How Current and Future College Students can Benefit in the Wake of the Coronavirus

College is expensive. How colleges are viewed, and more importantly, how students view them can make a big difference. A lot has changed with the arrival of COVID-19 or the coronavirus. Classes have shifted towards online instruction, campuses have been shut down, fees have been credited back to students, college requirements such as the ACT and SAT are no longer needed, and grades have been handled differently with a pass or fail mark. But, this does not have to be a bad thing for many as there are ways students can save money and benefit due to the current dilemma. Here are some things for students who plan on going to college and who are currently in college should do.

Students already in college have benefitted from being credited with some form of fees related to the campus, food, or their tuition bills. This helps save from taking on more loans if it is credited towards the current bill. Some have even sued universities regarding the price of online tuition and it not being the same kind of education as it would be on campus. Students seem to have the upper hand at this current time with the pandemic. If many are left unsatisfied, students could just drop out or choose to attend a community college near where they reside.

Photo credit to Artem Podrez from Pexels

For students who plan on going to college soon, they should enroll at a community college and not attend a private college that is more expensive. The first two years of college are filled with general classes and realizing what you want to major in. It can be a good time to research which schools accept credits from different community colleges. Research can be a critical step to finding out what college is right for an individual too.

Students can also benefit from learning new skills through free online courses to figure out what they want to major in or to just learn. There are many online resources where these courses are available at no charge.

On the other hand, there is much unknown about how colleges will move going forward. In the fall semester, online courses could be taken for a while before moving to in-person instruction on campuses. Different days in the week can be designated to switch back and forth between online courses and in-person.

Anyone who needs to commute can do that because of classes being switched to online. In the foreseeable future, this could become a new reality with classes possibly being held online in the fall semester on and off.

When it comes to athletics, students could have their season canceled with no fans in attendance. This will be a big hit for many universities who make a lot of income off sporting events. At this point, college sports will happen but not without proper measures. It does not have to be all gloom, though, as students can focus on their academics and planning for a career after sports.