Grad blues
Seniors carry on with college picks
Among Maui County high school students, the 2020 graduating class may be the most disappointed with how the school year is going.
Final events like senior prom, senior luau, athletic competition and graduation are either canceled or still left uncertain — and college application deadlines are being extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There’s no doubt that seniors on the cusp of finishing high school feel cheated out of life events, but university admissions offices recommend that they not give up on enrolling.
“The only advice I would give is apply, apply and apply,” said Daniel Meisenzahl, director of communications of the University of Hawaii.
Lilia Davis,
Kamehameha Maui
Although it’s an unfortunate and unprecedented time for the graduating seniors, Lilia Davis said that she’s looking toward the future.
According to an announcement Tuesday, Kamehameha Schools is considering alternatives to “traditional graduation ceremonies” at all three campuses due to the ever-changing coronavirus situation.
“It’s disappointing, but this is for the greater good, and it shows our strength and how we can persevere, and get through it together,” she said via phone Monday after an online class session.
Davis has a lot of prospective schools in mind to study environmental science, like the University of Denver, and has found it helpful that some programs have extended the fall application deadline to June 1 to give her more time to research.
However, the virus breakout did affect some of her plans.
“Another big thing was that I got accepted to a school in New York and I really liked it originally, but I kind of like, crossed it off my list because of the coronavirus,” she said. “Because of everything going on, I’m kind of not wanting to go there anymore.”
One university’s reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic has also influenced Davis in selecting which school to attend. She’s looking for a college that supports its students in a time of need.
“Some schools don’t help students at all and some are super helpful, like paying money back for the semester,” she said. “I guess the school’s reaction has really helped me in narrowing my search.”
Kaleb Chun,
King Kekaulike
As a student in AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a four-year program that prepares students to become eligible for a four-year college, Kaleb Chun feels comfortable with where he’s at in the college application process.
“We’ve been applying to colleges since the beginning of the school year, so we got most of our acceptances and research out of the way already, but I know some of my classmates have been going through some hard times and stuff, getting colleges to accept them and knowing what they’re going to do after this school year,” Chun said via phone Monday. “Just with everything going on, I know that some have put a hold on what their plans were.”
While school is closed until April 30, most Na Alii students have online access to enrichment activities to stay busy, Chun said, as well as counselors to offer personal, academic, college and career support.
He added that he received a few acceptance letters from some universities, and although not yet committed to one, he plans to pursue a degree in business or his passion in architecture.
“If I can’t get off island, then I’ll go to UH-Maui, but it all depends on what these next few weeks are like,” he said.
Hannah Rosenthal,
Seabury Hall
With hopes of attending the
University of Alabama at Birmingham to pursue a career in the medical field, Hannah Rosenthal recently submitted her deposit to the school.
But after the COVID-19 outbreak, some of her plans came to a halt.
Rosenthal said that she had planned to take the SAT test one more time before submitting her application for a meritbased scholarship to improve her scores, but with recent social distancing standards and safety precautions, the College Board canceled all March and May test dates, as well as makeup exams.
“I didn’t get to try for that scholarship I was working on, so that was kind of a bummer,” she said. “I can’t even complete my commitment to the school because before you apply for housing, they want you to schedule an orientation day, and so I was going to schedule one but they’re all in the beginning of June.”
Rosenthal is “keeping a positive mindset,” but is still putting her dorm and roommate search on hold with the uncertainty of when it’ll be safe to visit campus for the new student orientation day this summer.
According to the UAB website, if a student is unable to submit required documents for admission or enrollment, they are encouraged to contact an admissions counselor.
“I know that it’s been a hard time and we’re allowed to feel our emotions and feel disappointed with how everything is going, but it’s definitely how we react and how we get back up is what’s important,” she said. “Just keep on going and make the most of our situation because we’re fortunate that we can even do online school and see each other, and just try to experience as much as we can and salvage what we can.”
Unprecedented time to enroll
A few weeks ago, the fall registration deadline for UH’s four-year universities and seven community colleges was extended to Aug. 1, which “has given the entire process more time,” Meisenzahl said Monday.
However, he said that everything is subject to change.
“It all depends on how long this lasts and how quick we can rebound,” he said.
Those who applied to UHHilo, Manoa and West Oahu have been receiving their acceptance letters and emails since January, or depending on when they applied.
Meisenzahl said that students are still encouraged to apply as early as possible, particularly if they are interested in financial aid. At this time, there have been no changes to financial aid.
There may be some delay in processing aid, though, but the federal government is providing more funds for current financial aid students, said UHMaui College Chancellor Lui Hokoana.
“Financial aid officers will be processing this money and may not get to processing new applications until the stimulus money is distributed,” Hokoana said.
Financial support and rising college tuition are among the top concerns for graduating seniors, but these points have become even more important during this pandemic, said Stephanie Walsh, director of college counseling at Seabury Hall.
Additionally, the longer the state deals with the pandemic, students may change their plans, Meisenzahl said. For example, those who were going to the Mainland for college may opt for UH-Manoa, and students who were going to Manoa may go to a community college.
“Also, typically, when the economy sinks, enrollment at colleges rises,” he added. “Our record-high enrollment was in 2012, three years after the Great Recession hit.”
While students are still applying per usual, for the most
part, UHMC has seen a slight decline in applications. At this time last year, there were 1,610 applications as compared to this year’s 1,112.
“This is likely due to the college not doing outreach at the high schools or our community partners and not being able to see people face to face,” Hokoana said. “Our offices are developing strategies to reach students virtually or directly.”