College trips and coronavirus

[Anonymous]

I’ve been thinking about this for a few days, but this evening’s news has me Ning it might be okay to start a thread. Are any parents adjusting plans to travel for college tours and open houses because of what the CDC said today? What about summer study abroad programs?

[Anonymous]

No worries at all about college visits

Don’t worry, if all hell breaks lose, they will cancel

[Anonymous]

Not too worried about US college tours yet but would be concerned about study abroad.

[Anonymous]

I’m probably one of the few people on these boards who actually operates a ventilator and occasionally pulls someone off the ventilator knowing they will die in short order. I deal with deadly respiratory illness every week, in other words.

With that out of the way, I don’t understand why anyone would cancel a college tour or study trip, unless said trip was in a country that is/is likely to pull draconian, open ended quarantine measures on its entire population.

What are you imagining will happen as you wander the quad of Grinnell?

[Anonymous]

Nope. We have traveled all over the US the last 2 weekends in January and Presidents Day weekend in February. Didn't give Corona Virus a thought. More concerned about DD, a junior, getting an appropriate list of schools to apply to, that she likes!

[Anonymous]

The CDC says to prepare for possible school shut downs. The colleges don’t want to see this spread in dorms, so if there’s a hint of a problem, they’ll probably cancel large events with visitors.

[Anonymous]

So, there is nothing you can or should do in advance. It will or it won't impact the schools you are visiting. Live your life.

[Anonymous]

Don't worry about it at all.

[Anonymous]

Just attended an event at UMASS Amhurst. They emailed us just before the event to say that there is no evidence of Corona virus on campus.

[Anonymous]

We have reservations at schools for spring break but are waiting to buy airplane tickets. Will decide 2-3 weeks out.

[Anonymous]

I work at a university: study abroad trip enrollments are already being affected and trips are cancelling--immediately affected are those are in Asia and Italy--but we're also seeing much less interest and concern about any international travel. It's not that everyone is terrified of illness, it's that they are concerned about losing money, getting evacuated or quarantined, or just generally hassled and stressed. For an optional not so time-dependent decision on travel they are opting not to. Since you commit to these summer abroad trips now, people are leery.

In general in the university, we also are seeing more reminders about preparations to hold course sessions on-line if need be, info on social distancing being shared, reviews of cleaning in university life done a bit more intensively, emergency preparedness reviews. All of these things are regular policies, so it's not like people are panicking. It's more that they are at the stage of "are we sure we're doing everything we're supposed to be doing to be adequately prepared?" It's a good thing. A college is like a small city filled with primarily 18-21 year olds who live in close proximity, have relatively little life experience, and think they are infallible. And there's far more international travel between international students, study abroad experiences, faculty travel for research and conferences etc. than in most populations of 20k or so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The CDC says to prepare for possible school shut downs. The colleges don’t want to see this spread in dorms, so if there’s a hint of a problem, they’ll probably cancel large events with visitors.

This.

[Anonymous]

POTUS said the US is "very ready" for an outbreak. Good enough for me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just attended an event at UMASS Amhurst. They emailed us just before the event to say that there is no evidence of Corona virus on campus.

My kid was there last week and is pretty sick right now. He caught something, but had fun at bball game and said he had a few great meals in Amherst!