academics, admissions, college planning, college prep

How To Create a Perfect College List from 5 Experts

college list

With any project or goal, you look to the experts to help you reach success and achieve the goal. These five experts know all there is to know about creating the perfect college list.

What’s Critical in a College Admission Checklist

According to Lynn O’Shaughnessy of The College Solution Blog, using  a college admission checklist is critical when your child is applying to colleges and universities.

Allowing  a teenager to apply to any colleges without a solid game plan can be a financial and academic disaster.

There are five college check-list items that you and your child should accomplish before sending out applications.  If you’ve already submitted your applications, you can definitely still do some of these tasks:

  1. Use Net-price calculators
  2. Check the generosity of individual colleges
  3. Apply for financial aid as soon as you can
  4. Consider including a mix of schools
  5. Check academic departments

Read more . . .

What makes a good college fit?

Debbie Schwartz of Road2College.com offers parents advice from multiple college experts and points out with thousands of colleges and universities to choose from, finding the “perfect” school is a seemingly impossible task for any high school student and their parents. 

Many college hopefuls have their eyes set on a particular dream school, while others may feel overwhelmed by endless options varying in size, location, reputation, and expense. 

Applying to and gaining acceptance to colleges is daunting enough, let alone deciding where to attend in the fall. 

So how exactly do you make the right decision?

Keep in mind that the true secret to college success is not necessarily attending the most selective or prestigious university.

It’s finding the right school for you where you can be your best self. And much like with dating or job-hunting, there is no one-size-fits-all college, but instead, a number of potential great picks for every individual student. 

In this article, you can find the answers to these questions:

  • Good Schools: Are They a Thing?
  • What is a College Fit?
  • How Do You Find the Right College?

Read more . . .

Your College List: Researching the Academic Side

Katherine Price of Great College Advice, reminds parents and students that picking the final list can be a daunting task.  One way to narrow things down a bit is to really look into the academic departments at the schools you are interested in.  Since academics is one of the most important aspects of attending college, it is important that students feel connected to the curriculum and the major that they could potentially be studying.

When looking at college academics, consider these topics:

  • Look at the curriculum
  • Go beyond what majors are offered
  • Get to know the faculty
  • Research special programs and events

Read more . . .

How Are You Conducting Your College Search?

Jeannie Borin or College Connections, reminds us that in conducting the college search, it is important to make sure a college list is well balanced with “reach,” “50/50” and “likely” colleges that fit the student’s profile academically and socially. Thorough research is necessary to be sure that students are applying to the right colleges for them. The research will also come in handy when completing applications and when answering essay questions that ask why an applicant wants to attend that college.

Here are some helpful tips that should help in your college search:

  • Examine the campus life
  • Explore academic programs
  • Review college statistics
  • Other factors to consider

Read more . . .

Using Statistics to Find Your College Fit

I always recommend that parents and students take a close look at the college statistics.

You might be surprised to know that in addition to all the factors students use to choose a college, there is one they might overlook: statistics. While location, major, campus appeal, and others are certainly important statistics will help you and your student make a more informed college choice.

Why statistics? Statistics will help you determine some of the key factors involved in choosing a college. With statistics you increase the odds of your student being accepted, receiving more financial aid, and graduating on time. You can also determine the class sizes, the freshman retention rate and the odds of finding a job after graduation.

Numbers aren’t everything, but consider these eight important stats when you and your student are looking at schools:

  1. Rankings (simply as a baseline for comparison)
  2. Financial aid percentages
  3. Acceptance rates
  4. Student-to-professor ratios
  5. Freshman retention rates
  6. Graduation rates
  7. Student indebtedness
  8. Percentage of student who are employed after graduation

Read more . . .

academics, career colleges, careers, parenting

Supporting Your Teen’s Dreams

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dreams

We all have dreams in life, and these often start when we are young. 

When you were at high school, you may have had visions for your future, of the places you wanted to get to, and of the person you wanted to be. Hopefully, your dreams were realized.

So, let’s think about your teen. What are their dreams? What do they want in the future? And what colleges are they considering to achieve their future ideals?

As the parent, you need to be in a supportive role – the person who encourages their dreams, and not the person who crushes them.

In your role, these are some of the things you need to focus on.

