Here’s how I personally would look at those one by one:
“Is it ok if one wanted to work instead of do online school?”
Yes, do something to help. Go and get a job as an essential worker. Volunteer to make masks. Go work on a farm (that’s what my D’s roommate is doing this summer, and this is not someone that has ever done anything to do with farming in the past).
“Or be able to play their 4 years of the sport they were recruited for?”
No, sorry. What’s that got to do with me as an employer (assuming the job I’m hiring you for is nothing to do with this sport)? I’d want you to be able to move on, just like I would if you got seriously injured. If you are obsessed with your sport, I’d worry that the job I’m hiring for is just a paycheck to you (remember I’m talking about the sorts of jobs that many students at expensive LACs aspire to, which are considered to be about more than just a paycheck).
“What if a student’s parents refused to pay for online school…will you penalize or look down on a person for that?”
Depends. If the parents have suffered reduced income then I assume you’ll be going out to get a job to help out the family and that’s fine. If the parents rent a condo for you to hang out with your friends and have fun, then sorry but no.
And to the last point about time off. Yes some students take longer than 4 years to graduate. But if someone completes their degree in 4 years then I’m going to look more favorably on them than those who took 6 years, unless there is a good reason for that (typically financial or health related). Just the same as employers look skeptically at resume gaps and want to understand what happened.
@GMgiant The Boston Globe article/Dr. Fauci’s testimony really doesn’t say anything that’s not already known. Just that it is unlikely a vaccine or super-effective treatment will be available by that time.
I’m pretty convinced that whatever colleges do in the fall, you will see the same thing in spring. If you take only fall semester off, you might as well take the spring off too as things will probably not be much different, unfortunately. I’m going to manage my D20’s expectations that this virus is not going to just blow over in a few months but that she needs to be prepared that the whole 2020/2021 academic year is going to be a “shxt show”.
I will say that she mentioned last night that she has lost a lot of motivation for her HS classes this semester now that everything is online. I know some of it is senioritis but I do worry about an online college experience in the fall would take a toll on her (and other students) passion for learning. She has worked very hard up until this point and I would hate for her to lose that drive and determination in college.
@GMgiant The MSN article quoted Fauci out of context. He didn’t say a return to schools would be “a bridge too far”, he said expecting an effective treatment or vaccine by then to HELP with a return to school would be a bridge too far.
@Twoin18 That is all so judge-y. I can’t even. You do not even know our kids or their friends. I would put them against anyone for being good, kind, unselfish people.
I’m not judging anyone who wants to go back to online class. If that’s their choice, it doesn’t affect me and I can totally see reasons why that’s the best choice for many kids. I don’t know why the opposite decision seems to get people in a tizzy. Is it because it’s a real option for some kids to take a break and for some it’s not? Well, that is true and we are thankful and well aware that it’s a privilege to be in that position.
Yep. Here is a good lesson in taking out of context…made a headline on drudge report. Drudge report feeding the flames with misinformation…'No School in the Fall"…
How would an employer even know that part of a candidate’s background? Is that something that will commonly be asked in an interview? Will they ask because there is 5 years between hs graduation and college graduation on their resume? Is that something they look for? And do they automatically see that as a bad thing? There could be hundreds of reasons why someone took 5 years to graduate vs 4. I’m many years out of college, but I find it surprising that this could be viewed negatively by an employer.
The last question of the hearing asked Dr Fauci to clarify his opinions on school openings. He clarified he did not mean schools can only reopen if there is a vaccine. He believes schools can open with robust testing in place and dependent on the infection situation in the region. And of course precautions in place.
In my daughter’s case, she chose her school specifically for its project based curriculum and experiential opportunities. I’m not a wealthy dude but we don’t qualify for need based aid and even after scholarships the price is very high. My calculation is that the college will not be able to replicate online the factors that led her to choose that school. I work with high risk families and my daughter volunteers at times and could do so in a larger capacity next year if she postpones college. I guess it is possible some potential future employers may feel that this reflects poorly on her resilience but as a woman in engineering I’m sure it wouldn’t hinder her job prospects too much. Every student and family have reasons for the choices they make regarding next year and I would hope are putting a great deal of thought into it. I don’t think we should assume that some weakness or character flaw is guiding their decision.
Agree. Headline is WRONG. He didn’t say that. He said a vaccine or treatment to be ready by fall is a bridge too far. What he said was this:
Fauci then qualified, that what is at issue is “not treating if a student gets ill, but how to make a student feel safe going back to school.” Fauci continued: “If when he a vaccine, that would be the end. But even at the top speed we’re going, we don’t see a vaccine playing in the ability of individuals to get back to school this term.” What they really want is to know if they are safe. And that’s the question that I have to do with what we do with testing. He then handed off to Admiral Brett Giroir, who is the Coronavirus Testing Czar, and revealed an expected 20 to 30 million tests in place by September.
-He said TESTING would be a big part of the decision for kids to go back to school.
Unless you are getting transcripts as part of the interview process, you won’t know how long someone took to graduate college. Many college career centers tell students to not put dates of attendance on resumes, just “X College BA-econ”
I have hired 100s of people both directly out of school and experienced professionals, and have never asked for a transcript (nor did HR).
I got my Bachelors degree at 28. I don’t recall anyone asking why it took so long. Of course, they could read that from my resume. Probably the Summa Cum Laude didn’t hurt.
Given the current state of the nation and the rising sentiments, the virus may very well not be the only thing we’ll have to worry about this fall.
I know in Europe many colleges are still online right now, but K-12 is slowly going back. Not every parent is sending, but more and more it seems are. We are not hearing of major outbreaks from this. I think in the fall they will have their universities back with social distancing guidelines, but I asked my coworkers in Europe and they said that most colleges are not residential there, so that plays a role.
Bottom line, if companies/hiring decision makers are judging students on how long it took them to graduate that is really too bad.
Most students who take longer than 4 years to graduate do so because of financial reasons…so sending in a >4 year transcript is just another hurdle for low income students and/or those dealt a bad hand in the birth lottery.
I wonder how many students haven’t received an interview but for having a transcript that shows it took more than 4 years to graduate?
A decent percentage of employers ask on the job application the dates of attendance, major, and degree earned (if applicable) for any colleges your attended. These may be verified later in the hiring process, though not necessarily needing full transcripts.
