Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It hopefully will be safer for the Jewish students.

Doubt it

To get this level of power, the power that be had to go to bed with white supremacists.

This bogeyman group simply does not exist anymore apart from history books. But it’s a good rallying cry because as you’re very aware, the worst thing you can say about someone today is to call them racist. And once that label has been hurled at them, they are now on defense.
It’s a clever strategy, honestly, but also it’s strong evidence that this “white supremacy” thing—in the way you weapons the label against groups of people you just don’t agree with—isn’t an actual threat to anyone. Unlike in 1960 Jim Crow South, “White supremacists” have zero power in 2025. They are an -*actual* modern-day “marginalized group” for good reason! That’s why the label works so well as an attack to disarm people—no one wants to be in that group or associated with that group, so when accused of it, they are left struggling to defend themselves in an effort to prove a negative.

Anonymous wrote:I think you’ve gone way down the rabbit hole, op. Our kids will be fine.

Agree, but most people who purposely and sometimes accidentally make politics their identity wind up in a doomsday spiral these days.

We had admitted students day at Georgetown in a field where there is a lot of research. All I can say is the attitudes, enthusiasm, discussion of research - was off the charts in a positive way. People are business as usual. There was a lot of discussion about shadowing opportunities too. My point is, these places will bend and reinvent these college years as necessary. Med schools will not expect as much research if it’s hard to get.
Go to the best place where they will develop bond with teachers- good recommendations may be more important than ever.

Organic chemistry hasn’t changed - it will kill more dreams than anything political for the sciences.

“All empty souls tend to extreme opinion.”
—W. B. Yeats

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is a definitely a crisis but some of what is mentioned in posts just above mine will simply be a return to the university experience that we all had (and survived just fine).

We didn't had a single crappy gym (as such I jogged for exercise). We didn't have endless choices in the dining hall. There wasn't a comprehensive shuttle service (I always took the city bus and then subway to the airport whereas now at my college there is an hourly bus). We didn't have air conditioning in the dorms. I could go on an on. Kids would survive all of this.

Now I agree that it's deeply troubling that they may not have jobs when they graduate or professors to each them. But if their college experience is bare bones in other ways they'll be fine.

Except we are full pay and paying a lot more than back in the 90s.

I’d prefer a discount rather than them just cutting services to be honest.

This is the problem colleges are facing. Back in the 1960s–90s, the income distribution was a lot flatter. Nowadays kids from families who can comfortably afford full pay have never lived like this. These are kids who have never shared a bathroom before, not even with a sibling. College already feels like a slum to this shrinking number of most valuable families. And yes, that’s because they’re insanely rich and out of touch. But colleges need them.

Anonymous wrote:It hopefully will be safer for the Jewish students.

Doubt it

To get this level of power, the power that be had to go to bed with white supremacists.

NYTimes has an article today on this topic. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/us/politics/trump-university-funding-grad-student-cuts.html

Note that this is only with respect to the research funding issue, but still plenty concerning.

It hopefully will be safer for the Jewish students.

Anonymous wrote:To OP's question, I am very anxious for these kids. One of my kids their senior spring, graduation, and entire first year of college. Second kid (now on a gap year) missed all but the last month of ninth grade. I really don't know what will happen in the next four years, but between federal budget cuts, the way colleges and universities have become pawns in our national fight-to-the-death culture wars, the current administration's willingness to burn everything down to spite their enemies, and serious infectious disease outbreaks at a sharply anti-science moment, it sure doesn't feel like we can count on anything at all, let alone a normal college experience. It's extremely sad, and it's so unnecessary.

Couldn't agree more. DC who is graduating this year was pretty much remote all 8th grade with no field trips, no sports, no music. I'm really concerned about another pandemic. Current administration is completely inept.

Anonymous wrote:To OP's question, I am very anxious for these kids. One of my kids their senior spring, graduation, and entire first year of college. Second kid (now on a gap year) missed all but the last month of ninth grade. I really don't know what will happen in the next four years, but between federal budget cuts, the way colleges and universities have become pawns in our national fight-to-the-death culture wars, the current administration's willingness to burn everything down to spite their enemies, and serious infectious disease outbreaks at a sharply anti-science moment, it sure doesn't feel like we can count on anything at all, let alone a normal college experience. It's extremely sad, and it's so unnecessary.

*missed their senior year

Anonymous wrote:I think this is a definitely a crisis but some of what is mentioned in posts just above mine will simply be a return to the university experience that we all had (and survived just fine).

We didn't had a single crappy gym (as such I jogged for exercise). We didn't have endless choices in the dining hall. There wasn't a comprehensive shuttle service (I always took the city bus and then subway to the airport whereas now at my college there is an hourly bus). We didn't have air conditioning in the dorms. I could go on an on. Kids would survive all of this.

Now I agree that it's deeply troubling that they may not have jobs when they graduate or professors to each them. But if their college experience is bare bones in other ways they'll be fine.

Except we are full pay and paying a lot more than back in the 90s.

I’d prefer a discount rather than them just cutting services to be honest.

My kids are not seniors but I think they will be fine.

To OP's question, I am very anxious for these kids. One of my kids their senior spring, graduation, and entire first year of college. Second kid (now on a gap year) missed all but the last month of ninth grade. I really don't know what will happen in the next four years, but between federal budget cuts, the way colleges and universities have become pawns in our national fight-to-the-death culture wars, the current administration's willingness to burn everything down to spite their enemies, and serious infectious disease outbreaks at a sharply anti-science moment, it sure doesn't feel like we can count on anything at all, let alone a normal college experience. It's extremely sad, and it's so unnecessary.

I'm the last poster.
I meant to type that we "had a single crappy gym."

I think this is a definitely a crisis but some of what is mentioned in posts just above mine will simply be a return to the university experience that we all had (and survived just fine).

We didn't had a single crappy gym (as such I jogged for exercise). We didn't have endless choices in the dining hall. There wasn't a comprehensive shuttle service (I always took the city bus and then subway to the airport whereas now at my college there is an hourly bus). We didn't have air conditioning in the dorms. I could go on an on. Kids would survive all of this.

Now I agree that it's deeply troubling that they may not have jobs when they graduate or professors to each them. But if their college experience is bare bones in other ways they'll be fine.