By ALYSON KAUFMAN
ADOBE SPARK: The Changing Plans of College Students Amid COVID-19
Gabby Ong, 20, was walking along Venice Beach in California, on her spring break vacation in March, when she received an email that changed the rest of her college career. Her school, Truman State University, in her home state of Missouri, had decided to extend spring break by one week due to the coronavirus pandemic, and though she did not know at the time, would convert to remote classes for the remainder of her final college semester.
Her fate of whether she would have the opportunity to walk at her graduation ceremony was also uncertain at the time.
“I was shocked because it finally made me realize how big of a deal the coronavirus was if it led to actually cancelling school,” Ong said.
Changing Graduation Plans
Uncertainty, conversion to remote events, and cancellations have swarmed the lives of college students around the world this spring amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools like Kent State, Harvard, and Penn State have decided to hold virtual commencement ceremonies.
But, some colleges, like the University of Maine, University of Oregon, and the University of Miami have cancelled graduation all together. Others like Temple University, Sacred Heart University, and Auburn University have decided to postpone ceremonies, but have yet to decide an official date.
my graduation got cancelled thanks to corona so I had to improvise pic.twitter.com/rc6u4meeSc
— Belal ?? (@eblees) April 18, 2020
Students have also called for partial refunds for housing, meal plans, parking, and tuition, which many schools are doing. Students at New York University have signed petitions calling for partial tuition refunds, while students at Drexel University and the University of Miami have gone as far as suing the institutions.
According to Market Watch, more than 1.3 million college students were expected to graduate this year, and are now being affected by the cancellations brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Ong says she is very upset about not being able to celebrate her senior year properly with her friends, but is focused on completing her online schoolwork as best as she can. She also hopes her graduation will be able to take place in person at some point, so she can get a proper send off.
More than 1,149 colleges and universities in the United States have closed, as of April 2, according to CNBC. These closures have affected more than 14 million college students.
With effects of the coronavirus changing every day, students have been left with constantly changing plans, and playing the waiting game. Many seniors fear that they won’t get the opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments with their families.
Some students have thought of new ways to celebrate their accomplishments from home, holding mini-ceremonies with their families, among other activities. Actor John Krasinski even hosted an online commencement ceremony for the class of 2020, inviting select graduates to join him and other celebrities, including Steven Spielberg and Oprah, via Zoom. The graduation special was the sixth edition of his new weekly online show, “Some Good News,” where Krasinski highlights positive news story submitted to him via social media amid this pandemic.
Though many students have found alternative ways to celebrate their graduations, it’s difficult to replace an in person ceremony.
Besides graduation, college seniors are losing the last few months they have with their friends in a place they have called home for almost four years. Many have internships to complete, clinical hours, volunteer hours, and more. Others are having a hard time adjusting to online courses.
One Senior’s Story
Ong was driving home from her college with her siblings a fews days after returning from vacation after deciding to pick up a few things from her dorm, just in case online courses were extended, when she received the email that Truman would convert all classes online for the rest of the semester. In this email, a decision on what was being done about her May 9 graduation ceremony was not made yet.
“I miss in person classes a lot,” Ong said. “I really enjoyed all of my classes and my professors this semester, and one of the worst things about this is that I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
Ong and her friends from Truman State University
When Ong received word that she would officially not return to campus, she said she was numb, and sort of in shock. She received texts from many of her friends panicking about missing out on senior year celebrations, but it didn’t her the way it hit others.
“They have tentatively moved (graduation) to August 1st. That might change but I’m happy they’re trying to have it in person because it really is an important day for so many people,” Ong said. “Some people’s families travel from so far away just to see them walk across the stage.”
Ong is also concerned about be able to find job opportunities following graduation. She hopes to find a full-time job relating to psychology or social work, then save money for the next year or so for graduate school. But, due to non-essential businesses being closed or working from home, this may be especially difficult.
Ong also has a brother, a senior in high school, who was due to also graduate May 9. He still does not know the fate of his graduation.
A Future Social Worker’s Uncertainty
Grace Turso, 23, is completing her fifth and final year at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, pursuing a master’s degree in social work. Unable to complete her required internship hours, and having to do final assignments from home, she is left shocked and upset that her entire final semester has been turned upside down.
“My internship ended on March 16th and I made the hours that I needed for my degree. I was supposed to be interning until June 2nd but was told to terminate since I completed enough hours.” Though Turso says she is grateful to have completed her hours, she says she’s upset that she didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to her coworkers.
Turso was supposed to graduate with her master’s on May 9. A new graduation date is currently undetermined. “It’s been postponed until further notice when health officials say it’s safe. The school is still holding an online ceremony for people who need their official degree for jobs and graduate school, but they are still going to hold an in person ceremony.”
Though Turso has had a few job interviews over the phone, she is unsure of when, or if, she’ll be able to get a job this summer like she expected following her graduation. This is a problem many of her friends have been facing as well.
Turso has a brother, who was supposed to graduate with his bachelor’s degree from The University of Maine, also May 9. His commencement ceremony has been cancelled.
Learning to Teach Via Video Chat
Kerri Bartnicki, 21, is currently a junior at Montclair State University in New Jersey, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in family sciences and human development, with the intent of becoming an elementary school teacher. Preparing to graduate in the spring of 2021, she has been completing clinical hours and observing classrooms at an elementary school in Newark for the past year. This semester, her goal for one of her courses was to spend a total of 30 hours in a preschool classroom and creating and teaching a lesson plan to those students.
As for actually completing her hours, Bartnicki was left a bit in the dark. “They never told us we weren’t coming back, I had to check the district calendar. I only had 8 hours done but I had to hand them in anyway. Montclair is okay with us not completing the hours since it’s not our fault, but we definitely missed out on the experience of really teaching a class.”
Similarly, to all college students having to face changes with remote coursework, Bartnicki had to learn to teach online as well. “I was supposed to make a lesson plan for the preschool class but now I had to present it to my classmates online, which isn’t the same.”
Portion of Bartnicki’s lesson plan for a local preschool class, which she had to teach to her fellow college classmates instead.
Not only has she lost hands-on experience with teaching children, Bartnicki has found the adjustment to remote learning difficult as well. “Since we have to stay inside alone every day, I don’t feel motivation to do my schoolwork. I also don’t feel like I’m learning as much as I would be in an in person class.”
Montclair State University cancelled in-person classes for the remainder of the semester while students were on their normally scheduled spring break. Bartnicki did not get a chance to say goodbye to her friends for the summer.
Moving Forward
College students around the country have had their worlds’ turned upside down the past few months. With social distancing a priority, students have had to bid farewell to travels, internships, jobs, and graduations. Many are missing out on opportunities they will never have again. This collective experience, brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, is something students never anticipated, but will have to face regardless.
“I’m lucky to have professors that are really understanding and accosting during such a stressful time. It’s tough but I guess it could be a lot worse,” Turso said.
Overall this story was really well put together. Starting from the opening lead when Gabby is on spring break and gets the email about the corona virus and possible long extended time away from school. It’s very relatable to when all of us students received the same news, I can literally put myself into her shoes at the time. I liked the story map and how it showed a wide variety of colleges with their pictures and information telling if they are closing. The story did not only mentioned Gabby but multiple other students and gave the reader a feel of how serious this pandemic is. I like how the photo was included of her as well. I like the closing quote because I do also find that teacher’s are very understandable during this time, and that it is true, things could be worse!