Western Pa. high school students struggle to make college plans during pandemic

Lydia Musser had her heart set on attending college outside of Pennsylvania. The Kiski Area senior, 18, had campus visits scheduled throughout March at East Carolina University, the University of Tampa and West Virginia University.

Then, all of her visits were canceled. She’s now planning to attend Duquesne University instead, staying close to home and on a campus that she’s seen before, “at least for one semester.” She might transfer later on, she said.

“It almost felt like I was settling,” she said, after spending so much time researching schools, talking to current students and working to get a desirable SAT score. “It’s been kind of upsetting, but I can’t do much about it.”

Picking a college is the biggest decision most 18-year-olds will make, and the first major step toward independence. But as universities navigate the pandemic, uncertain if they can return to face-to-face instruction in the fall, that decision is now much more complicated.

“For all the work they’ve done to figure things out and make hard decisions to begin with, and now they’re making decisions based on unknowns,” said Karen Litzinger, a Pittsburgh-based career and college counselor. “It’s an impossible situation, really.”

Litzinger said she’s expecting many area students to delay college with a gap year so they can work and help lessen their families’ financial burden during the pandemic. Others will opt to stay closer to home when they had planned to leave Pennsylvania, and more will find community college more appealing for online instruction.

They’ll be following a national trend. Surveys by college advisory groups show thousands of students rethinking their college choices, citing concerns over digital-only semesters, pandemic-related financial issues and more. According to one poll, more than 25% think covid-19 will impact their college decision, and nearly as many are rethinking plans to attend college altogether.

Other metrics suggest fewer students are preparing for college. As of April 10, data from the National College Attainment Network shows completion of FAFSA (the application for federal student aid) is down nearly 2.5% from the same time last year. In Pennsylvania, the decline is steeper — a 5.5% decrease.

Even for students who are still planning to attend, the decision process has become much harder.

Even now, nearing the end of her school year, Musser’s choice doesn’t feel final. She might change her mind if public restrictions continue into the fall and Duquesne joins the long list of universities planning another semester online. The University of Pittsburgh announced two weeks ago it was preparing for a “hybrid semester,” operating with smaller class gatherings and online courses.

“Since Duquesne is so expensive,” she said, “it might just be cheaper to go to a community college and do that online.”

That will likely be a common decision among students, said Litzinger, who has always recommended community college as an inexpensive path to a four-year college. If restrictions on gathering in classrooms and campuses remain in place, community college learning is even more appealing, she said.

Small colleges that are close to home may also become more popular. Madison Utiss, 18, a senior at Springdale High School, had narrowed down her decision between Westminster College, in New Wilmington, and Gannon University, in Erie. She wanted to stay close to home, but she was leaning toward Gannon.

Both schools had a program for her major, information systems, but she was intrigued by all of the travel and study abroad programs Gannon offered.

“This is something that I was looking forward to, but now it’s not going to be available as readily as I thought it was going to be,” Utiss said.

Without that asset, her decision became clear: She’s committing to attend Westminster. She had always liked the small community at the school and its proximity to her home in Cheswick. With all of the uncertainty and danger posed by covid-19, those qualities are even more appealing now, Uttis said.

Juniors up in the air

The pandemic is not just affecting high school seniors. Juniors may also feel the long-term effects of the pandemic. They aren’t able to meet with advisers, go on college visits or meet recruiters. SAT and ACT testing is delayed, and their extracurricular and sports activities — important items on a college application — are all canceled.

David Zilli, principal of Greensburg Salem High School, said these are the students he’s most worried about — kids who are early in their college search and rely on spring of their junior year to take standardized tests and fill their resume.

“It’s tough to give them a whole lot of advice,” Zilli said, “because there’s not a lot they can do right now.”

Greensburg Salem is trying to improve students’ access to online tools to help them look for schools, as well as scholarship opportunities. Zilli said he’s driven around nearby college campuses with his son, a junior, trying to “think outside the box” for makeshift, socially distanced campus tours. He encouraged students to plan ahead, doing all the research they can so that they’re ready when society reopens.

At Burrell High School, Principal John Boylan said the guidance department sent out a senior survey last week to learn about students’ plans after graduation. About half have responded so far, and it seems like most of those haven’t altered their decision to attend a four-year residential college, Boylan said.

Still, he said, through regular meetings on Google Meets, it’s clear seniors feel “slighted” out of the senior year they expected. Many are bracing to work online through their first semester of college, and are wondering if the financial burden will be worth it. It’s a huge decision, Boylan said, so the uncertainty of the moment can be even more taxing.

“I know that decision is the most difficult you have to make, because it sets the trajectory for the remainder of your educational career, but it’s not one that’s permanent,” he said. “We all have to learn to live in a world very flexibly.”

‘Expect the unexpected’

Overall, covid-19 is making what is already a difficult decision for adolescents all the more complicated. Litzinger’s advice: Use the opportunity to reflect.

“The reality is seniors are so focused on getting into college, they often aren’t stepping back,” Litzinger said. “As students evaluate doing something differently and if they choose to delay or go part time at community college, it’s very important to use some of this time to do some soul searching about their careers and choice of majors.”

Utiss thinks this year’s senior class has had a greater challenge than previous ones. They’ve had to “look deeper,” anticipating a fall semester no one had ever imagined. She never thought her choice would be influenced by a public health crisis.

“I think it’s important for anyone going to be a senior this year or thinking about going to college,” Utiss said. “Be real and expect the unexpected. Just be ready for everything.”