An uncertain future for Rapp’s college-bound students
Students are stuck in limbo as universities wrestle with whether they’ll be open — and if so, how open?
This month was supposed to be the big finale.
Instead, said Julian Cordero, “It’s like the final season of a show got canceled.”
That might be less jarring, even easier to accept, if he knew what will come next. But Cordero, like his Rappahannock High graduating senior classmates, is stuck in the present, his once clear path for the next phase of his life now disturbingly unsettled.
It’s a common plight for students whose plans to start college in the fall are suddenly in limbo as universities wrestle with whether they’ll be open, and if so, how open?
At this point, most Virginia universities say they still intend to welcome students back to campus in a few months, although that could change if there’s a rise in COVID-19 cases as businesses in the state reopen and social restrictions ease.
But if schools go ahead with those plans, college life is likely to be very different from what incoming freshmen had envisioned. More courses will be offered online only — particularly those typically taught in large lecture halls — sporting events without spectators could become the norm, and social distancing rules will probably be enforced in dormitories and dining halls.
Plus, large gatherings, including parties and live concerts and shows, will be discouraged.
Of the 59 graduates in this year’s senior class at Rappahannock County High School, 17 have been accepted at four-year colleges, and another 27 have expressed interest in taking courses at Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC) or other two-year schools.
But Lisa Heiser, career coach at the high school, said she’s surprised that only seven students have completed LFCC’s online orientation or have signed up for a future session. A student can’t register for LFCC classes until he or she finishes the orientation and is assigned an adviser.
“There are so many unknown things out there that I think some of them have just shut down,” she said. “Are we going to school in the fall or not? Can I get a summer job or not? I can’t see my friends. I have no more routine. It’s all compounded to the point where it’s made them start to shut down.”
Heiser said she and other career coaches have been told to expect more students and their families to reconsider taking on the tuition and room and board costs of four-year schools if instruction remains largely virtual and the social experience is greatly diminished — although she hasn’t seen that occur yet with any of the new Rappahannock High graduates.
Lauren Petty, of Amissville, remains hopeful that she will still be able to take classes at the University of Virginia this fall, although she’s already seen a Study Abroad program in Spain canceled this summer.
“I’m just not sure
I’m going to be on campus,” she said. “It would definitely be disappointing if it became virtual. A pretty fundamental part of the college experience is living in the dorms and meeting people and making new connections.
“But at the same time, I understand that it’s a public health risk.”
Cordero, who lives in Castleton and plans to attend Virginia Commonwealth University, is likewise struggling with all the uncertainty.
“This has been one of the biggest things on my mind,” he said. “It’s really hard to plan two weeks ahead because everything’s been changing so rapidly. I’m very passionate about starting this next part of my life and learning more about photography, my major. But I’ve thought about how it one day might be stopped, and I’ll just be staying home and taking core classes online.”
Cordero said friends who already are students at VCU have told him that if the campus isn’t open, they might stop taking classes. “They say if you’re going to pay all this money to stay at home, it’s not really worth it.”
Olivia Atkins, of Sperryville, who still intends to study nursing at Shenandoah University in Winchester, thinks she could manage taking courses only over the internet, but with some trepidation.
“It would be stressful if it’s just online,” she said. “It could be extremely difficult.”
Atkins, like many of her classmates, is also facing another big challenge — finding a summer job that could help cover some of the costs of college.
“I was planning to find a way to earn some money,” she said. “But the way things are, I’m honestly clueless where to start.”
“Quite a few of our students worked in the food service industry, and they don’t have that anymore,” noted Kathy Sickler, the school district’s social worker. “There are babysitting jobs out there, but that’s not the same.
“If my daughter was a senior in high school now,” she added, “I’d be pulling my hair out trying to figure out what we were going to do.”