Choosing a college has always been a momentous decision for high school students. However, the Coronavirus pandemic has magnified the importance of this decision, making it even more necessary for students to be mindful about how and where they choose to attend college. For many, COVID-19 has eliminated the option of having multiple “high-touch” personal encounters with universities. COVID-19 has eviscerated the options of visiting campus, in person interviews, meeting administrators, sitting in on class, meeting students, staying overnight, and second looks. In light of this reality, students will inevitably need to get more creative in how they approach the process of choosing which college to attend. Additionally, considerations which may have previously been on the periphery now be placed at the forefront of students’ minds.
What are some things students might examine more intently when picking their alma mater during COVID-19? First, students will want to consider how each particular college handled the pandemic initially and how the college is currently handling it. This is an important indication of how students can expect a college to continue to respond to uncertainty in the coming months or coming years. Health, safety, communication, and student accommodations are important aspects of a school’s crisis response.
Second, the school’s transition to the virtual learning environment in response to the pandemic is highly relevant. Students may want to request to sit in on a popular class over Zoom to get a feel for how professors and students are interacting over the platform. Discussing different types of classes with faculty and students who are currently attending the university may also provide an idea of how proactive and engaging a university has been in moving to online learning. Taking a virtual tour of the school can give the student an idea of how well the school has adapted to going virtual. Further, many college attendees will post opinions on Facebook and Twitter publicly, which could be a valuable resource for finding unfiltered information about a particular school’s response to the pandemic.
Third, students and their families may want to examine how well a particular institution is likely to withstand the economic hardships of the pandemic. This is especially true where students are paying significant tuition for online learning experiences in lieu of in-person instruction. Prospective college students and their families may find that research regarding whether a school will be in a position to provide viable financial aid packages could be crucial to the decision-making process.
Lastly, the pandemic has caused students to consider the location of college more carefully. Typically, students would weigh personal preferences, academic and non-academic interests, research opportunities, extra-curricular activities, and community service opportunities in choosing location. At present, other factors such as prevalence of COVID-19, length from home, proximity to support networks, and access to healthcare and local authorities may take precedence. Additionally, costs of the location balanced with the number of courses the student may or may not be attending virtually could sway students to choose more economically friendly areas. In this case, schools in suburban or rural areas may be favored over schools in highly populated urban areas. On the other hand, students may make decisions to move towards an urban area for more enriching options outside of the school environment given the dampening of social life and community on many campuses this year.