students essay on covid 19

Writing about COVID-19 in a college admission essay

by: Venkates Swaminathan | Updated: September 14, 2020

Print article

Writing about COVID-19 in your college admission essay

For students applying to college using the CommonApp, there are several different places where students and counselors can address the pandemic’s impact. The different sections have differing goals. You must understand how to use each section for its appropriate use.

The CommonApp COVID-19 question

First, the CommonApp this year has an additional question specifically about COVID-19 :

Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is yours to describe those impacts. Colleges care about the effects on your health and well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans, and education, including access to reliable technology and quiet study spaces. Please use this space to describe how these events have impacted you.

This question seeks to understand the adversity that students may have had to face due to the pandemic, the move to online education, or the shelter-in-place rules. You don’t have to answer this question if the impact on you wasn’t particularly severe. Some examples of things students should discuss include:

The student or a family member had COVID-19 or suffered other illnesses due to confinement during the pandemic.
The candidate had to deal with personal or family issues, such as abusive living situations or other safety concerns
The student suffered from a lack of internet access and other online learning challenges.
Students who dealt with problems registering for or taking standardized tests and AP exams.

Jeff Schiffman of the Tulane University admissions office has a blog about this section. He recommends students ask themselves several questions as they go about answering this section:

Are my experiences different from others’?
Are there noticeable changes on my transcript?
Am I aware of my privilege?
Am I specific? Am I explaining rather than complaining?
Is this information being included elsewhere on my application?

If you do answer this section, be brief and to-the-point.

Counselor recommendations and school profiles

Second, counselors will, in their counselor forms and school profiles on the CommonApp, address how the school handled the pandemic and how it might have affected students, specifically as it relates to:

Grading scales and policies
Graduation requirements
Instructional methods
Schedules and course offerings
Testing requirements
Your academic calendar
Other extenuating circumstances

Students don’t have to mention these matters in their application unless something unusual happened.

Writing about COVID-19 in your main essay

Write about your experiences during the pandemic in your main college essay if your experience is personal, relevant, and the most important thing to discuss in your college admission essay. That you had to stay home and study online isn’t sufficient, as millions of other students faced the same situation. But sometimes, it can be appropriate and helpful to write about something related to the pandemic in your essay. For example:

One student developed a website for a local comic book store. The store might not have survived without the ability for people to order comic books online. The student had a long-standing relationship with the store, and it was an institution that created a community for students who otherwise felt left out.
One student started a YouTube channel to help other students with academic subjects he was very familiar with and began tutoring others.
Some students used their extra time that was the result of the stay-at-home orders to take online courses pursuing topics they are genuinely interested in or developing new interests, like a foreign language or music.

Experiences like this can be good topics for the CommonApp essay as long as they reflect something genuinely important about the student. For many students whose lives have been shaped by this pandemic, it can be a critical part of their college application.

Want more? Read 6 ways to improve a college essay , What the &%$! should I write about in my college essay , and Just how important is a college admissions essay? .

Homes Nearby

Homes for rent and sale near schools

Why the worry about Critical Race Theory in schools?

How our schools are (and aren't) addressing race

The truth about homework in America

What should I write my college essay about?

What the #%@!& should I write about in my college essay?

Yes! Sign me up for updates relevant to my child's grade.

Please enter a valid email address

Thank you for signing up!

Server Issue: Please try again later. Sorry for the inconvenience

45,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Meet top uk universities from the comfort of your home, here’s your new year gift, one app for all your, study abroad needs, start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more.

Verification Code

An OTP has been sent to your registered mobile no. Please verify

Thanks for your comment !

Our team will review it before it's shown to our readers.

School Education /

Essay On Covid-19: 100, 200 and 300 Words

Updated on
Apr 30, 2024

COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus, is a global pandemic that has affected people all around the world. It first emerged in a lab in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 and quickly spread to countries around the world. This virus was reportedly caused by SARS-CoV-2. Since then, it has spread rapidly to many countries, causing widespread illness and impacting our lives in numerous ways. This blog talks about the details of this virus and also drafts an essay on COVID-19 in 100, 200 and 300 words for students and professionals.

