Have not heard anything from our district yet @Aguadecoco keeping my fingers crossed.
@TVBingeWatcher2 @Aguadecoco Same here, our district hasnât said anything yet. At last nightâs board meeting they barely touched on the year round school topic and just said itâs not something that will or could happen right away
DS goes to a residential BS and they recently indicated they are currently looking at two options which are subject to change as the facts surrounding the virus changes.
First (preferred) option is to start in late Aug and restrict or stop the extended weekend home trips such that the semester is finished by Thanksgiving and then potentially returning for second semester in late Jan or early Feb depending on a potential second wave. They would be prepared to immediately switch to online learning if need be during the semester and also there would be lots of testing.
Second option is online learning for Fall. It was indicated that many of the residential BSs have been discussing the upcoming year and are looking at similar options.
1 AP down, 4 to go. Calc AB went OK today according to D21. I went into the office to free up the home WiFi. She said Calc AB was her âeasyâ exam so sheâs still stressed.
Iâm hoping to do more virtual tours and info sessions with her once APs are over. Americanâs online session was really well done and got her very interested in the school. Fordhamâs was terrible but sheâs still interested because itâs a NYC school with merit aid available. Agree with whoever said look for the vlogs. There are tons of students on YouTube with unofficial dorm tours and âday in the lifeâ videos.
I can understand (as a district) being able to adjust a calendar to be year round school, but I donât see how a high school could just decide to start online. Aside from a snow day here and there, arenât schools controlled by the state?
@3kids2dogs Our schools closed before the Governor declared a state of emergency and ordered schools be closed. I recall reading that individual districts have the authority to close and they do not need approval from the Governor.
A little levity on the subject of school-next-yearâŠ
I live in a smallish town near Augusta, GA. Traditionally, our spring break = Masterâs Week. Some locals attend, others rent their homes to out-of-towners and go on vacation. Teens work at the Masterâs and make a summerâs wages. Restaurants and stores are crazy. So, the 2020 Masterâs was postponed until November. The only school-next-year item on the recent school board agenda wasâŠwe need to add a week-long fall break to coincide with the new Masterâs Week. Forget the fact that this would have kids out of school 2 weeks before Thanksgiving break. Priorities.
@SammoJ - I actually love that. It just sounds so, I donât know, normal. And American. Theyâve moved the Masters? Well, we better make sure weâre off of school that week! All in favor (everyone); all opposed (none); any discussion (crickets). Motion carried!
My son was rolling his eyes at the custom/fashion influenced masks vs Asia where they all wear the throw away kind. Beyond the fact that Asians buy masks as a staple and the fact that the disposable ones are hard to come by these days, flooding the market (and buying) masks in 1,000âs of cute colors, patterns or with sports logoson them etc is just so American and makes me smile.
Which school was this? These are also S21âs areas of interest. Heâs also not been into doing the generic virtual info sessions but I think would find these area-specific ones more engaging.
@kartaqueen Thatâs really frustrating 
It sounds like a lot of kids had trouble.
S21 said his Calc AB test was fine, no tech issues, but the latter part was harder than the beginning and he didnât answer all the questions. I watched a College Board webinar about the tests and they did say there that kids should not be surprised to not be able to finish all the questions and you could still get a 5 if you didnât answer all of them. So, weâll see. Not that it matters, since he plans to major in applied math I think he should re-take calculus in college.
Can it really be only 2% are having issues with the AP exams? There are just so many parents sharing that their child had an issue on all the boards/forums that Iâm reading. I feel so awful for these hard working kids!
Our large county just announced completely lackluster graduation plans for '20. A 5 min walk across the school auditorium stage with max 5 guests as witnesses to see them handed their diploma by the principal. They said they could not even hire a photographer because there will be 11 schools having these âceremoniesâ at the same time. So you can take your own photo outside after (have to vacate quickly to keep things moving) but masks must remain on while on school property, even in the outdoor photo op area. Parents are in an uproar on social media. The neighboring district is using the local NASCAR track and having the kids (with max 9 passengers) drive a lap around the track with school admins waving the checkered flag to receive their diploma in victory lane. Then they will release a compiled video with the traditional speeches and awards and each graduateâs name called and photo shared. I think the disparity really drives home how much my districtâs plan just stinks!
