DD is a college freshman. Bottom line: This situation sucks. I'm trying to stay positive, but it's a lot of money and I feel like she's missing out on so much. A bunch of other parents with kids in the same boat keep trying to play it off like "They don't know what they're missing--they've never been to college!" (total b.s. in my opinion; of course they know what they're missing!); or "They can form virtual study groups!"; and "Let's just pray for better in January!" What, exactly, do they think is going to change between now and January? Even if there is a vaccine, it won't be widely available and 18-24 year olds aren't exactly a high-priority group. So unless universities decide to bite the bullet, assume the risk (and collect room and board costs!), not much will change. Professors aren't going to want to teach in person and there will still by lots of restrictions. I feel like I'm in an alternate universe, or maybe I'm just missing the optimism gene.
I would feel the exact same way. In fact I DO feel the same way about my high schooler missing out on the year...but college is even worse bc of the cost.
I think this is part of my sadness--she already missed out on a lot of things the end of senior year, but we did what we could to make it special and celebrate the milestones. But this whole thing just seems interminable. I think we could be easily looking at a full year of "distance learning" and my guess is that next fall, there will still be restrictions and de-densification measures. I think between this and the election and RBG, I'm just in a complete downward spiral.
Our neighbor is a freshman at JMU. She was there 8 days before being sent home. She just deferred her year
A number of DC's friends are in a similar boat--being sent home or scrambling to find alternative housing. Several have deferred and one kid withdrew and decided to reapply because his school wouldn't let him defer (after the University made a late-breaking anncmt that they wouldn't open dorms. It's a shit show for class of 2020.
I feel terrible for them. both senior year of high school and a bizarre freshman year of college. There’s only so much resilience that one can get out of this....
@Anonymous OP. I agree about only so much resilience. And to be totally honest, I'm sick of the Polllyanna's who try to put a positive spin on it. Can't we just agree that this is completely suboptimal and not try to find a silver lining. There isn't one. It stinks.