College During a Pandemic

It’s no secret that students and parents alike are concerned about starting college during a pandemic. And this is true whether the students are attending from home or moving to campus. Yet students can thrive during a pandemic

Things to Consider

I wrote earlier about how to choose a college during a pandemic, using online tools to learn about what the school offers and to get a sense of the college atmosphere. Further, there’s often little to block people from driving through a campus to see how the place feels to them. But these factors aren’t as important once you’ve made your decision.

Students should be encouraged to keep in mind that no matter how they’re attending classes: face to face, online or a hybrid model, they’re still going to college. This means the rigor, time to be spent on reading, preparing for papers and exams, etc., is still in effect. A global pandemic, however challenging isn’t license to slack off. As parents and family members, we can be encouraging with friendly reminders, but not by performing the same parenting roles we assumed when they were in high school. This may be tough for those students who are attending classes while living at home, but please try hard on this to give your student the opportunity to perform as a young adult, rather than as an older adolescent.

Solid Suggestions

This article from eCampusNews offers several tips to faculty members and schools on how to make the student experience during a pandemic viable: just flip their suggestions around. For example, when they suggest that you “find ways to be interactive,” take it to mean that students should make a point of using whatever means exist to connect with their faculty members. Many will be holding virtual office hours where students can connect with them on Zoom or another platform. Students can use these meetings to get to know their instructors, or to introduce themselves. The more positive interactions they have with their faculty, the more likely they are to succeed.

I would also offer the following:

●Check your technology. This is not the time to scrimp on technology. To the best of your ability, this is the right time to invest in a good computer, webcam, and internet service. You may also find your student would benefit from having a good external monitor.

●Make a schedule. Many students are known to wait until the last minute to turn in assignments or ask for help. They also lose track of assignments and class activities. This can be a problem during any academic term, but when students are interacting face to face with their fellow students all the time, someone will probably remind them of what they’re missing. This is unlikely to happen this year, so developing a schedule of class activities and assignments is more important now than ever.

●Revel in the creativity of college and universities. The college where I work has set up incredibly interactive classrooms with fancy webcams, microphones, whiteboards and document cameras, in fact, all kinds of neat stuff to facilitate teaching and learning. If there is one silver lining of this pandemic, it’s been with the creativity of college and universities in developing creative and effective ways to teach.

●Find ways to get involved. There will be some student activities going on, be they virtual or not. Encourage your student to participate in at least one student activity per semester, such as a club. That will connect them to the college and potentially with a faculty or staff advisor. Connecting in this way often helps student remain in school and succeed.

Different? Yes. But different doesn’t have to mean students can’t thrive even now. Help them make the best of what—despite all its challenges—can be a very fulfilling term in school.