Don’t be dismissive of your teen’s choices

Remember that your teen’s dreams may not necessarily equate with your dreams for them. Too many kids end up in colleges and careers they didn’t want, and that is because their parents have pushed them in directions they didn’t want to go. So, don’t be that parent who forces them down a path they are resistant to. If you catch your teen looking at the preflight checklist for pilots on the pages of an aeronautical university website, or if you hear them talking to their friends about colleges for the performing arts, be supportive. Don’t tell your teen that such career choices are pipe dreams, unrealistic, and not for them. Show them you support their choices, and if the colleges they look at really aren’t beyond the realms of reality for them, encourage them to take the right courses at high school that will meet the requirements of the colleges in question.

Encourage them in their education

As we suggested above, help your teen make the right choices when it comes to high school courses, especially if getting grades in these courses will qualify them for admission into the colleges they like. And when they are taking these courses, encourage your teen to work hard. If they need to study for tests, and if they need to write essays, remind your teen of their college goals every time they slacken off. Help your teen with their courses when they are struggling too. Be there when they need your help to study for tests and exams. Be there when they need your advice on a paper they have written. And be there whenever an obstacle arises that could potentially cause them to fail their course. The more help you can give them at high school, the greater the chances of them getting the grades they need for college.

Make their dreams become a reality

You can do this in all kinds of ways, from helping them find the right colleges for them, to helping them fill out their college applications. Take a look at the advice we gave on our site about what you can do to coach your college-bound teen too, as there is much you can do to prepare them for the next stage of their academic life. You can teach them some of the skills they will need at college, for example, and you can help them prepare for the pre-college tests they might need to take during the application process. The more you can do to support your teen, the better, so while you shouldn’t be overbearing within your responsibilities, you should still steer, gently cajole, and encourage your teen to ensure their dreams can come true.

empty nest, move-in day, parenting

Leaving for College

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college

These have certainly been times of upheaval. Students were told to finish the year at home. Parents scrambled to help their teens adjust. Graduations were cancelled and even college plans are uncertain. But that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare for the day when they will leave for college.

It seems like only yesterday you are dropping your child off at their first class, and they are upset about leaving you. But now your child has decided to go off to college and will be leaving you without so much as a wave before long. But this is a wonderful testament to the job you have done as a parent up to now, and it’s hard to forget just how much you have done for them, and How they are so successful already from your support and their hard work. There are a few things you can do to make sure that you have prepared yourself for the big day, and that you don’t end up too upset when it happens. Our children taking the plunge and becoming independent is something special, and something to be proud of. So what can you do to prepare yourself for this transition?

Be proud

Be proud of your child’s achievements. Sharing this with the world and your family and friends is important, and showing your child that you are proud of them will do great things for their confidence. It isn’t always about academic achievements of course, but it does show a certain level of resilience and confidence, as well as a hard-working nature to gain a place in a college. Making sure that you don’t forget the role you have played in getting into this point, and congratulating yourself for the great support you have given your child along the way, is important. So never feel as though you are going too far by showing your pride in your children.

Prepare practicalities

Making sure that all of the practicalities such as student accommodation and the small details are covered when it comes to preparing your child for college, will give you a sense of confidence that everything is taken care of. You can, of course, continue to support your child once they have left for college, and many people do send care packages on a regular basis. But making sure that your child knows where they are going, what they are doing, and they have the support there if they need it, will help you relax and feel much better about the whole situation.

Be there

Being there when your child needs you, or even when they don’t, is all we can do. Sometimes they will act as though they don’t need any support whatsoever, and this may be true for many grown-up children spreading their wings, and if we have done our jobs correctly then they really should be quite independent anyway, but just being ready to take a call, or be there when they need you, it’s going to be the most important job you can do when your child is going off to college. Being there is our number one role once all the basics of parenting are done, we teach them everything we can to a certain age, And then must take a step back to just support when needed. You will find that even the most independent college children will feel as though they have got everything under control, but we can always be there ready to catch them if they fall.

parenting

Parenting College Students

college

If you have a student in college and you are hoping for them to do as well as possible, there are things that you might be able to do to help them along. While you should mostly let them do it on their own, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be encouraging them or offering them just the right amount of help – so long as you don’t get overly involved, that is, and you still let them achieve it by themselves. If you want to help your children pass their college exams, there are a number of things you can do to ensure that they are much more likely to, so let’s look at what those might be.

