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How COVID-19 is affecting colleges and boarding schools

March 17th, 2020

Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is causing major disruptions in the education world. In addition to significant health-related concerns, students and parents are also feeling effects that relate directly to their ongoing education, not to mention college and boarding school planning.

Sophomore Sadia Demby moves her belongings through Harvard Yard on March 12. Photo via CNN

Colleges and universities across the US have canceled in-person classes, turning to virtual instruction instead; some have chosen to shut down altogether for the remainder of the semester. Many boarding schools are following suit. And with that, campus visit opportunities are being cancelled or postponed as well.

Policies may even change from day to day at this precarious time. The National Association for Admission Counseling (NACAC) has quickly developed a tool to help students and parents stay abreast of changes, found here: https://www.nacacnet.org/college-admission-status-coronavirus.

For seniors who can no longer make final visits ahead of determining a college enrollment choice, we encourage you to take these steps:

  • Research academic and extracurricular opportunities carefully, deeply, on college websites
  • Utilize social media to find current students to connect with, and to see what current students are talking about
  • Talk with other contacts who’ve had firsthand experience with the colleges under final consideration
  • If online events for accepted students are held, plan to participate

Many boarding schools have also canceled revisit programs for accepted students ahead of the April 10 commitment date.  Our advice to these families is similar:

  • Research academic and extracurricular opportunities carefully, deeply, on school websites
  • Utilize social media to find current students and parents to connect with, and to see what current students and parents are talking about
  • Talk with other contacts who’ve had firsthand experience with the schools under final consideration
    • If none, ask admission offices if they can provide contacts
  • If online events for accepted students are held, plan to participate

Families with younger students still in the school or college search pipeline have the luxury of time, and we can hope that this virus will indeed be contained if sufficient precautions are taken.  Ideally, next fall we will see everything back to normal. 

Luckily we live in an age where there is an immense amount of information available online and we wish everyone continued good health.  This is a time for altruism, when we must not only look out for ourselves but for others, too.

If you are looking for more information about how college students are being affected by institutions’ response to coronavirus, please read this great article from Harmeet Kaur at CNN.

If you’re a college student affected by coronavirus or the parent of one, here’s what you need to know

(CNN)For some students in the US, school’s already out for the summer — sort of.

A growing number of colleges and universities around the country are canceling in-person classes and asking students to leave campus as a precaution to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Some, like Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Berea College, have asked students to vacate campus for the rest of the semester. Others, like the University of Washington and The Ohio State University, are moving their classes online for a few weeks while they continue to monitor the situation.

Read more at CNN>>