Table of Contents

1 Essay On COVID-19 in English 100 Words
2 Essay On COVID-19 in 200 Words
3 Essay On COVID-19 in 300 Words
4 Short Essay on Covid-19

Essay On COVID-19 in English 100 Words

COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, is a global pandemic. It started in late 2019 and has affected people all around the world. The virus spreads very quickly through someone’s sneeze and respiratory issues.

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on our lives, with lockdowns, travel restrictions, and changes in daily routines. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, we should wear masks, practice social distancing, and wash our hands frequently.

People should follow social distancing and other safety guidelines and also learn the tricks to be safe stay healthy and work the whole challenging time.

Also Read: National Safe Motherhood Day 2023

Essay On COVID-19 in 200 Words

COVID-19 also known as coronavirus, became a global health crisis in early 2020 and impacted mankind around the world. This virus is said to have originated in Wuhan, China in late 2019. It belongs to the coronavirus family and causes flu-like symptoms. It impacted the healthcare systems, economies and the daily lives of people all over the world.

The most crucial aspect of COVID-19 is its highly spreadable nature. It is a communicable disease that spreads through various means such as coughs from infected persons, sneezes and communication. Due to its easy transmission leading to its outbreaks, there were many measures taken by the government from all over the world such as Lockdowns, Social Distancing, and wearing masks.

There are many changes throughout the economic systems, and also in daily routines. Other measures such as schools opting for Online schooling, Remote work options available and restrictions on travel throughout the country and internationally. Subsequently, to cure and top its outbreak, the government started its vaccine campaigns, and other preventive measures.

In conclusion, COVID-19 tested the patience and resilience of the mankind. This pandemic has taught people the importance of patience, effort and humbleness.

Essay On COVID-19 in 300 Words

COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, is a serious and contagious disease that has affected people worldwide. It was first discovered in late 2019 in Cina and then got spread in the whole world. It had a major impact on people’s life, their school, work and daily lives.

COVID-19 is primarily transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets produced and through sneezes, and coughs of an infected person. It can spread to thousands of people because of its highly contagious nature. To cure the widespread of this virus, there are thousands of steps taken by the people and the government.

Wearing masks is one of the essential precautions to prevent the virus from spreading. Social distancing is another vital practice, which involves maintaining a safe distance from others to minimize close contact.

Very frequent handwashing is also very important to stop the spread of this virus. Proper hand hygiene can help remove any potential virus particles from our hands, reducing the risk of infection.

In conclusion, the Coronavirus has changed people’s perspective on living. It has also changed people’s way of interacting and how to live. To deal with this virus, it is very important to follow the important guidelines such as masks, social distancing and techniques to wash your hands. Getting vaccinated is also very important to go back to normal life and cure this virus completely.

Also Read: Essay on Abortion in English in 650 Words

Short Essay on Covid-19

Please find below a sample of a short essay on Covid-19 for school students:

Also Read: Essay on Women’s Day in 200 and 500 words

to write an essay on COVID-19, understand your word limit and make sure to cover all the stages and symptoms of this disease. You need to highlight all the challenges and impacts of COVID-19. Do not forget to conclude your essay with positive precautionary measures.

Writing an essay on COVID-19 in 200 words requires you to cover all the challenges, impacts and precautions of this disease. You don’t need to describe all of these factors in brief, but make sure to add as many options as your word limit allows.

The full form for COVID-19 is Corona Virus Disease of 2019.

Simran Popli

An avid writer and a creative person. With an experience of 1.5 years content writing, Simran has worked with different areas. From medical to working in a marketing agency with different clients to Ed-tech company, the journey has been diverse. Creative, vivacious and patient are the words that describe her personality.

Connect With Us

45,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. take the first step today..

