as Covid housing for positive students.
I’m hoping that they don’t go online again but with so many people going home for the holiday and the Omicron variant being so prevalent and so much more transmissible, I’m thinking it’s a decent possibility - at least for a while. An increase in transmissibility means more cases and more cases means more people to clog the hospital system. Thankfully, Penn State students have a very high vaccination rate - still, Mount Nittany Medical Center is the only hospital in town and it’s not a big one at that. Easily overwhelmed with the population that arrives on campus.
I also think PSU is not unique in this. Any school that considers the health and safety of it’s staff, students, and surrounding community will need to consider the available medical care in the region and act appropriately.
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What is the TO button?
Test optional button.
You can see an option in the left side of the menu items to change the test option. If that option becomes invisible, you will hear the outcome that night. This has happened to most of us.
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I applied to computer science for EA , havent heard yet . I am anxious and worried
I think you will hear in 2022. Their admission offices are closed