Stress Busting

One of the main things you can do for them is to show them how to deal with the exam stress. All children get stressed when it comes to exam time, and it is a natural part of the process that they are going to have to find a way to deal with. A little stress is not even too much of a bad thing; it shows how important the situation is, and it has been known to help people work to their fullest degree where necessary. But too much stress is definitely a problem, and you can help them by showing them how to keep stress at bay. Keeping calm, breathing deeply, and getting plenty of sleep are all good ways of doing this.

Getting Help

If you feel that your child really needs it, you might also want to think about getting them some extra education which they can make use of. If your child is falling back in English, for instance, then hiring a private English tutor could be all you need to do to make sure that they are going to get back on track, or even get ahead of their peers. However, it’s not a competition, and the main thing is that you should be trying to help them get to a point where they are confident they will pass their exams. If you can do that, you will find that they will have a much higher chance of success.

Study Skills

When it comes to the actual preparation for the exams, you can help them there too, even if they are living on campus and you are not seeing them in person. If they can learn from you how to properly prepare for exams, then that is going to do them very well, and you will find that they are going to have a much better time of it in general. That is absolutely something that you are going to want to think about if you are particularly keen for them to achieve great things. Good exam preparation is something that can be learned, so make sure that you are helping them wherever necessary in learning it before they have their exams.

academics, admissions, college guidance

High School Juniors and the Pandemic

high school juniors

High school juniors may be wondering how the pandemic will affect their college plans. Your student may be asking: 

  • How is this virus going to affect my future college application? 
  • Are these abridged AP exams going to count? 
  • I worked so hard this year, took a rigorous curriculum, but now how can this pass/fail grading highlight my improved grades? 
  • My prestigious summer program was just canceled—what can I do for the next several months? 
  • With all the seniors currently asking for gap years, will this mean there will be fewer spaces in future years?”

These are all valid concerns. Most of these questions don’t have black/white answers yet and as each day passes, colleges are making decisions that will most likely answer all of your questions. Your student can take comfort, however, knowing that every junior is facing the same challenges and concerns. They aren’t alone in their uncertainty.

We can’t know the future, but we can deal with what we know now. As time progresses, the options will change, but for now, here is some helpful information:

Standardized Testing

The June SAT and SAT Subject Tests have been cancelled. You can click here to see the up-to-date information. As it looks now, they are planning tests for August 29, September 26, October 3, November 7 and December 5. If schools don’t reopen in the fall, the College Board will provide a digital at-home version.

The ACT test that was scheduled for April 4 was cancelled. You can reschedule your test date here for June 13, July 18 or schedule a future test date.

To account for all the disruption, colleges will most likely decrease the weight that standardized test scores carry in the admissions process. That being said, if you are able to achieve a high score despite disruptions, you will have an advantage among other applicants.

For the 2020-21 application cycle, many colleges, including selective ones, may choose to move to test-optional admissions. This means that applicants are not required to submit any standardized test scores. 

You can find a list of schools who are currently going test-optional here. 

Academics

The majority of students are now engaged in online learning. Because of this and the decision by most schools to use pass/fail grading, grades from the second semester of junior year will not count for very much in the admissions process. If your student has an option to take a grade for the current semester, I would advise them to do so. If not, colleges looking to see growth in a student’s profile will focus on grades from the first semester of senior year instead. If your student is applying early, colleges won’t have first semester grades available.

Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities, especially ones offered through schools and the ones that require face to face interaction, have screeched to a halt. Colleges are aware of these challenges. However, students who find ways to remain engaged despite the pandemic will stand out. 

Just because you can’t participate in the normal activities, be creative. Here’s a list of ways you can still volunteer locally:

College Visits

Even though you haven’t had the chance to visit this spring, you can still visit virtually. Connect through social media with current and past students and ask questions about their college experience. You can find them on the college websites, instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Considering all your options

Since the impact of the virus has certainly changed everyone’s outlook on the future and possibly affected your family financially, your student might want to consider some alternatives to the traditional path to college. Talk to your student about taking a gap year and working at an internship or job, going to community college for the first two years and transferring, attending classes online, or even looking at the military as an option.

