The more students who take gap years, the more staff who will be laid off to cover the budget shortfall.
IF a college has a gap? I wasn’t aware there were any that didn’t lose money. I don’t think the possible solutions contain “or.” At our campus it’s “and.” What remains to be seen is not “if” all of those things will happen, but how extensive the cuts will be.
Not necessarily too late if the target college has a late application deadline or is open admission (like a community college). Since people here seem to be suggesting that online college is no more valuable than community college, perhaps some of the students in question will choose to go to community college instead of the high end residential colleges that they are enrolled in or have matriculated to, if those colleges are unable to provide the high end residential college experience.
And it won’t be the professors. That’s not even an option.
Everyone comes to this with a different perspective. My D attended South Carolina and we live here. If freshmen need to do some courses on-line I can’t see how it will ruin their college experience or be worth less. There were online Gen Eds when I was there. During the time my D was an UG lots of her friends at Clemson took their freshman math online (lectures several days, small SI sections once a week). I can see how it would be good to get all those 100 person lectures online and free up the space for smaller classes to be able to spread out.
In terms of dorms, very few upperclassmen live on campus - they are already off campus in dorms with I suspect individual rooms. Many dorms on campus were built when upperclassmen did live on campus and are apartment style. Looks like from letter from UofSC president, they are trying to expand number of single dorm rooms. In past years with a larger freshman class, the university has used hotels for dorms - that may be part of the thinking - don’t know this, just guessing. I’ve actually heard that a large number of OOS students are still in town since they have apartment.
Now maybe for someone attending small LAC online classes are a make or break issue, but for lots of kids it isn’t. College is 4 years. If kids are on campus/in town, then even if some courses online, they still have in-person experiences with professors, advisors, etc.
My other D went to small LAC. A large percentage of rooms were singles already. Classes were all very small - nothing over 25 students that I recall. They have very little room to spread out but they also didn’t have classes in the evening so could spread out the timing. Different type of school, different options.
Again, each school will have different solutions. Here’s hoping they are successful.
BTW - tired of hearing about Denmark and elementary schools. Maybe if kids go to very small, nice school they can replicate their model. My oldest D teaches 25 kids in a portable - it would take 3 shifts to have enough space to have them safely separated. 78 kids on a school bus. Interested to see what publics schools come up with here.
@austinmshauri right sorry. Of course all schools lost money since the virus. What I meant is that it will affect colleges in different ways. Bowdoin still saying they are prioritizing keeping faculty and staff on the payroll. They are still finishing two of the three construction projects on campus to be completed by fall. I’m sure they will share what will need to change once things are more clear about if school can be on campus.
They did mention that, without knowing how the virus will affect the college long term, it could affect being need blind or maybe their commitment to being a “no loan” school.
Replying to @circuitrider on Wesleyan’s decision making process:
I’m a junior at Wesleyan and I can say that while I did not enjoy online classes (which ended yesterday) and I don’t think that anyone felt fulfilled by the experience, I am extremely grateful to my professors who all worked so hard to maintain lively and engaging discussions and who have been more supportive, undertanding, and comforting than I could have hoped for.
For this reason and because I’ve already taken a semester off from college when I transferred (applied ED1 to Wesleyan, got rejected, ended up at Hamilton freshman year, did not want to go back, took fall off, started at Wes in January 2019), I’m not planning on taking a leave should classes be online in the fall. The only way I could see myself changing my mind is in the event that more than 50% of my friends take a leave, in which case I would also consider taking a leave so I can graduate with the people whom I’ve grown to love.
I can totally understand hating online classes and not wanting to pay 30-35k for Zoom University and I don’t fault anyone for doing/considering this. But I will also say that I hated taking a leave. I had a lot of FOMO, was intensely lonely, and the disruption from my “missing semester” is one that I can feel to this day since I am still graduating in May 2021 and did not (want to) push back graduation to fall 2021. For some students and families a leave will be the best choice right now, but for others I can see it being potentially worse than continuing online. Of course, there is no perfect solution and everyone is just trying to figure it out.
Not surprised about NESCAC sports. I’m a student athlete, and I wasn’t really expecting to be practicing and competing in the fall even if I’m on campus. Intercollegiate athletics seem like an excellent opportunity for spread. Also, how do you socially distance at practice? With the exception of XC, staying 6 feet apart seems impossible for a lot of sports.
On sanitation: I don’t see professors wiping down chairs and desks before/after classes, nor do I want them to do that for students. If colleges are able to get wipe dispensers like they have in gyms, I think students can do that for themselves and I think most would be willing and responsible about it.
My friend is a college teacher and teaches several sections of her class in a row in same room. She said she would absolutely spray Lysol on chairs and desks between classes. Not saying that should be part of job description. D is 3rd grade teacher. During flu season and when this was starting up, she would wipe down tables/desks several times a day.
Like the idea of wipe dispensers so students could wipe down their own space. Before stuff was closing down I had advised younger D to take wipes to coffee shop/libraries where she was studying.
Lots of schools still accepting transfers, see the nacac list.
https://www.nacacnet.org/news–publications/Research/CollegeOpenings/
There are also schools not on the nacac list still accepting transfers. Some accepted transfers have until end of June to deposit, so think there will be movement all summer.
Schools are also allowed to recruit transfers this year. So for example, say they accepted a student last year as an incoming frosh and they decided to go elsewhere.
Now, they can send an email saying something like 'if you didn’t like your first year, we will honor your acceptance and FA package from last year. Or…we are going to have classes in person, enroll now!"
I think any student should be able to take a gap year.
I also believe any student that takes a gap year should be unenrolled, and required to reapply to the institution with the next incoming class. Admission should not be guaranteed.