And for what itâs worth, my brother is in global risk management (usually terrorism related consulting for major corporations) and his firm has been hired by a âtop LACâ in CA to help consider all angles and formulate a re opening plan. He said he had just conferenced with the college President and BOD and a major concern they voiced that I had not considered was the impact on the community of bringing students back. What would be the liability (if any) of having thousands of potential carriers suddenly living, shopping, and likely not following social distancing or other suggestions/mandates in the community? These kids will be coming from all over and ready to get back to ânormalâ and will likely congregate in public areas- so what does that mean for the local residents? I had not really thought about that.
At many colleges a large proportion of students live off campus and already have leases for next year. Many, maybe most, of those students will be heading to their rentals whether school is online or not. Not sure what that means re: schoolâs liability.
Iâm not sure how I feel about this - Common App coronavirus question: https://www.commonapp.org/blog/COVID-19-question-common-app
For students, 250-word additional info response. For counselors, 500-word space.
Optional, or âoptionalâ-but-not-really?
@Rue4 Yes at Clemson a big concern is having all these kids from New York, New Jersey, MA etc descending on as Dabo calls it âlil old Clemsonâ. If the students would infect the location population and it became a Covid hot spot they just donât have the health care facilities, ICU beds, ventilators etc to deal with something like that. Iâm sure it is the same for many other rural schools
@evergreen5 maybe the common app is doing this as way to keep students from writing their school specific essays about how Covid impacted them by giving them this optional essay. That way the students can write the school specific essays that tell more about the student than just how Covid impacted them
Iâm already wondering how important this is to complete. Thinking out loud: there are certain ways the student is affected that are obvious and apply to most everyone (online schooling, spring ECs cancelled, etc.). As an additional info section, perhaps this might be a factual, bullet-point response. And yet, maybe not.
Iâm just thinking my kids will balk at writing an additional essay, whether or not they have something substantive to communicate.
So, for example, online schooling. Student says there were no zoom classes, but online assignments. If student says they struggled with understanding, couldnât that be a strike against them (why didnât they keep seeking out help until they understood, etc.). And if they didnât struggle with the online format, then their grades should be all As. In other words, it feels like sort of a trap.
Iâll be interested to see any opinions of admission consultants or AOs on this.
I see the COVID-19 question as a way for the student to explain how ECs and summer plans were affected. The school counselor can attest to how academics were affected (pass/fail was implemented, many of our teachers didnât convert to online well, etc.).
Random thought I am having right now.
S18 only applied to 2 schools, both autoadmits with his stats. S19 was a recruited athlete, so thatâs a completely different process. D21 is applying during this mess. When I get to D25, who will be my #4, I will still be asking tons of questions because it will be the first time I am doing this in a (hopefully) normal way!
I guess thatâs kind of the way life works. You try to plan, but when it comes time to actually get things done it frequently get messy and the nice script gets tossed out the window.
@dadof4kids , as John Lennon said, âLife is what happens when youâre busy making other plans.â 
@Rue4 Honestly, I do not like any of the Covid-versions of stuff. Driving through the zoo. Drive in movies. Graduations like you just described. All of those things just make me more upset and/or anxious. I understand the need to celebrate a graduation but walking across a stage by oneself in a mask with five people watching makes me want to weep. Thatâs not a celebration.
As for colleges concerned about their towns, I think itâs a big thing. Itâs been mentioned in all of Bowdoinâs town halls and in some emails Iâve been trading with some of the task force members. They are very concerned about protecting the health of people who live near the campus. I would think itâs a hard line to walk, though, because many of the businesses in the town (if allowed to be open) likely need the students to shop there in order to stay afloat. Right now, Maine has a very conservative stance on people coming from out of state and they are saying those people entering have to quarantine for 14 days. The governor has even floated that idea to continue through August. So, when I see posters say that states that havenât been affected by the virus that much should be able to open their colleges, I donât see it that way. Maine has done pretty well and wants to keep it that way and bringing kids in from all over the US is not a way to keep Mainers safe. I just hope Bates, Colby, and Bowdoin all make the same decision since they are in identical situations.