Other things to consider

Colleges may choose to accept a higher percentage of next year’s applicants early in an effort to lock in more students. Or colleges may also be looking at their list of deferred students and hold spaces open for them in the upcoming class. Financial aid may also be affected because of less alumni contributions with less money to spread around. Colleges will also be feeling the financial impact of the virus and have less money to give as merit aid.

academics, admissions, college planning

Language and Music enhance your Student’s Education

language and music

We all want the best for our children. As soon as we know they’re on their way, we start making purchases to meet all of their needs once they do arrive. We do our utmost to get them into the best schools so that they can have more choice when it comes to what they want to do in terms of career and their future. But there are other things you can do besides securing them a spot in a great school that produces great results. Here are a few things that you can encourage them to do to increase their skills, their abilities and their knowledge. Just make sure not to be pushy. If your child doesn’t enjoy something, don’t force them to do it. Instead, find something else enriching that they’re actually passionate about. This will create the happiest and most rounded child in the long run.

Encourage Them to Learn Another Language

As your student enters school and continues through high school, the best time to learn another language. Generally speaking, children do tend to pick up new languages more easily and quickly. Learning a language encourages an understanding of different ways that grammar can be used. It creates a wider vocabulary. But most importantly, it encourages an appreciation and respect for other cultures, as well as an ability to communicate with others who may not speak the same first language as your child. In the long term, fluency can help them to spread their wings, increasing their job opportunities when they eventually begin to look for work. Many Private Schools will have a wide choice of languages to offer, but smaller schools with more limited funding may have more limited options. Nowadays, learning languages, however, can be easy to do at home online. Language learning apps and software are constantly improving and your kid could genuinely pick up a second language through Rosetta Stone, DuoLingo or Babbel.

Introducing Them to Music

Learning an instrument is a truly impressive skill. It can also provide social opportunities for your child, as they may grow up and have fun joining orchestras, bands or other musical groups. Music comes hand in hand with a host of benefits mentally too! It significantly improves memory, as the mere act of learning how to play an instrument places a high-working memory load on you. They’ll need to remember how different notes sound, where to place their hands on the instrument to create those notes and what order to play the notes in. As well as this, playing an instrument intrinsically encourages improved hand-eye coordination. Your little ones will have to learn how to play without looking at their instrument – instead, reading from music sheets instead.

These are just a couple of different activities you can encourage your students to get involved with to maximize the scope of their education. They’ll greatly benefit from either. If they’re not interested in these options, there are plenty more out there. It might just be a matter of a little trial and error before you find the perfect option for them.

college planning, GPA

The Pass/Fail Grading System and Your Student

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pass/fail grading

Over the course of the last month, as school districts make the choice on whether to give students grades or transition to a pass/fail grading system, parents are concerned that this will certainly have an impact on their student’s high school transcript and GPA.

Some parents, students and local school board members are concerned that ”the new grading system takes away students’ opportunity to show academic progress and will hurt high school juniors’ chances at college admissions, despite public assurances from major colleges and universities.”

No true measure of achievement

“There is a huge correlation between academic achievement and learning,” Allen Weiner, the president of the Sequoia Union High School District school board, said on April 15 after casting one of two dissenting votes as the board majority approved credit/no credit system. “Kids who get better grades have learned, and we should honor that.”

Parents who have seen their students work hard during this semester even with the confines of having to attend class online, feel it’s unfair to give those students a pass/fail grade. Some teachers believe it would be better to institute a case-by-case grading system and reward those students who have excelled with an actual grade.

Parent Susannah Hill said she had a “very strong reaction” when she heard the district could institute a pass/no pass grading system because her son, a junior at M-A, “has worked extraordinarily hard this whole semester” and would like to see that work recognized. She said he’s now even putting in about 11-hour workdays with his distance-learning assignments. She thinks there could be other solutions, such as giving students a quarter grade for the first half of the semester to acknowledge their work up until the March shift to distance learning.

Impact on college admissions

Palo Alto parent Tricia Barr worried that students will be compared to applicants from districts that kept letter grades and that “it could absolutely hurt their prospects in the college admissions process,” she said during the school board’s virtual meeting on April 21.

However, private and public colleges and universities across the country have said that students applying from these districts will not be disadvantaged.

“Certainly, we understand students are primarily taking courses online and often with modified grading scales. Rest assured that we are sensitive to these challenges and realities,” said Richard Shaw, Stanford University’s dean of undergraduate admission and financial aid. “We expect coursework to be completed but will accept whatever grading scale is used by the school.” (Stanford itself has moved to a credit/no credit system for the rest of this school year.)

