[Mick]

I think there's four trends at play here:


1) Cost of college is always sky-high.  In and of itself, it would be enough to make a student and his/her family pause.

2) The digital college experience pales in comparison to the in-person experience.

3) Income in many/most households is unpredictable and possibly not adequate for expensive college.

4) Who knows whither financial aid?



I suspect that many students and their families may opt for a gap year, perhaps far more than colleges anticipate. I know if I was a student, I would insist on a gap year.  If I had to take digital courses, the local juco would suffice just fine.  And I wouldn't want to pay full boat rates for an impersonal experience.  And what will the yields be, even for colleges that opt for the in-person experience?  What percentage of students will actually want to take that risk?  Or the professors and staff, for that matter?

A contrarian view here is that because a large number of people might take a gap year, the chances of getting into a school off your waitlist are higher, so if you are willing to chance your freshman year being partially or completely conducted over zoom, you might get into a school you wouldn't have otherwise.  The longterm benefits probably outweigh the short term downsides.

BC

Excellent point.  Particularly if you want to go to Brown, whose President has already stated that Brown will be open for in-person business.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/26/opini...ities.html

[Mick]

I think there's four trends at play here:


1) Cost of college is always sky-high.  In and of itself, it would be enough to make a student and his/her family pause.

2) The digital college experience pales in comparison to the in-person experience.

3) Income in many/most households is unpredictable and possibly not adequate for expensive college.

4) Who knows whither financial aid?



I suspect that many students and their families may opt for a gap year, perhaps far more than colleges anticipate. I know if I was a student, I would insist on a gap year.  If I had to take digital courses, the local juco would suffice just fine.  And I wouldn't want to pay full boat rates for an impersonal experience.  And what will the yields be, even for colleges that opt for the in-person experience?  What percentage of students will actually want to take that risk?  Or the professors and staff, for that matter?

A contrarian view here is that because a large number of people might take a gap year, the chances of getting into a school off your waitlist are higher, so if you are willing to chance your freshman year being partially or completely conducted over zoom, you might get into a school you wouldn't have otherwise.  The longterm benefits probably outweigh the short term downsides.

BC

Excellent point.  Particularly if you want to go to Brown, whose President has already stated that Brown will be open for in-person business.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/26/opini...ities.html