Pandemic U
If you or your college student thought that going to college would somehow still be “normal,” I feel bad. I imagine your kid is extremely lonely and complaining about online courses. I imagine you as a parent are seeking out support from other parents whose college students are not having the traditional college experience you hoped they would get to have. That, or you are feeling duped by the university. Your child was set to have a roommate, at least one of their classes were online, and maybe at the time there was still college athletics on the books. Now that they are moved in, their roommate decided to defer or just not enroll. As for their classes, maybe they had some in-person initially, but less than a month in the university is making changes and has shifted to have all courses online. And the icing on the cake is that sports (or any social gathering for that matter) just are not happening.
So how do you help your young adult?
That is a great question. I would start by answering with a question: “what is your kid doing to figure it out for themselves?” As a parent of a college student this is where you can start to really step back and allow them to figure out their own life. If they are struggling, just listen. Allow them to take the initiative to making online classes more engaging. Allow them to problem-solve how they will feel less lonely in their residence hall. And allow them to navigate how to get connected socially in a very strict physically distanced world.
As someone who saw the writing on the wall for “Pandemic U” in Fall 2020, I’m sorry that no one alerted you or your child in how Fall 2020 was going to look different than a typical college experience. Now that you are disappointed and feeling helpless in supporting your young adult, all I can recommend is to let them work it out until the end of the semester. If it was not fun, stimulating, or a worthwhile financial investment, then do something else come spring. College will be there when this pandemic is over. If your kid wants to enroll then, then great! If they decide they don’t want to go back to college at all, then that it also great! The world needs people who are healthy, creative, and resilient. Let your child figure out where they stand while they are studying at Pandemic U.
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
