NY Times: As Students Put Off College, Anxious Universities Tap Wait Lists

Geez, imagine getting waitlisted at a highly competitive school that is your dream school, then getting the unlikely call that you've been offered a seat in the class of 2024. Even with the possibility of a semester of remote learning, I'm guessing a lot of kids will jump at the chance.

Wonder if sju's incoming class will be smaller , or even larger as a result.
 
Good question Beast... probably going to be many last minute decisions (Like LJ !!).. for every family in tough financial situation now - it could be stay closer to home, or perhaps can't afford at all. Others who can, may want out of NY.

article also noted how international, full pay students will be down, I was wondering what % of St. John's that is?...I'd imagine pretty low.
 
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[quote="Beast of the East" post=386459]Geez, imagine getting waitlisted at a highly competitive school that is your dream school, then getting the unlikely call that you've been offered a seat in the class of 2024. Even with the possibility of a semester of remote learning, I'm guessing a lot of kids will jump at the chance.

Wonder if sju's incoming class will be smaller , or even larger as a result.[/quote]

My daughter went through the process, more schools then usual have gone to their wait list candidates. A lot of schools moved the commitment date from May 1, the ones that haven't are starting to contact us that they could still committ. College admissions are in a tough spot this year, why would people pay big money with the possibility of remote learning for the fall semester. My daughters school will let us know July 1 about the fall semester.
Also, many kids weren't able to visit schools the last few months making their choices that more difficult. Thankfully we were able to visit my daughters final two choices in February and she was able to make her choice before this all went down,
 
[quote="RedStormNC" post=386467]Good question Beast... probably going to be many last minute decisions (Like LJ !!).. for every family in tough financial situation now - it could be stay closer to home, or perhaps can't afford at all. Others who can, may want out of NY.

article also noted how international, full pay students will be down, I was wondering what % of St. John's that is?...I'd imagine pretty low.[/quote]

Schools and the students from an average financial background are in tough shape. Do you want to stay close to home because of the virus, remember there will be a second wave ? States that award financial aid to families below a certain income level will have to cut back in a major way as they will lack the financial resources for quite a while. Are you prepared to pay so much for a university education when there will be less jobs available ? Are you prepared to pay so much for a university education if a portion of your education will be online ? Do you want the full college experience of Saturday afternoon football games and basketball games on the late fall and winter, well they may be played before empty stadiums ?

Seems to me the beneficiaries of this pandemic will be community colleges, local 4 year schools and the kids who come from affluent families who can pay to get their kid into perhaps a higher ranking private school than they would have gotten into had there been no pandemic.

Remember the article recently posted about how Rutgers was loosing two hundred million dollars in the last quarter and their coaches were having to take a salary reduction. Those types of loses cannot be sustained for long without serious changes being made.
 
I also believe that, if the pandemic continues for quite awhile or if it comes back after the nation is "opened up", many students and athletes will think twice about going far away from home for college. I think more and more kids will stay local or at least be in a school that is a reasonable car ride from home.
 
My son chose to go to Appalachian State which is just under a 2 hour car ride. He is finishing his first year, loves the school and misses his friends while at home. Mom & Dad are especially happy that we don't even have to think about long car rides or planes assuming they go back in August. We got a note from the school yesterday that the current plan/hope is they will resume on-campus classes in the fall but with lots of changes including testing for all students. We'll see. They generate a lot of money from their football team.
 
[quote="NCJohnnie" post=386503]My son chose to go to Appalachian State which is just under a 2 hour car ride. He is finishing his first year, loves the school and misses his friends while at home. Mom & Dad are especially happy that we don't even have to think about long car rides or planes assuming they go back in August. We got a note from the school yesterday that the current plan/hope is they will resume on-campus classes in the fall but with lots of changes including testing for all students. We'll see. They generate a lot of money from their football team.[/quote]

I hope I'm wrong but I just don't see college football games being played in September with a full complement of fans in the stands.
 
The impact of the virus affects schools on many fronts.

With stock markets taking a big hit, donations are certain to be down, especially major gifts.

While kids (and their parents) hell bent on going away to their school of choice may stay the course, for top students, there are opportunities to maybe even get off a wait list and attend a dream school.

One of the most exciting weeks filled with trepidation are those first weeks on campus when you meet your roommate that you've chatted with on social media all summer, fall in with a small (sometimes temporary sometimes permanent) mob of kids you met at orientation, and begin your college journey with a new set of potential lifelong friends to make the journey with.

Parents who saved diligently for their kids education in growth stocks or funds may find themselves 25% short of their goals, furloughed or without a job, or seen their own business crushed by the virus.

Living in a dorm usually means at the very best, you get a horrible case of a foot infection from showers, to catching a flu bug from a roommate, or even having everyone on your dorm floor sick. At worst, fears of catching a lethal virus in conditions that usually are far from antiseptic may cause some families to wisely think twice.

This may be a time for kids to simply work for a year or two to figure out what they want to do. That is, if there were any jobs available.

My suggestion to universities is to offer a flex tuition plan. Should the fall semester be remote studies, refund 30% of tuition to students and full credit on room and board. Should move in be during the semester and a switch to in person classes, prorate that amount. Schools can offer all sorts of financial incentives that protect students from paying in person tuition and in stead receiving internet coursework.
 
I knew there had to be some special reason my nephew cleared UCLA waitlist last week. Not going but he cleared.
 
I sure hope that St. John's will invest in a testing program to screen all students and staff for the Fall semester and reserve one or two floors of dormitory space in case students become infected and need to be quarantined. It is time for the university to invest in a robust clinic to care for students. The cost of a couple of nurse practitioners and an office manager will pay for itself in instilling confidence in parents and students. Making this known to prospective students will be the assurance that they need to attend the school.
Does anyone here know if this President is planning on doing anything in this critical area of student support?
 
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