Parents and students are still wary that colleges will still evaluate a student’s GPA without taking into consideration the current situation. It remains unclear how any parent or student will know exactly how the colleges ultimately handle this situation.

A fair solution

A school board in Spokane, Washington came up with these grading guidelines:

  • Select to receive a pass/fail grade on their high school transcript, for those who don’t want to negatively affect their grade-point average;
  • Opt to receive a letter grade in hopes of improving their GPA;
  • Request a credit waiver from the school principal (for students with a failing grade and those who do not need certain credits to graduate or provide competency-based model to receive a pass grade).

In some cases, teachers will use their professional judgment in assessing competence in a given subject.

So far, these seem to be the best solution. This puts the decision in the hands of the student and gives them control of their own GPA.

There is much at stake as colleges and universities weigh a prospective student’s academic progress. There is hope that colleges will adjust their current guidelines and take into account how students have been forced to study online during their spring semester.

college health, student health

Your Student May Face These Common Health Issues in College

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health issues

You might think that it’s going to be easy to stay healthy in college. However, it’s possible that this won’t be the case. There are a lot of health problems that college students will commonly face throughout their time in higher education. It’s important to be aware of these problems and guarantee that they do not negatively impact your college career. 

Headaches 

You might find that you struggle with headaches in college. Believe it or not, this is quite common and there are numerous reasons why this might be the case. First, it’s important that you don’t rule out that these might be tension headaches brought on by stress. Tension headaches can usually be felt on the sides of the head. Some people claim that they feel like there is an elastic band tightening around your head. We’ll talk about stress a little further down but adding some time to relax and unwind into your busy college schedule is often not a bad idea at all. 

Headaches may also be caused by eyestrain. This will be the case if you are finding it difficult to read the board or even read your notes. You may also have this issue if you are spending too long staring at a computer screen and that’s often a major part of college. It’s common for everything to be typed up, even the notes in a lecture. If you think that you are suffering from eye strain, then it might be worth visiting an optician to see if you have a problem with low vision. You could be short or long-sighted. 

Something to watch out for is sudden severe headaches that you aren’t used to and which makes it difficult to concentrate or even function. On rare occasions this may be a sign of something more serious and it does need to be checked out. 

Stress

As mentioned, it’s possible that the headaches that you are experiencing are a sign of stress. But stress can have numerous impacts on your body. It can leave you with chronic pain as your body manifests stress into something it can tackle head-on. It can cause you to feel emotionally and physically drained long before the end of the day. It might also cause you to feel completely overwhelmed and unable to complete your college tasks. 

Stress is why it’s important to ensure that your time at college isn’t just all work and no play. Essentially, you do need to make sure that you have a healthy balance. You need to work to guarantee that you are not becoming overladen with issues and that can be a problem if you are not careful. You might even want to speak to a therapist on a regular basis. Some people assume that therapy is only for those with serious mental health issues. However, that’s just not true. Therapy can be beneficial for everyone and ensure that you are mental health is being taken care of.

Depression 

When considering the issue of mental health, it’s important that you don’t overlook the problem of depression. Depression is far more common than most people realize in college. It’s possible that you develop depression because you feel as though you are not able to stay on top of the heavy workload. Alternatively, you might find that depression creeps in because you are struggling to keep up with what can be a heavy workload. 

For instance, hell week often causes students to break down. If you don’t know hell week is often a planned part of the college schedule. It is one or two weeks that include numerous exams and essay dates all clustered together. Survive it and you pass through one of the most difficult parts of the college year. Unfortunately, a lot of people do end up dropping out during this time. 

To understand depression you need to be aware of the common signs. Depression is described as a deep sadness that lasts for an extended period. This could be several days, weeks or months. You may find that you struggle to find the energy or motivation to do anything. Even getting out of bed or getting something to eat can be difficult when you are in a deep state of depression. 

Insomnia 

Alternatively, you may find that you are struggling to get a good night of sleep. It’s possible that you are constantly up through the night unable to get the rest that you desperately require to function effectively in your college classes. If that’s the case, then it’s important that you don’t take this lightly. You should instead make sure that you are looking for the root cause of this issue. Again, it’s possible that this is going to be stressful. A lot of people will have trouble sleeping if they are overwhelmed by thoughts swirling around their heads.

