With schools closed across the nation, many for the rest of the academic year, this year’s graduating class of high school seniors is facing unprecedented challenges in mapping out their futures for the next four years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many students are still up in the air with their college commitments, leaving colleges and universities with much uncertainty about incoming freshman classes.
With yield levels down (the percentage of accepted students who actually enroll) at many institutions, Salem State University Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management Bonnie Galinsky said her office is actively working with prospective students on many levels.
The school has pushed its commitment date back from May 1 to June 1, giving students and families an extra month before having to ante up their deposits.
“The yield process is completely upside down, and we are seeing families with parents who have lost jobs, so we are working to defer deposits for those who are now unemployed,” said Galinsky. That’s one of the most important things we can do for them. We are trying to help families make good decisions.”
Galinsky said while the school has always offered virtual tours, it has enhanced them.
“There are some things you see on a personal tour that we don’t put on our website, so we have had to add those components to our website to try to cover the full on-campus experience, but it still doesn’t get to the heart of whether or not the school is the right ‘fit.’ Without that on-campus experience, students are not able to answer questions like, ‘will I see students who look like me,’ and ultimately be able to answer the question about the fit. Right now, everything has to be virtual and as such we are not able to showcase the university the way we would like to.”
North Shore Community College has also extended deposit deadlines for Special Admissions/Health Admissions to June 1, but registrations for the fall semester are down.
“We are currently lagging in registrations due to the competing priorities that our students are facing,” said Kimberly Odusami, Executive Director of Admission, Enrollment and Recruitment. “Our students are trying to balance family commitments, impacts on their own health and the health of their loved ones, whether they will be employed or not, food and housing concerns … you name it.”
The school is providing multiple virtual registration informational sessions as well as remote one-one-one advising.
“We will work with students on a case by case basis as we move through the current situation,” said Odusami. “Being nimble is crucial to support our students during this pandemic, but we are actively accepting applications for both summer and fall and encourage students.”
Odusami said that the response from current students about converting to online learning has been positive and that all summer courses will be online only.
UMass Lowell has re-opened applications. For first-year students, the deadline is now June 1, while the deadline for transfer students is Aug. 15. The school has extended the deposit deadline to June 1.
“We are trying to be as flexible as possible,” said Director of Media Relations Christine Gillette, adding that registration numbers are “good.”
Last Friday, the school hosted a virtual Welcome Day for admitted first-year and transfer students.
“The event went well. We were impressed by the level of interest, and we are glad that we had the opportunity to bring our future students and university representatives together in live chats,” said Gillette. “Several hundred future students participated and we saw thousands of page views and other activities.”
The school has been reaching out to accepted and prospective students through social media. Admissions is offering virtual informational sessions, virtual tours and virtual one-on-one appointments.
The school has made several changes in its academic policies, including waiving the limit on the number of pass-no credit courses.
Gillette said the school has moved 2,700 courses this semester from on campus to online.
“We are fortunate to have a long and successful history in online education on which to draw, said Gillette. “UMass Lowell was one of the first institutions in New England to launch an online education program when it did so more than 20 years ago.”
In addition to moving courses online, UMass Lowell has also moved its student support services online, including everything from tutoring and advising, to fitness and wellness.