Resend OTP in

Need help with?

Study abroad.

UK, Canada, US & More

IELTS, GRE, GMAT & More

Scholarship, Loans & Forex

Country Preference

New Zealand

Which English test are you planning to take?

Which academic test are you planning to take.

Not Sure yet

When are you planning to take the exam?

Already booked my exam slot

Within 2 Months

Want to learn about the test

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

When do you want to start studying abroad.

January 2024

September 2024

What is your budget to study abroad?

How would you describe this article ?

Please rate this article

We would like to hear more.

Have something on your mind?

Make your study abroad dream a reality in January 2022 with

India's Biggest Virtual University Fair

Essex Direct Admission Day

Why attend .

Don't Miss Out

Today's news
Reviews and deals
Climate change
2024 election
Newsletters
Fall allergies
Health news
Mental health
Sexual health
Family health
So mini ways
Unapologetically
Buying guides

Entertainment

How to Watch
My watchlist
Stock market
Biden economy
Personal finance
Stocks: most active
Stocks: gainers
Stocks: losers
Trending tickers
World indices
US Treasury bonds
Top mutual funds
Highest open interest
Highest implied volatility
Currency converter
Basic materials
Communication services
Consumer cyclical
Consumer defensive
Financial services
Industrials
Real estate
Mutual funds
Credit cards
Balance transfer cards
Cash back cards
Rewards cards
Travel cards
Online checking
High-yield savings
Money market
Home equity loan
Personal loans
Student loans
Options pit
Fantasy football
Pro Pick 'Em
College Pick 'Em
Fantasy baseball
Fantasy hockey
Fantasy basketball
Download the app
Daily fantasy
Scores and schedules
GameChannel
World Baseball Classic
Premier League
CONCACAF League
Champions League
Motorsports
Horse racing

New on Yahoo

Privacy Dashboard

How to Write About the Impact of the Coronavirus in a College Essay

The global impact of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, means colleges and prospective students alike are in for an admissions cycle like no other. Both face unprecedented challenges and questions as they grapple with their respective futures amid the ongoing fallout of the pandemic.

Colleges must examine applicants without the aid of standardized test scores for many -- a factor that prompted many schools to go test-optional for now . Even grades, a significant component of a college application, may be hard to interpret with some high schools adopting pass-fail classes last spring due to the pandemic. Major college admissions factors are suddenly skewed.

"I can't help but think other (admissions) factors are going to matter more," says Ethan Sawyer, founder of the College Essay Guy, a website that offers free and paid essay-writing resources.

College essays and letters of recommendation , Sawyer says, are likely to carry more weight than ever in this admissions cycle. And many essays will likely focus on how the pandemic shaped students' lives throughout an often tumultuous 2020.

[ Read: How to Write a College Essay. ]

But before writing a college essay focused on the coronavirus, students should explore whether it's the best topic for them.

Writing About COVID-19 for a College Application

Much of daily life has been colored by the coronavirus. Virtual learning is the norm at many colleges and high schools, many extracurriculars have vanished and social lives have stalled for students complying with measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.

"For some young people, the pandemic took away what they envisioned as their senior year," says Robert Alexander, dean of admissions, financial aid and enrollment management at the University of Rochester in New York. "Maybe that's a spot on a varsity athletic team or the lead role in the fall play. And it's OK for them to mourn what should have been and what they feel like they lost, but more important is how are they making the most of the opportunities they do have?"

That question, Alexander says, is what colleges want answered if students choose to address COVID-19 in their college essay.

But the question of whether a student should write about the coronavirus is tricky. The answer depends largely on the student.

"In general, I don't think students should write about COVID-19 in their main personal statement for their application," Robin Miller, master college admissions counselor at IvyWise, a college counseling company, wrote in an email.

"Certainly, there may be exceptions to this based on a student's individual experience, but since the personal essay is the main place in the application where the student can really allow their voice to be heard and share insight into who they are as an individual, there are likely many other topics they can choose to write about that are more distinctive and unique than COVID-19," Miller says.