Alternatively, you might find that insomnia has been caused by your schedule being thrown off course. During the time of the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of people are struggling to get a good night of sleep. Experts have suggested this is due to the fact that people are not following their typical schedule. This is why it’s important to make sure that you do have a schedule in college and stick to it as much as possible. That schedule should guarantee that you are staying quite active throughout the day. In doing so, you can guarantee that you do not find yourself filled with energy by the time your head hits the pillow. 

Weight Gain 

Finally, it’s quite common for your diet to take a hit when you enter college. Suddenly, you find yourself living on fast food or ready meals that are easy to prepare. If you do this, you could notice negative changes to your mental and physical health. Yes, a poor diet has been linked to everything from weight gain to depression. That’s why you need to make sure that you are getting a balanced diet and ensuring that you are getting the vitamins you need. If you are struggling here, natural supplements could be the answer. 


admissions, gap year

Colleges Contemplating Not Reopening in the Fall–What does that Mean?

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COLLEGES NOT REOPENING

Many of you are in this college limbo. Your student was accepted to college in the fall, you’ve accepted the offer, and now there’s talk of colleges not opening campus to students. The concern is that if one college does it, they will all follow suit–just as they did in March with the closings.

We are already seeing rumblings and articles in the news about colleges not reopening in the fall. Here are just a few:

Boston University Is First To Announce It May Postpone Opening Its Campus Until January 2021

Boston University appears to be the first American college or university to announce that it may not resume live classes until January 2021. If public health officials deem it unsafe for students to congregate, the campus could remain closed until the start of next year.

Richard Ekman, president of the non-profit Council of Independent Colleges, says that some of the 659 colleges in his group have begun quietly to consider whether they too will have to postpone campus openings. Some are discussing start date delays of a month. Others are looking at more extended closures. “They’re all waiting to get better health information,” he says.

Already, universities are planning for a fall without students on campus — just in case

“We’ve got to be prepared for 100 percent online and virtual and 100 percent on campus and everything in between,” said University of Massachusetts president Martin Meehan. The UMass system lost more than $100 million this school year due to COVID-19 and the refunding of student room and board fees.

Will Universities, Colleges, and Law Schools Campuses Reopen in Fall 2020?

Universities and law schools aren’t ready to make a decision because the pandemic is so fluid and there is so much uncertainty, nor do they have to yet. But the question is being discussed on a daily basis, and we have spent a good deal of time speaking with college presidents, provosts, and deans and trying our best to get the most recent and trust-worthy epidemiological modeling and medical community input.

Even if campuses reopen this fall, colleges worry many students won’t return

“This crisis is causing massive disruption to students, institutional operations and institutional finances. On some campuses, it is creating an existential threat, potentially resulting in closures,” Ted Mitchell, the group’s president, wrote in a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

Even colleges with deep reserves are expecting a painful financial blow from the pandemic. Brown University was among the first to announce a hiring freeze, citing “dramatic reductions in revenue.” Yale University followed on March 31, asking departments to update budgets in preparation of a “significant loss” in revenue.

‘We’re on the edge of the precipice’: How the pandemic could shatter college dreams

Early national surveys ocof high school seniors are showing those who initially were bound for four-year colleges changing their first-choice schools for something less expensive. Some of those surveyed say they are thinking of giving up on going to college in the fall entirely.

The financial stress for families was cited. About 63 percent of students said they would still enroll in college but were worried about whether they could attend the school of their choice, while 17 percent said their plans have changed, according to the education consultants Art and Science Group.

Students with changed plans said in the survey that they would take a gap year, enroll part time at a four-year institution, go to community college, work full time or enroll in a certificate program. Some still didn’t know what their plans would be. Other surveys have also found similar conclusions.

Already, universities are planning for a fall without students on campus — just in case

Colleges and universities in Massachusetts and across the country have begun planning for what was once an unthinkable scenario but now may be a real possibility: a fall semester without students on campus.

University officials said they are trying to figure out how to re-open safely, how much public health testing is needed for students and staff to be on campus even if there’s no coronavirus cure, whether large lecture classes should be held, how many staff to employ, whether to augment their online capabilities, even what to charge students for online classes.

