Covid Challenging Higher Education

Higher education is being challenged like never before by the Covid-19 virus. Campuses are closed at colleges and universities in these unprecedented times and this is having real consequences for admissions counselors and the incoming high school senior Class of 2020.
High school seniors who are college-bound are faced with a daunting task as their classes have moved online and schools are closed for an indeterminate time. They are concerned about the acceptance of their online classes and whether or not a decision by their school district to go to a pass-fail grading system will pass muster at the college of their choice.

A number of colleges are relaxing their enrollment policies while high school seniors’ families and the colleges themselves reassess their financial situations. The good news is that the College Board will offer at-home test taking for its 2020 Advanced Placement exams, beginning May 11. This will give students a chance to earn the college credit they have worked toward during the year.

Those students who have received multiple admission decisions normally use this time to visit the campus they favor before they commit. This year most will have to settle for a virtual visit. Some colleges have delayed the date for students to accept offers of admission but check your school’s website to determine the deadline. A school’s response to this pandemic will tell you a lot about their adaptability to current events.
Even with all of these question marks this is still a time when you should be considering your career aspirations and determining which one of the schools on your list offers you the most relevant academic programs. Perhaps your thoughts of a major have shifted because of the virus.
I counsel my clients to take a broad view when linking education and career goals. What employers look for in new graduates is the ability to think globally and communicate clearly. Firms today are also looking for quantitative skills in their new hires.

Although it is true that business and engineering graduates are highly valued by employers today, the key variable that ties all marketable students together is math. It is easy to fall into a follow-the-leader trap and focus on the most sought-after majors, but you will find that adding a few math classes to a liberal arts major will make that degree just as marketable. A liberal arts degree often confers education better than narrowly focused degrees which many employers consider to be overly focused on vocational subjects.

Gerald Bradshaw is a top US college admissions consultant with Bradshaw College Consulting.
Tags: Colleges SAT Preparation

Email: gerald_bradshaw@post.harvard.edu
219-781-2372
SKYPE: geraldbradshaw
Colleges, College Consulting, International Students

Return To BCC Articles