A Response from Seniors in Their Last Semester Under Quarantine
By: Sarah Arnold
As the coronavirus continues to spread closing schools nationwide, college seniors are being affected through financials, online courses, graduation and jobs.
For Kent State, classes have already been let out for the summer, sort of, just online. Class cancellations have disrupted seniors in ways that leave students scrambling to figure out their next move and what this means for jobs.
For Kent State, classes have already been let out for the summer, sort of, just online. Class cancellations have disrupted seniors in ways that leave students scrambling to figure out their next move and what this means for jobs.
Online Learning
Over 55.1 million students have been impacted across the United States by school closures. 81 percent of universities have moved entirely online for the remainder of the semester and 23 percent has moved online for summer classes, according to the American Association for Collegiate Registrars. Many of these schools were supposed to just be suspended until mid-April but have been moved entirely online for the remainder of the year. In-class meetings being suspended and moved entirely online, might seem like a dream to some students, but many of these classes are not structured to be online. Students with hands-on majors such as, biology, aeronautics and performing arts can make it close to impossible to learn virtually. According to a survey from the American Association for Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, 27 percent of universities are giving students the choice to to change their courses to a pass/fail equivalent. Microbiology major, Matthew Sunthimer, lost opportunities that were to determine his future career. He worked in Dr. Jennifer McDoughno’s lab at Kent State researching cures for multiple sclerosis in rats. He was just in the middle of making strides with his research when the lab shut down due to Kent moving online.
“It was a shock, hugely disappointing,” Sunthimer said over the phone. “I lost out on a big opportunity that determined my acceptance into graduate school. This and the symposium at the end of the semester presenting my research was my ticket into a graduate program.”
Losing out on experiences is not the only thing students are facing, many think that learning online is hindering there learning. Professors have had to completely change their curriculum so that it can adapt to online learning. This can come with difficulties facing technology. Some students may not have adequate internet connection and with the university library being closed, many students might run into problems attending virtual classes.
“I have had to move home where we don’t have great WIFI,” Sunthimer said. “During zoom lectures I sometimes can’t get enough connection to even attend it and just reading through lecture slides is confusing and I feel like I’m not actually even learning anything.”
Careers
The suspension of classes for the remaining of the semester, projectiled senior college students into their professional lives early. With little to no preparation, seniors are being forced to consider the fact that they might have to look for a job during a recession and what it means for making connections with potential companies. Jessica Goodwin, a journalism student, said that it is already difficult to get your foot in the door within the industry let alone trying to do it when less and less companies are hiring right now.
“I feel like it is unfair,” Goodwin said over the phone. “I don’t know what I’m going to do now that everything is basically at a halt and my job search will probably be pushed back a few months.”
Networking when events and gatherings have been put on hold has also pushed students career search back. Many career fields are filled with a lot of uncertainty during this time, especially if the U.S. goes into a recession. Soon-to-be graduated students wonder how they can pursue interviews when the rest of the staff is working from home. Phone interviews and Zoom meetings have been on the rise, but has its disadvantages. For starters, potential hires will miss out on the opportunity to get a feel for the office, people and its culture. The recruiter is also unable to see the body language of the person being interviewed which can be a crucial aspect because this can speak more than words. With virtual and phone interviews, the chemistry that may be there is lost. The candidate’s full personality cannot be seen or felt over technology. Hand gestures, eye contact and facial expressions are all apart of the process when getting hired rather than just having the qualifications of the job. Goodwin said that she had been making many connections before the coronavirus hit and felt good about entering the professional world but now has a different mindset.
“It’s very unfortunate to be a graduating senior at this time,” Goodwin said. “It was already difficult enough to find a job and this situation is making it about ten times harder. I feel like I am not getting anywhere networking right now because no one knows what the future holds.”
Graduation
Overnight college students were told to pack up their things and head home to quarantine. Classes were moved online, events were cancelled and graduation was postponed. For seniors this is something to look forward to for four years and it was taken away with seemingly with no warning. For many, by the time a new date for commencement rolls around students will have already been moved out of their on- campus living arrangements which may leave it difficult for them to come back walk across the stage. According to the American Association for Collegiate Registrars and Administration, 47 percent of colleges have canceled their graduation ceremonies, 14 percent have pushed it back to a later date and 12 percent have moved to a virtual option. Nicole Miller, microbiology major, said that she really had to process the fact that she may not ever be able to wear her cap and gown to celebrate her success.
“I don’t know what two or three months look like from now,” said Miller over the phone. “I also live a couple of hours away from Kent so I have no idea if its feasible for me to come back for commencement. It’s heartbreaking.”
Seniors are mourning their “lasts” earlier than expected. Their last bar crawl, their last college sports event and their last college class as their undergraduate career comes to a close under quarantine. Future graduates went from dreaming of receiving their diplomas in front of their family and friends to waiting for the mailman to deliver.
“If I would of known that that Tuesday in March would of been my last class I’d ever attend, I think have enjoyed it more,” Miller laughed. “I know all this isn’t happening to make us miserable, but we all went from being excited to this year to it all being taken away from us. I will celebrating graduation from afar this year, maybe I’ll wear my cap and gown to a nice dinner.”