If I knew all classes would be online after just three weeks, my kid would be staying home, and it would have nothing to do with “bubble wrap”.
It would be not wanting to pay room and board for my kid to be taking online classes on campus and eating a boxed lunch alone in his room.To me that is just pointless and a waste of money.
Luckily, my S agrees.
Or getting away from the parents.
I think many here are willing to sign-off on the risk of sending kids back as long as there are some types of protocols in-place like social distancing, hand washing, no gatherings, etc. Life is a risk. I’m not a lawyer but I’m not sure this could be litigated.
What I’m more concerned about is the response by colleges if there is an outbreak. Will they notify people or keep it under wraps? How or will they quarantine students? Will they notify parents if their kids gets sick? At what point would they go all online or send kids home? I would think this is where litigation could come into play.
I’m also of the view that the coronavirus will spread to some, if not many, campuses in the fall, and there will be a repeat of what happened in the spring at some of these campuses with less than adequate preparations. However, if my son is invited back to the campus (not a given; his college hasn’t made an announcement yet), he’d almost certainly decide to go back. He’s an adult and any final decision affecting his life rests with him. I’ll make sure he’s prepared to deal with all possible scenarios and do what I can to help him prepare. Fortunately, his college is very deliberate and responsible so I’m fairly relaxed. I also expect very limited social interactions on his campus in the fall.
Every school is saying that online is a real possibility and they’re preparing for it. It’s not that colleges are misleading families. It’s that families are only hearing what they want to hear.
D18 goes to school in Orlando. No matter what her school does, there will be outbreaks. So many kids work at the theme parks, there is no bubble. We joke that if she goes back it will be for the Covid-19 experience. If her classes are online, she can go back, if she pays! FOMO is not a reason to pay for a dorm, so the kids can sit and take online classes.
In talking with her friends who go to different schools, they all laugh when I ask if they think their schools can keep them “safe”. They say no one will follow the rules. Wear masks- yes, not have parties- um, those are happening. I agree, when you have nothing to do, you are going to hang out with people.
only select seniors and freshmen going back to Bowdoin.
https://www.bowdoin.edu/president/writings-and-addresses/messages-to-the-community/2020/june-22.html
@homerdog - I’m sorry! How is your student feeling?
Our S19 is a Bowdoin sophmore. Although he will be crushed to hear that they are not going back in the fall, I believe that President Rose made the right decision. His message to parents and students appears in the link posted by homerdog and is an example of a clear and highly considered policy.
This year is a challenge to all. Hang in there everyone!
@homerdog Oh my gosh. Amherst has said that most of our classes will be largely in-person. Bates and Colby are bringing all of their students back. I have to wonder, what is so different for Bowdoin.
Yeah, that’s the risk. It may or may not happen. That’s really beyond our and their control. As Dr. Fauci says “the virus decides the timeline”.
Colleges could go all online or even send kids home in the fall. You could get stuck paying for room and board. If that risk isn’t palatable then your decision is made. Go to a local college or take a gap year. Until S20 got into one of his top choices that was our opinion as well. He was going to one of our state flagships.
I’m sorry.
At least they are being blunt and honest so your son can make plans.
@momofsenior1 well it’s brand new news but he’s angry. Why would other NESCACs go back? Why would going back in the spring be any better? And his classes were already good remote classes so he doesn’t see how they will improve like they insist they will for fall. Maybe Bowdoin knows something we don’t? That some NESCACs’ plans to have kids back are very tentative and could possibly change before Aug? Lots of questions. Town hall tomorrow.
All of S19’s high school friends are going back. Fall will be depressing here no matter his choice at this point.
We need to listen to the town hall and S19 needs to talk to his Bowdoin friends.
I have asked my sophomore son if he would go back if all classes are online and he said yes. I will pay the R and B for him to go as well. Living at home , he is a hermit and needs peers his own age. He will be living with 3 roommates and his own bedroom. Even in the spring we considered having him live off campus in an apartment to finish his studies.
My Senior D will be living off campus and has 4 more classes to graduate. She needs to in her city school and feels that finding a job/full time internship for the spring will be easier there (even if remote) than from here. Also both my kids have merit scholarships and waiting to hear about aid.
If my child was attending Harvard/Bowdoin/etc as a full pay parent the discussion of a gap year or semester would be in play. But that totally depends on the student and what other things could they accomplish; how important is being on campus
So that makes it sound as though the NESCAC may still have fall sports, only without Bowdoin.
@TheGFG NESCAC has not decided on sports yet officially so Bowdoin could not speak for them in this letter. We have heard from other students at other NESCACS that fall competitions are off so I think that just hasn’t been communicated by NESCAC yet. Not sure why. I think they were thinking that maybe teams could still practice with their coaches if kids go back to campus. All conjecture right now.
The only issue, and it’s a big one, is he doesn’t address what gets Bowdoin back to normalcy. Is it a vaccine? A therapeutic? Herd Immunity? If so, it could be years before things get back to normal there.
Edited to add: I also don’t understand why all singles, seems not based on science. D19 also attends Bowdoin.
It’s basically an economic decision. Bowdoin has looked at what it will cost to keep the students, staff, and community safe and weighing that against the likelihood of closures and the quality of the experience. They want to be open, but it’s just not worth it.
Well I would think there would be more schools making this decision then?
What I also don’t understand is the Bates College president said on a Zoom call last Monday that they were bringing all their students back and the other NESCACs were thinking the same thing. Did Bowdoin change their minds at the last-minute?