My New College offers my younger daughter fewer opportunities to hang out with her co-workers at the College and Visitor Relations office at UW Madison where she is a supervisor and offers my older daughter fewer lab group study sessions at Coffman Memorial Union than the University of Minnesota.
Klein-Brown University does feature more pajama-wearing though--we are PROs at that.
As a college advisor, an academic coach and an ACT tutor, I am feeling...um...without direction. My daughters and I are untethered together.
After listening to the Daily podcast interview with a compassionate Italian doctor at the forefront of the battle against the COVID-19 in northern Italy, I have been very motivated to stay at home. If you haven’t listened to it yet, here it is https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/podcasts/the-daily/italy-coronavirus.html.
The doctor is neither alarmist nor shaming. He is simply sharing his personal experience. Whenever I want to go somewhere and see people, I think of it.
I am having a hard time focusing, so this newsletter reflects that.
As I write this, I think about how this crisis has amplified what were quiet alarm bells regarding the state of higher education, the economy, and our medical system into a blaring tornado warning siren.
Issues related to disparities in college admissions, the benefits of four-year colleges vs. technical colleges, and the availability of financial aid and student loans are being pressure-cooked together. I hope we will come out of this with a clearer understanding of how “We can all do better when we all do better.” (Thank you Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone. I still miss you.)
I have been reading about how the pandemic will affect colleges and universities and here is what seems to be the most pertinent news.
Small private colleges and universities that don’t have large endowments may not survive. They were financially stressed before the pandemic happened and they will be more so after it’s over.
If you have lost your job or your 529 College Savings account has tanked, you should call the Financial Aid office at the college your child is attending, and ask them how to request additional financial aid. Most colleges will require a letter describing the specifics of your request.
Many colleges have pushed back their May 1 enrollment deadlines to June 1, so families have more time to figure out what to do and if they can afford to send their child to college. The cost of college was already a huge burden for most families and is now even a bigger burden.
In the $2 trillion dollar stimulus plan passed by Congress recently, those with Federal Student Loans were given a six-month reprieve. It’s a start.
Jobs after college graduation? My daughter Lily, who is a Senior at UW Madison, was very happy to receive an email from her future employer reassuring her that she will still have a job in August. Many other Seniors have not been so lucky and will graduate into one of the worst job markets ever.
Many college juniors will not be able to get internships that will lead to jobs one day. College career services administrators are posting on Twitter that employers should remember that the Class of 2020 and 2021 will not have the same experiences to put on their resumes as the graduating seniors before them. What this means for future job prospects is anyone’s guess.
(Doing the) Best (we can do) in this pandemic,
Jenna Klein
P.S. If you need help with homeschooling (including motivating a reluctant online learner) or with college or Gap Year applications, let me know.
P.S.S. I am offering a special $25.00 an hour rate through the month of April and a special $1500.00 rate for a full college admissions package.