We just got a short survey from Amherst, giving us a little more details on each option for the fall (return to campus, staying online, requesting a leave of absence) and asking us which we “intend” to do and how certain we are of that “decision”. The language of the survey made it very much sound like they have decided to reopen in fall, and they are trying to gauge how many students plan to pursue each option. A few new clarifications on each option provided by the college:
Additional safety measures such as "reconfigured food preparation and delivery" and "additional health center staffing and support".
Students will need to consent to "frequent COVID-19 testing".
Students who choose to not take a leave of absence will be "allowed and encouraged" to take three courses instead of four per semester due to the learning challenges brought on by COVID-19, and the required number of course credits required to graduate for students attending Amherst during the 2020-2021 school year will be reduced from 32 to 30.
There will be a January term, but it will be online and entirely optional. In the January term, one class could be completed over the course of three-and-a-half weeks.
"Residence hall assignments" and "the dining experience" and "the availability of extracurricular activities, including athletics" would be "modified" to comply with public health guidelines.
"Adjustments to these limitations and modifications may increase or decrease throughout the term, depending on how the public health situation evolves."
Students who opted to stay home and continue remote learning "would have access to a full range of courses."
"The College will provide expanded virtual social activities and events so" students who opted to stay home "can maintain extracurricular and co-curricular connection with their classmates."
Students who take a leave of absence would have a "guarantee" of being able "to return to their studies in the future, though possibly with limitations on then-current enrollments."
@ChemAM helpful. Thanks. I don’t get the three course thing and they’d better lower tuition if that’s something they want kids to do. I don’t care if they decrease the requirements for graduation. Full tuition would still mean paying more per course with three courses. People should push back on that.
It seems like “allowed and encouraged” would not mean required to do so, for those who would otherwise feel as if they have to take 4. If students are more comfortable with 3 under the circumstances, then that’s okay too.
@sylvan8798 but who would take three courses when you’re paying for four? It just makes those three more expensive. Now, if they want to take 25% off of the tuition and then say that kids only need to take three classes that semester to graduate, that’s a different story.
Why would they discount tuition? They’re already doing kids a favor and lightening their load for the year and completely changing their own rules for it. If you’re more worried about the price per course vs the price for the overall degree I think that’s a bit much- you can take four if you want to. Just don’t then complain it’s too hard. My D’s school didn’t charge her more when she took five classes in the fall- tuition is fixed, not by credit. Isn’t it that way at many private schools?
I don’t know, but some people certainly see it differently. At our school, full-time students can register for from 12 to 19 credits in a semester for the same tuition. Most students don’t take 19. The average is 15-16. Some students are not academically prepared to handle that many. Some just want to do the least amount possible to get a degree.
Many colleges have flat rate tuition for full time students whether they take the minimum full time course load or the maximum number of courses or credits per term allowed at the college. For Amherst specifically, it looks like normal policy is for students to take a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 4.5 courses per semester, but numbers of courses outside that range can be taken with permission. But many colleges allow larger ranges of courses or credits, often 12 credits (usually 3 4-credit courses) to 20 credits (usually 5 4-credit courses) per term. Obviously, taking lighter loads per term would mean taking more terms to graduate.
Obviously, if you wanted to get the most academic education for your money, you would take as many courses or credits per term as you can handle the workload for. But that may not be every student’s priority.
I went to Northwestern. We always took four classes. At Bowdoin, it’s always four classes. Why would anyone want to take fewer classes for the same amount of money? You are getting less.
We pay about $7,000 per class. Why would we want to pay $9,500 per class? Would you buy anything for the same price when you get less? It doesn’t really matter if you aren’t full pay either. Would anyone pay $4,000 per class for three classes instead of $3,000 per class for four?
It’s pretty tone deaf for any school to tell kids to take fewer classes for the same tuition payment. Especially now. We are all about the value over here. That is not good value.
Students at these colleges who want to get the most out of their tuition may want to take 5 instead of 4 courses per term if they can handle the workload.
update from U Richmond. Looks like they are allowing doubles in housing to remain. Said they have determined that those rooms have enough square footage to allow two students to live in them. I thought that was interesting.
The popular “start at the regular time and leave campus before Thanksgiving break” was chosen by Richmond as well. And it sounds like a lot of classes will be in person. They are expanding the times when classes will meet into the evenings and Saturdays to allow for classes to take advantage of the spaces they have where students can social distance.
But it seems that students are “allowed and encouraged” to take three classes, not prohibited from taking more.
Though it’s true that a student is getting less for the money in terms of number of lectures/direct instruction, three courses does allow time for motivated students to dig deeper into course material if they choose. Some people might welcome that opportunity.
Maybe the money per class could be argued if they were requiring it, but it seems they’re just allowing students to do what they could already do- and not be penalized by having to make it up somewhere. My D is considering taking 3 fall classes depending on how the rest of the planning at her school shakes out, and they’re not even changing their grad requirements. She just made up for it by taking 5 previously.
Though it’s true that a student is getting less for the money in terms of number of lectures/direct instruction, three courses does allow time for motivated students to dig deeper into course material if they choose. Some people might welcome that opportunity.
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dig in more? I don’t really know what that means. I hope most kids are giving each class their all no matter how many classes they are taking.
Went to several colleges including one that allowed one to take extra classes at no cost. Very few students did. ( Ivy league). The colleges and universities know what the normal student can do, there are always outliers. Very few kids consider " value" Many have parents who aren’t paying full cost and others can’t handle additional courses. I think having a choice at an odd time works fine. No one is forcing the student’s hand. Take what you like within these parameters.
@Happytimes2001 fair enough. But Amherst is “encouraging” it. I’m not sure why. Maybe it helps them spread kids out more if there are fewer kids in each class.
