Here are the top questions I’ve been asked just this week: I got off the waitlist but: Why should I pay $73,000 to attend a brand name college that might be online this fall? My sport may be canceled: Should I defer? Will my college even exist after the pandemic ends? All of my extracurricular activities were canceled: Will my college application suffer (ok, that’s not the exact word the student used). My grades are Pass/Fail: Will a college be okay with that?
While no one has a crystal ball, there are some trends—both long- and short-term— that you should be aware of:
Many college budgets were in bad shape before the crisis hit. There will be even more bankruptcies, mergers, acquisitions and shifts in priorities (going fully online, offering more certificates/credentials/job skills based learning modalities).
Hybrid or Flexible scheduling (already exists for adult learners eg. Boise State or NAU) and as Austria recently instituted (read NY Times article), can be ramped up for schools.
Cal State went mostly online this week and CCA says no to fall sports.
Colleges review holistically and will not penalize students for adjustments made by their high school. Watch this 90-second video addressing top concerns in the college admissions process for the Class of 2021.
Certainly, many of the adjustments made by the higher education industry because of this pandemic will be painful. May the learning landscape emerge from this crisis healthier and more economically sustainable for all stakeholders…
