By Elise Yu, Irene Wang, Hannah Yi, Jacquie Keesee
In photo: Seniors have been spending a lot more time on electronics: here, Serena Fan plays a game on her computer (image has been edited to be school appropriate).
All students’ lifestyles and habits have changed greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and seniors are no exception. As classes shift to a remote setting and Zoom classes replace face to face interaction, students will experience a great impact on their education and personal routines. Most students have experienced a shift in their motivation to schoolwork and self studying. Jamie Zhao says, “The biggest change I experienced would be time management. It became harder for me to stay motivated on top of senioritis. The lack of motivation coupled with the combination of classwork, homework, and self-studying is my biggest challenge.”
Unsurprisingly, students are finding a difficult time maintaining the same level of effort and dedication under such drastic and different circumstances. As a second semester senior, high schoolers already feel a lack of incentive to maintain grades; now, with quarantine across the district and state, they feel even less motivated to continue schoolwork. Rachel Lane explains, “I do less work, and my screen time has greatly increased. I find that it’s difficult to stay motivated with such limited accountability.
Another difficulty has been keeping up with the many portals of communication teachers have opened. “While before I got all my information and reminders daily in class, I now have to remember to check AP Classroom, Google Classroom, and WITts to stay up to date,” she said. As the hours of the day waste away, students find themselves spending more time on their electronics out of boredom. In addition to this, the sudden change to online learning has made staying on top of work difficult. Adjusting to a new routine takes time, and without teachers and the rigorous school day keeping students in check, it can be difficult. However, there is no doubt that students will find a way to cope and make it through this time of struggle.
One of the biggest challenges seniors this year face are the challenges of potential distance learning in the fall while considering the advantages and disadvantages of learning online. Even with communication resources such as Zoom and Google Meet, students are not excited for the possibility of learning through a computer screen. Annabel Paradise, a prospective freshman of Pratt Institute said,. “Distance learning will definitely have an impact on my education. I am going to art school and I absolutely will be impacted by not being able to work in the studios and experience creativity in person.” Similarly Gabriel Guo, a prospective student at Columbia University (and ESN Editor-in-Chief) with an interest in computer science also agrees with Annabel Paradise stating, “It is hard to enforce engagement on both the instructor and student ends. Electronics pose a very big distraction, which is why I have my phone turned off while I attend regular school. However, I must use an electronic device during distance learning which greatly decreases my attention to my schoolwork.” Guo’s statement does provide important insight in that recent technological advances do not only help students receive their current education but they also can distract and deter students from learning in classes.
Mia Hutchins, a prospective freshman of the University of Buffalo is one of several seniors that are considering deferring a year of admission with the challenges and lack of educational opportunities that arise from distance learning. Vikki Kang, a prospective freshman of Vassar College reiterates this point, “I am planning on double majoring in biology and psychology and with distance learning, I won’t be able to complete lab requirements and the hands-on activities in my science courses. Also, as a student committed to a liberal arts college with a reputation for having professors build strong relationships in small class sizes, learning online will prevent me from creating a bond with my professors important for letters of recommendation for medical school.”
Let’s not forget, another important factor our graduating seniors have to keep in mind when making a final decision is if they think starting college on campus later in the year would potentially take away from their freshman college experience? The first semester of a student’s college career is arguably the most life changing. Students transition from a dependent child to an independent young adult when they learn to live on their own and take care of themselves. Incoming freshmen also make new friends in their new chapter of life and have person to person experiences that will live with them forever in their first semester. On campus activities and events are also extremely important to the college experience and they are how students make connections that help them achieve success in their post college lives. These are just a few of the reasons that our seniors may have to consider not attending the school they wanted to is that school doesn’t offer school on campus this coming semester.
When asked if an online first semester would affect her decision, senior Rachel Lane answered, “Yes, starting on campus college later I know would negatively impact the quality of my work, and therefore my grades, during the virtual semester, and I do believe it would detract from the traditional freshman experience, which includes getting acclimated to independence and new people. Additionally, if my peers choose to defer their enrollment, there will be a lost sense of class unity and identity. I think it would be very confusing without a collective decision to go or not go to school–I don’t want to miss out while my peers begin school and vice versa.” Like Lane, many other students worry about their motivation wilting if their college requires them to study from home.
Like all humans, when students experience a lack of person to person socialization, their mental health begins to take a toll.Â
Senior Daniel Krieger, who is already openly experiencing a negative effect on his work ethic, said, “I think that the longer the quarantine lasts, the worse I will be mentally, but a lot more lives are at stake and we have to do our part, even if that means I can’t go to college when I want to, then so be it.” Our students recognize that staying home is what is best for the health of the world at this time, but like most, they also hope that COVID-19 dies soon. Like all humans, when students experience a lack of person to person socialization, their mental health begins to take a toll.
Jennifer, the mother of a graduating senior, said, “I think it would be very hard for my daughter not to attend college in the fall and to wait until the spring to attend, I think it will definitely have a negative impact on her.” Many students experience a disruptive or, sadly, even an unhealthy home environment. The current pandemic has made their time in quarantine especially hard. It is our hope that COVID-19 is cured soon so that the health and mindset of our students and the world can bounce back.
As the start of the 2020-2021 school year approaches, universities must decide whether they will have in-person classes or continue with remote-learning. With this decision comes the need to determine whether tuition will remain the same or will be reduced. In statements to Marketwatch, representatives from Harvard University and Tufts University confirmed that they would not be reducing tuition costs for an online spring semester. Now, many students need to decide whether to continue a semester online for the same price of a semester in-person or taking a semester (or more) off, likely postponing their graduation.
When asked about her thoughts on colleges charging a similar or the same price for a virtual semester as compared to an on-campus semester, Rachel Lane says, “I think it’s absolutely ridiculous to say that in class instruction is the same as online. I’ve experienced firsthand that it’s not, and to be paying for that would make me furious- especially because this [semester’s] students did not know that it would be online going in.”
Many other interviewees expressed similar sentiments. Yan Ying Mor, a rising freshman at the University of Chicago, currently living in Taiwan, said, “Honestly, I think it’s very unfair. For most students, having to pay full tuition is already stressful financially.”He added, “Paying full tuition for university implies that you will be immersed in the full college experience including meeting new people, exploring the city, learning to adapt to an often drastically different environment, accessing school resources, and speaking to world-renowned professors. However, going virtual will never be able to fully capture the essence of a college experience. Thus, I don’t believe paying full tuition with distance learning would be worth it.” Other prospective students have also mentioned the possibility of being deprived of certain college experiences, such as O-Week.
This perspective is shared by students and their parents alike. Ms. Jennifer Keesee, the mother of a current sophomore and senior at Williamsville East, said that students will not be able to have the same valuable interactions with peers and professors, if they do online learning.
Because the future of CoVid-19 is still unknown, schools across the nation are waiting to make a decision on whether the fall will be an in-class or online semester, and seniors unfortunately will have to wait to find out what the future of education holds.