What will your student decide to do? Will they decide to take a gap year? Will they choose to enroll close to home and save money while living at home? Will they enroll and be satisfied with taking classes online?

Hopefully, colleges will know more by July and be able to make a concrete decision. It’s certainly uncertain times we live in and it’s especially affecting college students and their families.

study abroad, Uncategorized

How Has the Global Pandemic Impacted Study Abroad?

global pandemic

Students of all ages around the world are currently facing a truly peculiar bump in the academic road. At what seems to be the pinnacle of the global COVID-19 pandemic, academic institutions are making large changes to their curriculums. Whether it be by moving to an online-administered program, cancelling events or classes, or shutting down entirely; students across the globe are coping with the changes of their school’s transitions during the pandemic. 

Study abroaders of all ages are facing the ramifications as well. What does the pandemic exactly mean for study abroad students? In the past month here between in Italy and Spain, I’ve witnessed students being sent, both willingly and unwillingly, back to their home countries, students being sent to other countries to carry out the remainder of their study abroad where the virus has not yet reached, and students who choose to stay in these countries despite the situation. I myself identify as an international student and professional abroad, studying and working in Italy and Spain. I chose to stay, in spite of the pandemic. It is my hope to share with students and parents alike the effect that COVID-19 is currently transmitting onto the study abroad community, from here in Southern Europe. 

To begin, we must remember that study abroad programs in both high school and college vary in style, teaching methods, topics, location, etc. Different students are facing extensively different situations as a result of the virus. 

Institutions and programs with study abroad and/or international students in attendance are adapting massively diverse approaches as to continuing the education and safety of these students in particular. In Italy and Spain, study abroaders are generally being given the option as to whether or not they want to return home or stay in these countries. Schools and universities have been closed entirely for safety measures, and most (including my own!) have moved to providing online lectures and activities for their students. 

While boarders have closed in several countries, nationals of these countries (including the USA) are able to return home from their study abroad programs if required/chosen. 

This means that study abroad students are indeed able to reenter their home country, regardless of the closed boarders. Self-quarantine, aka Staying home, is generally requested or required at this time when returning home from abroad. Some European countries are taking precautions such as providing quarantine institutions to groups of nationals who have returned from abroad, for a span of 14 days before they are reintegrated into their family homes. Ultimately, what this means is that study abroaders are indeed able to return home at this point, if they so choose or are required to do so. 

For those of us students who have chosen to stay in Europe during this period, life is continuing as normally as possible. 

Instead of leaving the house and going to school, we set up at our desks at home with a laptop, ready for class. Instead of having a coffee all together after the lecture, we step out onto the balcony to see if any neighbors are in sight for a well-distanced chat. Perhaps the most difficult reality we face during this time is that the experience we study abroaders had envisioned is not going to be entirely brought to life at this time. 

With that said, the community of international students and professionals is always unified, even more so in times of crisis. I’ve seen internet campaigns of support, tutors and teachers offering free language classes online so that we may continue to practice despite the consequences, and new forums for questions and concerns so that the international community may help each other. It’s not only extremely helpful, but also very uplifting. 

Finally, we keep spirits high by knowing that study abroad can and will continue as usual once the pandemic has passed. 

As the world changes, we must adapt with it. Study abroad professionals and academic leaders on this side of the ocean have already worked incredibly hard and quickly to make sure that students are safe, well-informed, and able to continue their education to the best of their ability. There are still, and will be, more opportunities to study abroad both in here in Southern Europe and beyond as we move forward in time. 

For high school students who are looking to join us this summer with Abbey Road Programs, here’s some cool news:

scholarship

Social Media Ambassador Scholarships are Abbey Road’s most popular Student Ambassador award. Designed to promote study abroad and cross-cultural awareness through student stories and images, scholarship recipients are asked to share their summer experiences with their peers by posting pictures, videos and blogs on their social media accounts. Outstanding contributors are profiled and their work is showcased on the Abbey Road website. We award 3-5 Social Media Ambassador Scholarships per summer program.

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Today’s guest post is by Shannon O’Brien, European Coordinator at Abbey Road Programs.  

Shannon is an American expat whose career in Europe began with a study abroad experience in Spain when she was in high school. She is still active in the study abroad community in Italy and Spain, and works as European Coordinator for Abbey Road Programs, assisting other students in pursuing international educations. 




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