Current HS seniors deferring college for a year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What would they do in a gap year? Surely not travel around the world....

I think the reason to do a gap year is if you want your kids (and they want it too) to have a 4 year typical college experience. So, you're sort of saying that you really value the typical 4 year college experience and it's worth it to hold off potentially starting online to have it.

Unless the school will not grant you the deferral and hold the spot.

Yes, of course. I just meant that what they may or may not be doing during that gap year may not be important as they are willing to potentially not have a very fulfilling gap year for the goal of having a typical 4 year college experience.

[Anonymous]

Those of you seeking the "normal" college experience for your kid should understand that whatever schools come up with for the fall will be NORMAL for this cohort of students.

So, if your kid tries to avoid any COVID fallout, they will be experiencing what was normal for YOU, not their own peers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those of you seeking the "normal" college experience for your kid should understand that whatever schools come up with for the fall will be NORMAL for this cohort of students.

So, if your kid tries to avoid any COVID fallout, they will be experiencing what was normal for YOU, not their own peers.

It will be interesting how quick after the May 1 deadline the colleges announce their plans, once the commitment is made and seniors no longer have choices.
Personally I hope they don't decide too quickly so there's still hope of late summer orientations and a fall start if things go the right direction in the next month or two.

[Anonymous]

Schools are not going to be handing out deferrals like they used to.

kids going to community college are going to have to reapply as transfer students.

your best bet is to stick with what you have and they will be just fine.

[Anonymous]

Originally we were inclined to suggest that our kid defer his top 20 school to which we are full-pay, or instead accept a merit offer at any number of those ranked 20-50. After some more thought, we are encouraging him to go.

Nobody knows what will happen. Chances are, he will have some sort of hybrid experience in the fall.
He as an internship that he could continue through 2021, but I still think he will end up depressed and lonely by November. If kids can't go back to school, they also probably won't be hanging out.
Deferring is kinda a crappy thing to do to the class of 2021.
Deferring sends a message that we will handle things for him and make them as perfect for him as we can - something we have tried not to do for the past 18 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those of you seeking the "normal" college experience for your kid should understand that whatever schools come up with for the fall will be NORMAL for this cohort of students.

So, if your kid tries to avoid any COVID fallout, they will be experiencing what was normal for YOU, not their own peers.

It will be interesting how quick after the May 1 deadline the colleges announce their plans, once the commitment is made and seniors no longer have choices.
Personally I hope they don't decide too quickly so there's still hope of late summer orientations and a fall start if things go the right direction in the next month or two.

My dd’s college always does orientation right before classes start. Freshmen move in on Thursday and hav orientation activities through Sunday, everybody else moves in on Sunday, classes start Monday. Maybe colleges that do it throughout the summer should adopt that model.

[Anonymous]

Sounds good to me. Set them up to get in there and started for fall. It’s way too early to decide to forgo it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I envision large lectures given on line and smaller classes and sectionals being in person.

Except, I am concerned that hallway style dorms won't meet safety needs, and it isn't clear what schools will do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Originally we were inclined to suggest that our kid defer his top 20 school to which we are full-pay, or instead accept a merit offer at any number of those ranked 20-50. After some more thought, we are encouraging him to go.

Nobody knows what will happen. Chances are, he will have some sort of hybrid experience in the fall.
He as an internship that he could continue through 2021, but I still think he will end up depressed and lonely by November. If kids can't go back to school, they also probably won't be hanging out.
Deferring is kinda a crappy thing to do to the class of 2021.
Deferring sends a message that we will handle things for him and make them as perfect for him as we can - something we have tried not to do for the past 18 years.

I agree. The best thing that parents of seniors can do right now is to stand beside them and help them face the actual disappoinment from COVID. As much as we want to pay them what they are losing from their cancelled summer jobs and not subject them to the possibility of the annoyance of online college for a semester, that is the opposite of what they need. As much as this all sucks, each generation is shaped by an event like this. If these kids can learn that sometimes you need to go without, to adapt, and to be flexible for the greater good, they may be the greatest one yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I envision large lectures given on line and smaller classes and sectionals being in person.

Except, I am concerned that hallway style dorms won't meet safety needs, and it isn't clear what schools will do.

At my kids' college, the 400 kids left on campus are currently in hallway style dorms, albeit 1 per room. I don't know whether they are filling every room or every other room. As far as I am aware, it's working fine. 1 per room won't work for fall, but the hallway style doesn't seem to be an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those of you seeking the "normal" college experience for your kid should understand that whatever schools come up with for the fall will be NORMAL for this cohort of students.

So, if your kid tries to avoid any COVID fallout, they will be experiencing what was normal for YOU, not their own peers.

Yes, but it doesn't have to be necessarily if they decide to, and can, defer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There most likely won’t be online classes in the fall.

I think it is more likely to have online classes than regular classes; unless you are suggesting no classes til later, like a late fall term or January.

The curve is flattening, the death rate is dropping and will be close to zero per day by mid to late May.

Students will be at their colleges this fall.

Chicago will peak in mid May.

[Anonymous]

Ultimately, what is the least-worst option, staying at home and doing ____ or staying at home and taking classes online? The answer for different people will differ, but students should fill in that blank first, lest they end up playing computer games for a year. Employment and travel seem unlikely if the situation is still such that college campuses are not open.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There most likely won’t be online classes in the fall.

I think it is more likely to have online classes than regular classes; unless you are suggesting no classes til later, like a late fall term or January.

The curve is flattening, the death rate is dropping and will be close to zero per day by mid to late May.

Students will be at their colleges this fall.

Chicago will peak in mid May.

You do realize that after the peak, states will open up non-essential businesses (some without having peaked!), cases will rise again within a month, hospitals will get overwhelmed, things will shut back down and so it goes until they have found an effective treatment or we get herd immunity. As many scientists and some government officials, like Merkel, have stated, we are just at the beginning of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There most likely won’t be online classes in the fall.

I think it is more likely to have online classes than regular classes; unless you are suggesting no classes til later, like a late fall term or January.

The curve is flattening, the death rate is dropping and will be close to zero per day by mid to late May.
Students will be at their colleges this fall.

Chicago will peak in mid May.

You do realize that after the peak, states will open up non-essential businesses (some without having peaked!), cases will rise again within a month, hospitals will get overwhelmed, things will shut back down and so it goes until they have found an effective treatment or we get herd immunity. As many scientists and some government officials, like Merkel, have stated, we are just at the beginning of this.

Outside of NY (and maybe Louisiana?), nowhere did hospitals get overwhelmed (if anything, they are woefully underwhelmed and in danger of closing in some places). Due to the shutdown of course; the goal would be to find the sweet spot of distancing where life can continue for the non-vulnerable but hospitals not be overwhelmed. The Navy hospital ship is leaving or has already left NYC because it wasn't being used.

Not sure what the state governments have planned, but it would make sense to me to use the numbers from the first shutdown as a guide for # cases leading to # hospitalizations with regard to system capacity and when, if at all, there needs to be more shutdown. Certainly there is difficulty with the data and allowing some cushion of extra capacity to be careful, but there seems to be a lot of confusion (in other threads) over the goal of not overwhelming capacity vs preventing any-and-all infection.