"First choice, I passed but I gave up" Corona seriously America is June 2 19:36
"September enrollment" is generally the United States. On June 1, American high school students celebrated an important day in choosing their future path. "Decision Day" = "Decision Day". Students who want to go on to university will decide where to go by this day, but due to the effect of the new coronavirus, “a change” is occurring now. Many high school students are forced to change lanes due to financial reasons and uncertainties about the future.
What is your reason for giving up and giving up?
High school students in the U.S. receive a notice of acceptance around March every year, and decide where to go to school by May 1.However, due to the spread of infection, many universities have a "decision day" of one month. It was postponed.
Julian Jordan, a high school student in San Francisco, Western California, also made the decision to change course during this time.
Mr. Jordan has passed two schools, a private university in east Boston and a local public university, for his extracurricular activities such as academic achievement and documentary work on environmental issues.
The first choice is a private university in Boston. After passing the exam, I decided to go to university, feel the atmosphere of the campus, listen directly to professors and students, and finally make a decision.
However, just around that time, the infection with the new coronavirus spread in the United States. I decided to give up visiting because I thought it would be risky to fly to Boston, which is about 4,000 kilometers away from home.
Even at the local university, the tour for the successful applicants was canceled every year, and I could only go to see the campus by car.
Mr. Jordan decided to give up on his first choice of university and go on to a local public university after he was worried about the limitations of his decision.
The decisive factor was the problem of high school fees.
A private university in Boston costs $70,000 a year. On the other hand, local public universities cost $10,000, with a difference of $60,000. The Japanese yen amounts to about 6 million yen.
Mr. Jordan:
"In the United States, there is a huge problem with student loans, and no one can predict what will happen in the future, and I think it is more important than not having a large debt. Is held online, and the class can change a lot, so what the experience at university will be like rolling a dice. Sen"
How do you change course? Why do you feel anxious?
Many junior high school students have been forced to change course. A survey company in eastern Maryland interviewed 1,171 US high school students who were about to graduate in late April, and found that about 20% of students said they changed their course due to the new coronavirus. Went up to.
Then, how did the students who answered that they changed their course? Below is a breakdown.
<How did you change course? >
-Change to a course that allows you to earn a degree by taking a few credits... 34%.
・Wait for the timing of admission until next spring, not in fall... 17%.
・One year off from school... 16%.
・Change from 4-year colleges to 2-year colleges... 16%
It was found that there are not a few students who choose to enroll in next spring after delaying one semester instead of entering in September.
Even when I enter in September, I may not be able to live a meaningful campus life without knowing when the university will reopen in earnest. Then, it seems that he is thinking of waiting until the situation has settled down.
Also, if online classes continue, more and more students are starting to enter a two-year community college, which has a low tuition fee, and then move on to a four-year university.
In the same survey, 65% of students answered that they were worried about going to the university of their choice.
The following is a breakdown of that "anxiety".
<Why feel uneasy about going to the university of your choice>
・It may be difficult to go to school due to financial reasons at home...27%
・I couldn't have an accommodation experience to visit the university...20%
- corresponding to the active students and admissions prospective is not preferable ... 9%
, family or myself there is anxiety on the health ... 8%
a decrease in household assets associated with, such as parents of unemployment and falling stock prices, Shiboko It turns out that many students are worried that they will have to change their. In addition, the fact that the new coronavirus epidemic is preventing us from seeing the university with our own eyes is another cause of concern. For these reasons, more and more students in the United States are now aspiring to enter public universities rather than private universities. It is expected that more and more students will choose a university close to their parents' home in order to gain health considerations and a sense of security.
Spreading tuition fees even among active university students
On the other hand, among active college students, there is a growing backlash over the ideal tuition fees.
Rosie Oganesian, a freshman at the University of California, Irvine. One hour after he got a call from the university that he would stop classes due to the spread of infection, he says he started a signature campaign to return some of the tuition fees.
Her major is bioscience. However, all university classes have been online since March, and I have not been able to perform experiments satisfactorily.
Oganesian's parents are immigrants from the former Soviet Armenia. Since I've been burdening my family so far, I couldn't be satisfied with paying the same amount of tuition fees as I used to, just using online classes.
Many people sympathized with Mr. Oganesian's site, saying, "I didn't give a class, but I didn't want any more student loans," and "I don't have to pay the full amount." Exceeded.
These signing campaigns are spreading not only to Mr. Oganesian's university but also to various places. Dissatisfaction with the high tuition has grown into a class action lawsuit.
A law firm in South Carolina, South Carolina, has opened a special site named "College Refund 2020 (Tuition Payment Repayment 2020)". We are looking for students to participate in class actions. According to Bloomberg, a leading media outlet, there are already thousands of suspected students and parents nationwide, and there are moves to file class action suits against at least 50 universities.
Management deterioration due to sharp decrease in international students
Universities are also facing a difficult reality. A large number of students are refraining from admitting to four-year colleges or giving up on entering the university themselves, and income such as enrollment fees and tuition fees is expected to decline significantly.
The number of foreign students is drastically decreasing. The United States accepts about one million international students each year. Many of them pay higher tuition fees than local students, which is why it is said to be a “skeleton of university management”. If we cannot secure the international students, we could be seriously hit.
In addition, the state government is cutting education-related budgets as a result of reduced tax revenues.
Professor Kirty Cerry, who is involved in setting the selection criteria for admission at California State University, which boasts one of the largest student numbers in the United States, predicts that early fall enrollment will drop by up to 25%. I made it clear. Even among active students, we expect more students to take leave or leave school.
Professor Kirty Serie
"In addition to students, families have lost their jobs, and in many households it is a more urgent matter how to eat rather than college."
20% of American universities are in danger of closing
As a result, some universities have been forced to close.
McMurray College, a traditional school in the Midwest Illinois, began its 174-year history in May due to the deterioration of business.
In addition, Johns Hopkins University, which is well-known for its medical research and is well-known for compiling the number of people infected with the new coronavirus in the world, also received a net loss of 100 million yen or more than 10 billion yen this fiscal year. I anticipate.
Professor Zemsky of the University of Pennsylvania, who analyzes statistical data about the business conditions of American universities, points out that 20% of universities in the United States are in danger of closing.
Universities are desperate to try to secure students by this means. Appeal to students by increasing scholarships and enhancing online campus tours. For international students as well, we have taken a flexible approach, such as expanding the range of choices by shifting the admission period and adopting a method of teaching online. They are trying to keep students connected and improve their management.
Universities struggling with safety measures
Indispensable for the rehabilitation of university management is the full-scale restart of classes. For that reason, many universities are focusing on safety measures.
We are trying to eliminate anxiety of students by thoroughly tracking infected people and thorough antibody testing.For example, prestigious Brown University obliges to wear a mask on campus, and large classes should be done online for the time being. I am considering.
California State University has already announced that it will continue to teach online rather than face-to-face in the fall.
Robert Franeck, editor-in-chief of Princeton Review, a major American company that provides information on university entrance exams, believes that the new coronavirus will revolutionize the way universities teach themselves.
Robert Franeck
“In the future, many universities will take the “hybrid method” that combines face-to-face lessons and online lessons. In the era before the new coronavirus spread to universities There is no return.''
The United States is in a situation where youths' educational opportunities may be robbed. This issue is expected to be an important issue even in the presidential election this fall, and the entire society is now being questioned how to prepare an educational environment for the young people who will lead the country in the future.
Jun Oikawa, Los Angeles Bureau Chief
International Department Reporter
Anno Okano
International Department Reporter
Misaki Fujii
International Department reporter
Kozue Hamamoto