Coronavirus: affecting the class of 2021

The pandemic has impacted the college search

Coronavirus: affecting the class of 2021

Grace Walz, Student Writer

Coronavirus has affected the college search for many 12th grade students as they are struggling to navigate a pandemic along with big life decisions.  The process of choosing a college is already difficult so throwing in COVID-19 has made it even more challenging. Previous to new changes, students could easily pick colleges, take a tour, sit in on a class, and get a feel for the campus. This is no longer the case.

The Class of 2021 students from Totino-Grace High School provided insight on how their search is overwhelmingly different than they thought it’d be as they navigate the application process with Coronavirus. One huge issue is that many campuses only allow virtual tours or a very limited show of the campus. One student who was unable to tour said, “Not being able to see what campus looks like in person makes it really hard for me to decide,” along with how they “don’t know enough about the colleges that I want to apply to.” This has created a “not knowing what to expect” phenomenon. 

Not only has the lack of campus tours had a huge impact, but the idea of going completely online is also creating a sense of discomfort. If the college is going to be fully online, many students felt it would be pointless to pay the large sum of money and that it would be a “dealbreaker.” Many also felt they’d be missing out on the “full college experience,” as being on campus is the whole point. Some, however, had different views on if they’d be going online. They feel that attending the college, even if it’s remotely, would still be important to them as they would hope to “like the school for its academics.”

Though factors like lack of touring and the idea of being online have affected the college search, Coronavirus has gone as far as changing the thought of going to college in general for students. Although the majority of students would still like to attend college if possible, some have had thoughts of completely ruling out the idea while COVID-19 is still around. 

Some students have thoughts of  “potentially going to a community college or taking a gap year instead, ” while others have thought of becoming  “a ski bum for a year.” Not only has the physical idea of going to college been affected, but the emotional idea has also changed. Some think it will be a much more “intimidating experience because it will be harder to meet people and feel comfortable in a new setting.” Other students think the idea of going to college seems “less important,” because there are so many other things going on in the world. 

While COVID-19 has made things difficult, it has also given appreciation to many students. They are okay with the process even though it is something students never thought they would have to deal with.