@GKUnion that’s not a gap year though. That’s not enrolling anywhere and starting from scratch.
Students receiving financial aid eho take a gap year do need to reapply for that, based on the subsequent year’s income tax return. That might discourage some.
@homerdog It may not be the current definition of a gap year, but in my opinion, this should be the new normal for gap years.
After being admitted to a school you are welcome to take a year off. The institution is also welcome to replace you. It should cut both ways.
@GKUnion there is a difference between a gap year and a gap year deferral. Schools are already (and have always been) free too not accept deferrals, and interested students either accept that and don’t gap, or they wait to apply till during their gap year. Obviously schools don’t feel taken advantage of here on a regular basis, or they wouldn’t allow them- they actually have all the power here already. The only power my daughter had was to pull her apps from the schools that wouldn’t allow her to defer.
Well, @GKUnion, schools that accept you are the ones who get to make that decision (not us). And they typically tell students, “sure, we are willing to let you defer your admission for one year.”
Separately, schools allowing extra numbers of gap years this year will not be hurt financially. They will not allow more gap years than they think they can fill from their waitlists. They have always announced to the media that they have so many talented candidates, they can easily fill spaces with the next tier of students without sacrificing quality. This year could be the test of that. But they will make sure that they fill the number of spots they want to fill, whether from original accepted students or their waitlist. So an unusual number of gap year kids will NOT result in cuts to faculty or staff or any other costs—they will merely replace those kids with waitlist kids (who will be dripping in gratitude to be accepted to their dream school, so they will not mind online classes or socially distanced, sub-par experiences).
Schools could greatly increase their morale by allowing extra gap years. The kids who are permitted to gap will be grateful and love their school for allowing it. Those allowed in from the waitlist will be absolutely delighted. The only sad people will be a few kids who do not get in the following year because the gap year kids are returning and taking up extra spots, but those kids will never hit campus with their frowny faces to ruin morale.
Here’s the thing. I love all kids—the 2020s and the 2021s and beyond. This is not personal since my kiddos are stuck going to school next year no matter what (so we are personally praying for the best possible on campus experience possible!!). But if i was advising a 2020 kid, I’d say they should seriously consider a gap year, because i have no doubt with some gumption and creativity, they can create a fabulous year, and then when they are on campus in 2021, things are bound be to extremely closer to normal. A gap year gives you a chance to take a breath, focus on things that matter to you, relax, learn more about your career interests, pursue once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to learn skills (who among us adults wouldn’t love a year without responsibilities to learn some cool stuff?), help others, appreciate the world, etc. And all of this can happen while earning money (so it’s available to even low income kiddos), or paying minimal costs (or paying massive costs, if that’s what you are into). Why not?
***Note, top schools won’t be hurt because they will pull from their waitlists. The next tier who lose kids to top schools won’t be hurt because THEY will then pull from their waitlists…this is all part of summer melt that happens every year but could be greater this year. However, of course, the very very bottom desirable schools could ultimately lose kids.
I think that as a result of the pandemic’s disruption to the normal college experience, a spotlight is really being shone on what you are paying $70,000 plus a year for. My kid, like many others on CC, could have gone elsewhere to college for Zero cost but those other opportunities are now gone because she’s no longer an incoming freshman. So the suggestions some have made that we either have to accept only a portion of what we are paying for or else withdraw and hope to get reaccepted in a future year is absolutely not acceptable to me. I think colleges are going to have to allow kids to take a gap year if they want them.
Will colleges allow anybody who wants a gap year to take one? Maybe…but If not…there are 2 choices: accept what they are offering …or transfer. Being angry, upset etc is a perfectly normal emotion, but it will not make things go back to the way they were. We need a vaccine or good treatment for that. How will things look a year from now if there is no treatment? I have no idea, tbh. We will have to listen to the scientists and follow what they advise us to do in order to open up safely (social distancing, masks, disposable utensils etc). We obviously can’t stay closed forever, but we have to be smart about it. With that smartness…will come changes.
Unless you are a commuter or online student who is not engaged in activities at your school, things will not be back to normal in the near future. There will be a new normal, and we have to decide what we are willing to pay for.
My D graduated, so I consider her to be fortunate. That being said, her gap position is not what she expected…but she’s lucky to have a job. Her grad school visits …for when she eventually returns…are now online open houses…etc. Is this the best way to pick a program? She’s not complaining…she’s dealing with it well and is optimistic that things will be ok…or at least the “new ok.”
Yes, it stinks. Nobody signed up for this. Anger is normal. Feeling upset is normal. Not wanting to pay $70,000…or $25.0000…$15,000…for a different/lesser experience that we didn’t ask for…is also normal.
Families will have to decide what is best for them . Many are frustrated because they did their best to save for this moment, and it’s upsetting that the “product” that they scrimped and saved for…is not available right now. I get it. But whining (sorry) will not help the situation. Coming up with a reasonable plan…will.
Not being in control is not easy.
This may not necessarily be true. If your kid is potentially interested, they should contact admissions at schools where they were previously accepted, and see if in fact they will honor last(?) year’s acceptance and scholarship/FA.
There have been multiple reports on CC of schools doing this, in an unsolicited manner as prior to covid-19, NACAC rules changed allowing schools to ‘recruit’ transfers. And where did they start? With kids they had previously accepted.
^^^^^ colleges are hurting now. They all need students. Call the schools of choice and you might be surprised. Rules are changing due to need. Don’t Assume!
Things are going to become more active, IMO, because schools haven’t really announced what their fall format will be.
Once they announce their format, there will be gap year requests from incoming frosh, and leave requests from soph/jr/sr. Depending on those numbers, schools may open up admissions again, especially for transfers. For the freshman class, most of the schools will have waitlists to tap. Should be interesting to see how this all shakes out.