[ Read: What Colleges Look for: 6 Ways to Stand Out. ]

Opinions among admissions experts vary on whether to write about the likely popular topic of the pandemic.

"If your essay communicates something positive, unique, and compelling about you in an interesting and eloquent way, go for it," Carolyn Pippen, principal college admissions counselor at IvyWise, wrote in an email. She adds that students shouldn't be dissuaded from writing about a topic merely because it's common, noting that "topics are bound to repeat, no matter how hard we try to avoid it."

Above all, she urges honesty.

"If your experience within the context of the pandemic has been truly unique, then write about that experience, and the standing out will take care of itself," Pippen says. "If your experience has been generally the same as most other students in your context, then trying to find a unique angle can easily cross the line into exploiting a tragedy, or at least appearing as though you have."

But focusing entirely on the pandemic can limit a student to a single story and narrow who they are in an application, Sawyer says. "There are so many wonderful possibilities for what you can say about yourself outside of your experience within the pandemic."

He notes that passions, strengths, career interests and personal identity are among the multitude of essay topic options available to applicants and encourages them to probe their values to help determine the topic that matters most to them -- and write about it.

That doesn't mean the pandemic experience has to be ignored if applicants feel the need to write about it.

Writing About Coronavirus in Main and Supplemental Essays

Students can choose to write a full-length college essay on the coronavirus or summarize their experience in a shorter form.

To help students explain how the pandemic affected them, The Common App has added an optional section to address this topic. Applicants have 250 words to describe their pandemic experience and the personal and academic impact of COVID-19.

[ Read: The Common App: Everything You Need to Know. ]

"That's not a trick question, and there's no right or wrong answer," Alexander says. Colleges want to know, he adds, how students navigated the pandemic, how they prioritized their time, what responsibilities they took on and what they learned along the way.

If students can distill all of the above information into 250 words, there's likely no need to write about it in a full-length college essay, experts say. And applicants whose lives were not heavily altered by the pandemic may even choose to skip the optional COVID-19 question.

"This space is best used to discuss hardship and/or significant challenges that the student and/or the student's family experienced as a result of COVID-19 and how they have responded to those difficulties," Miller notes. Using the section to acknowledge a lack of impact, she adds, "could be perceived as trite and lacking insight, despite the good intentions of the applicant."

To guard against this lack of awareness, Sawyer encourages students to tap someone they trust to review their writing , whether it's the 250-word Common App response or the full-length essay.

Experts tend to agree that the short-form approach to this as an essay topic works better, but there are exceptions. And if a student does have a coronavirus story that he or she feels must be told, Alexander encourages the writer to be authentic in the essay.

"My advice for an essay about COVID-19 is the same as my advice about an essay for any topic -- and that is, don't write what you think we want to read or hear," Alexander says. "Write what really changed you and that story that now is yours and yours alone to tell."

Sawyer urges students to ask themselves, "What's the sentence that only I can write?" He also encourages students to remember that the pandemic is only a chapter of their lives and not the whole book.

Miller, who cautions against writing a full-length essay on the coronavirus, says that if students choose to do so they should have a conversation with their high school counselor about whether that's the right move. And if students choose to proceed with COVID-19 as a topic, she says they need to be clear, detailed and insightful about what they learned and how they adapted along the way.

"Approaching the essay in this manner will provide important balance while demonstrating personal growth and vulnerability," Miller says.

Pippen encourages students to remember that they are in an unprecedented time for college admissions.

"It is important to keep in mind with all of these (admission) factors that no colleges have ever had to consider them this way in the selection process, if at all," Pippen says. "They have had very little time to calibrate their evaluations of different application components within their offices, let alone across institutions. This means that colleges will all be handling the admissions process a little bit differently, and their approaches may even evolve over the course of the admissions cycle."

Searching for a college? Get our complete rankings of Best Colleges.

