Do you think our graduating seniors will have a normal college experience?

[Anonymous]

Much more worried about the college seniors then the high school ones.

[Anonymous]

I think it's hard to know. It's just complete chaos right now and frankly Trump is driving the country off an economic cliff in addition to breaking institutions and potentially higher ed. What this means over the course of students education right now is hard to say. How much of this sticks? That said, the uncertainty alone will drive changes in what a college experience will be like over the next few years vs previous norms. But much of the infrastructure of how colleges operate is potentially going to be torn apart. Particularly, our public institutions. We enter a deep recession and money for our public institutions may get further constrained. Add in cuts to medicare and the need for states to have to shore that up, plus NIH cuts, and other funding - our large universities will take a hit, regardless of the state. Though presumably some will be relatively better off than others. Some schools like Michigan are pretty much privates (though get a lot of federal research funding). Schools like Alabama per their junior senator, may get hit especially hard.

For the student experience, will a student study a subject that usually requires graduate school if those opportunities dry up? With classes get larger with fewer professors and graduate students to teach? Will it be harder to graduation on time because required classes are harder to get?

A lot of questions

[Anonymous]

Get a grip.

[Anonymous]

I have a college junior who has already experienced difficulty prior to this recent change with getting a summer internship. Had no problem last year. He has a research grant this summer that is somehow not impacted. and he is concerned about getting a job next summer.

[Anonymous]

My older kids careers are being affected. Research grants frozen and summer internship opportunities being canceled each day due to uncertainty caused by the new administration. I am trying to steer my current hs senior away from science because of the destruction caused by musk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a grip.

People are smarter than this here. So you will have to try much harder to gaslight what these amoral as*h*oles are doing. We see you and them. GFY

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've probably spent too much time on the politics board and need to shake it off, but there is a lot of doomsday talk involving college. I don't think people talk like that in the real world, but I don't want to bring it up and look nuts. My DC applied to all their schools in what feels like a different time. Now, I'm wondering how much impact the political climate will really have on our kids. Are you keeping them close to home or having them go to the less expensive school? Are you sticking with private schools or larger, state schools? Do you think what's going on will actually affect our kids who worked so hard to start college this fall? Does it always feel a little nervewracking or is this year worse?

Do I just need to stay off the politics board?

Kid will go to college in Boston this fall. Think things will be OK in a blue state. We'll see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As long as they're not hoping to engage in research while in college, should be fine.

What does this mean? Why not research?

My god, wake up and see what is happening. I have a kid in college right now. All science research internships this summer have been canceled. ALL. Ongoing research projects have halted. This is at a private college. The same is true at our state schools. Graduate programs are announcing drastic cuts to the number of students they will accept for stem programs next year.

+1 People have their head in the sand. I have one in college and one graduating. Jobs are scarce, too.

[Anonymous]

I am a very bright person, but sometimes I am on DCUM and wonder what in the world is wrong with me, because I cannot understand what people are talking about. I mean, isn't heading to college right now one of the best things to be doing in this climate? A heck of a lot better than being out in the real world. My son is about to graduate, no job, and no prospects (I know, nothing to do with the current turmoil--school was hard and he was focused on improving at school instead of job searching). I'd give anything for this kid to hvae another year to just hang on until the world hopefully settles down a bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's hard to know. It's just complete chaos right now and frankly Trump is driving the country off an economic cliff in addition to breaking institutions and potentially higher ed. What this means over the course of students education right now is hard to say. How much of this sticks? That said, the uncertainty alone will drive changes in what a college experience will be like over the next few years vs previous norms. But much of the infrastructure of how colleges operate is potentially going to be torn apart. Particularly, our public institutions. We enter a deep recession and money for our public institutions may get further constrained. Add in cuts to medicare and the need for states to have to shore that up, plus NIH cuts, and other funding - our large universities will take a hit, regardless of the state. Though presumably some will be relatively better off than others. Some schools like Michigan are pretty much privates (though get a lot of federal research funding). Schools like Alabama per their junior senator, may get hit especially hard.

For the student experience, will a student study a subject that usually requires graduate school if those opportunities dry up? With classes get larger with fewer professors and graduate students to teach? Will it be harder to graduation on time because required classes are harder to get?

A lot of questions

It's funny that you bring up Michigan b/c it's one of my DC's top choices right now. I *think* the school has a better buffer than some other state schools. But, I also wonder if DC wouldn't be better off at Miami or another school that tends to be apolitical. Almost all of DC's choices are in swing states, so nothing very blue or very red. The EA applications went in before the election when the world looked a little different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a grip.

Do you have a kid currently in college? Because I do, and it is BAD. It's not just STEM fields, by the way. It's also affecting IR, Political Science, Econ, Communications, Public Health, Ag Studies, and Government majors, for example. There is also a ripple effect -- I have a friend who lives in a smaller city and her DS just less than a year out of college with a finance degree got laid off from his fed job at their local military installation, which is one of the largest employers in their community. Sure, there may be other jobs available in the private sector, but that is just making the market all the more competitive for those folks. He's in a Catch 22, because he has no savings to move, but there are not many jobs where he lives, so not sure what he'll do.

This is just adding additional anxiety on top of the anxiety that was already there due to disruptions in tech from AI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As long as they're not hoping to engage in research while in college, should be fine.

Schools are going to over rotate on the humanities – history, English, philosophy and government — because that’s just where we are as a people. We need graduates with those skills to get us through the next few decades.

Software engineers and coders are not going to help get us out of this mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a HS junior DD and with everything going on these days, I want her to stay closer to home (no more than 6 hrs away) and definitely no deep red States.

Would you be OK with her at UNC, but not UGA? I'm just picking those two b/c of the driving time. Would Penn State or Michigan be OK (north, but purple)?

UNC or Penn State would be ok with me. GA and Michigan are too far from me (MD). None of these are deep red, although GA might be turning more red these days.

How does the political situation make it more dangerous for her to be farther from home?

[Anonymous]

Just heard them on WTOP talking about how Trump is apparently tweeting about arresting and or deporting protesters on campuses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just heard them on WTOP talking about how Trump is apparently tweeting about arresting and or deporting protesters on campuses.

That's what kicked off the post on the politics board.