With COVID-19 (coronavirus) targeting the U.S. and the majority of the world, the government has officially enforced a quarantine on all residents leading to the shut-down of high schools and colleges across the nation. Students and teachers have resorted to remote-learning from home, emptying all school campuses throughout the U.S. 

Unfortunately for the class of 2020, the quarantine has shut down all college campuses and college tours, making it hard for students to decide where they want to attend for the upcoming fall semester. 

Because many students were hoping to tour schools during spring break, their plans are left stranded due to the global pandemic. 

“It is really unfortunate that this has to happen this year because going to college is a major life decision and because my top schools are on the other side of the country, the virtual tours don’t really help me get the vibe of the school,” said Charlotte Whiting (‘20). 

The feel of a college is very important to prospective students because this will be their home for the next four years. If students are unable to step foot on campus, it is very hard to decide which school is the right one. 

“I had already planned to go visit during spring break but now I definitely can’t go, so now I have to enroll in a college without any idea of what it looks like,” said Whiting. 

However, there are many alternatives to checking out a school that students can access. Students are able to watch virtual tours on Youtube or on the school website. Students can also contact older students who attend that university to gain more information on if the school will be the right fit for them. 

“Some alternatives to touring can either be online tours, research on the weather to see what the climate and environment is like, and maybe a schedule of the different student activities students can participate in. However, I don’t think these would be the same as the usual tour, but it’s not totally useless given the situation,” said John Venzon (‘20). 

Because students are unable to visit campuses during this time, many are just evaluating the quality of education at each school instead of the location

“The coronavirus completely stopped my plans of visiting the colleges I hoped to visit which was pretty sad and frustrating. In terms of deciding, I’m going to pick the college with the best program best suited for the major I applied for. Because people are basing their experience off the touring alternatives, I think it will be helpful but shouldn’t be focused on. People are going to choose colleges that are better for their finances and majors instead of the actual place,” said Venzon. 

Recently, there has been talk about certain schools delaying the decision date to June 1st in order to give students more time to decide where they would like to attend. According to the Washington Post, here is a list of colleges postponing the deadline to accept admission offers due to the coronavirus. This list will be updated as time goes on.

As for now, the class of 2020 seniors must use other sources to learn more about their prospective colleges in this unprecedented time.