Yes, I guess in the back of my mind I just thought that they would send everyone home at Thanksgiving (like many of the other schools are doing) and that the students would study remotely from home in December for the rest of the semester. However, I know every school’s plan is a little different, so we’ll go with the flow.
@privatebanker, You are right regarding needing to stay calm and collected.
I do belive that “This, too, shall pass.” We don’t know when, but eventually I feel that it will.
In the meantime, I haven’t been doing too well regarding the stress eating part! However, I have been good about remaining positive for my family and trying to call out the positive aspects of the situation whenever possible (more family time, has forced us to slow down/rest more, etc.) I have tried, at least most nights, to get out for a short walk down the block to breathe in some fresh air.
Hope that everyone stays safe and healthy.
My stress levels rise and fall according to the headlines in the paper and the reported numbers in my area. I read several papers to get different perspectives and I used to read the most salient articles. Now I just scan the headlines and read a very select few articles. Still some days it’s all so depressing, and not just the Covid news. Mostly I feel sad for the disruption this is causing my kids.
My older 2 college students found that coming home for Thanksgiving made them feel homesick… it was hard for them to return to campus when holidays decorations are up and home felt so cozy.
You are always the calming voice of reason! Thank you…very well said.
Agree. I doubt we are going to have a normal Thanksgiving anyway, this year. I’m just hoping for a close to normal January, at this point. I’ve pretty much written off 2020 and am happy to stay at Phase 2 and wear masks everywhere.
It’s good that we all have each other here to share how we are feeling.
I agree. I think it is going to be much more isolating for many of the freshman this year. My kids are at different schools, but they all had great freshman orientation and social programs/outings that lasted for about a week prior to the start of their first semesters. By the time actual classes began, my kids had already established many great friendships.
I feel sorry for my sophomore who will be working remotely from home, but I feel even worse for the freshman, even those who have been invited onto their campus for the fall.
Yeah, but this is different. Tell your kid to get on facebook into the student groups!
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@shuttlebus Did you attend the Williams town hall tonight? My concerns about isolation for first years were not allayed. The pods seem like an okay concept for sophs, jrs, and srs, but being in a pod with strangers, plus closing the communal dorm spaces and having most classes online and remote dining in the dorm make a gap year (even one stuck at home) more appealing.
A general question, most of us no matter which side we fall on , assume schools that are having kids back either in dorms or off campus will have outbreaks , hopefully the schools can handle them, but it seems a foregone conclusion schools will send kids home? I do not see that , I see schools not be able to afford to send kids home for a 2 semester in a row and survive ( a very large majority could not afford it) why do some many feel dorms may close, I see kids staying on campus and all classes going from hybrid to full remote by everyone in their dorms. This way the schools do not hear the cries for reduced tuition and they do not refund R&B. I know a few schools said no r&b refunds but the majority have said if they send kids home they would refund. Am I missing something, unless the state decided on a 2 lockdown I see dorms staying open.
I think if kids stay in the college bubble, they are probably going to be less exposed than at home. (Once they’ve been initially and repeatedly tested).
I like the testing frequently I’m seeing in all these announcements.
The testing is a good addition but at the end of the day it’s simply outbreak management. A certain portion of the students will be in lockdown at any given time. Will the college have personnel to take care of those students? Bring them food, medicine, make sure their breathing and blood oxygen levels are ok? We are entrusting our children’s health to the universities and I’m not confident they’re up to the task. I also agree with @gotham_mom … the picture painted by most of these schools isn’t very appealing. I think kids don’t realize how isolating their life at school may be.
I’d love my daughter to take a gap year but she studies abroad and it would affect her visa assuming her school would even permit her to take a leave of absence.
@NJdad07090 My son’s school has said that dorms will not close next year so they will not be issuing refunds. If conditions require them to go fully remote, students will still be allowed to stay on the dorms to do the classes there. If a student chooses to leave and go home, that’s fine but you won’t get a refund.
@suzyQ7 Not every school is creating a bubble. That seems to be mostly LACs where most kids live on campus. There will be no bubble at large publics.
Students who do not yet have a good understanding of self-care and medication management might be safer staying home.
Which colleges are saying they intend to monitor students breathing and blood oxygen levels or that they’ll provide them with medications? I’ve read that some will deliver food to quarantined students but I don’t remember seeing services like these mentioned.
It appears Claremont McKenna has cancelled basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, and water polo but will still have cross country, golf, swimming & diving, and tennis. At least that is what students athletes are hearing.
We are still waiting for specifics from Pomona. Other than the early 8/24 start, return home 11/24 and finish last two weeks at home, and that students will be restricted to eating in their home schools dining halls, haven’t heard much. They originally said a decision by end of June or early July at the latest, but just communicated today that decision will be in next two weeks.
Harvey Mudd did announce that other 5C students would not be able to attend HMC classes is person. It no longer seem like the 5 schools are necessarily making a joint decision.
Agreed, if students feel unwell, whether in isolation or not, they should present to college health services for treatment or transfer to the hospital
Interesting to see how UChicago is addressing social distancing in classrooms and dining halls. A friend’s child attends.
@austinmshauri
I haven’t seen any colleges saying they’ll monitor the kids so that’s my question: how do they get medication they may need if they’re quarantined. They may have the basics like Tylenol but if they need anything else? Usually friends are around to bring something needed, Gatorade, water, saltines, whatever you have when you’re not feeling well, but if you’re in quarantine they’re not allowed to visit I’d imagine. The kids are confined to their room for 14 days.
These are just my thoughts because my daughter’s school in the U.K. isn’t doing any testing as of yet and they don’t really have a true student health center. The kids are pretty much on their own except for food. My concern is how do you the student know when you’re sick enough to require a trip to the hospital?
I’ve read many articles about people who end up in the hospital with low oxygen levels but they didn’t realize they were low until they arrived at the hospital. Just a concern as this virus seems unpredictable.