Share full article

Supported by

‘When Normal Life Stopped’: College Essays Reflect a Turbulent Year

This year’s admissions essays became a platform for high school seniors to reflect on the pandemic, race and loss.

By Anemona Hartocollis

This year perhaps more than ever before, the college essay has served as a canvas for high school seniors to reflect on a turbulent and, for many, sorrowful year. It has been a psychiatrist’s couch, a road map to a more hopeful future, a chance to pour out intimate feelings about loneliness and injustice.

In response to a request from The New York Times, more than 900 seniors submitted the personal essays they wrote for their college applications. Reading them is like a trip through two of the biggest news events of recent decades: the devastation wrought by the coronavirus, and the rise of a new civil rights movement.

In the wake of the high-profile deaths of Black people like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers, students shared how they had wrestled with racism in their own lives. Many dipped their feet into the politics of protest, finding themselves strengthened by their activism, yet sometimes conflicted.

And in the midst of the most far-reaching pandemic in a century, they described the isolation and loss that have pervaded every aspect of their lives since schools suddenly shut down a year ago. They sought to articulate how they have managed while cut off from friends and activities they had cultivated for years.

To some degree, the students were responding to prompts on the applications, with their essays taking on even more weight in a year when many colleges waived standardized test scores and when extracurricular activities were wiped out.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

Want all of The Times? Subscribe .

BBC World Service

Listen live.

Morning Edition

NPR's Morning Edition takes listeners around the country and the world with two hours of multi-faceted stories and commentaries that inform, challenge and occasionally amuse. Morning Edition is the most listened-to news radio program in the country.

Coronavirus: The world has come together to flatten the curve. Can we stay united to tackle other crises?

Watching the world come together gives me hope for the future, writes mira patel, a high school junior..

Mira Patel and her sister Veda. (Courtesy of Dee Patel)

Part of the series

Coronavirus Pandemic

Introduction

The global outbreak of COVID-19 has certainly taken an overwhelming toll on everyone. People have lost their jobs, their homes, and even their lives. There is no getting past the fact that the overall impact on the world has been negative, but it is important to realize that positive aspects of the pandemic have been overshadowed by the many negative ones. In an attempt to slow the spread of the disease, many governments made the decision to implement lockdowns, forcing billions to work and take classes from home, in many cases for the first times in their lives. Not only have these lockdowns altered the way that people work and go to school, but they have altered the mental health of everyone and the environmental health of the world around us.

Connection to STS Theory

The positive impacts of technology during the pandemic stems from the Modernization Theory, posing that there is a relationship between societal and technological advancements as societies shift to become updated as opposed to traditional. Technology has brought about lots of resistance to COVID that would not have been possible without the drastic advancements in science over the years. Thanks to these advancements, relationships can stay connected, students can continue to learn, jobs can stay open, and the environment can subtly improve. Our modernized world is well enough suited to take on the troubling times that COVID-19 has brought along.

Technology with School – Relates to College Students

Remote learning has allowed each of us to learn from the comfort of our homes. Working remotely has also allowed us to work from our living rooms. The perks of both are not having to wake up early to drive to work in the mornings, not having to sit at an office desk for eight hours a day, and not having to walk to class. Working remotely and remote learning has also been a time saver for many individuals.

According to Business Insider, there are a few tips that will help students be successful while being virtual. One tip is to clean your workspace. It is important to have a space, just like you would at a desk in a classroom, to ensure that you are paying attention to the professor. It is always important to engage with your professor. It is important to contact your professor outside of the class section to ensure that you are retaining the information. Another tip that the Business Insider recommends is to connect with your classmates. It is vital to build connections with your classmates that will help everyone have a comfortable environment to ask questions.

Personal Growth

In March 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak hit the United States. College students were forced to leave their beloved campuses and go home to finish their semesters online. For some, it meant their schoolwork load was lightened and they could sleep until noon. For others, it meant their plans of graduating and having a job for the summer were in jeopardy. Regardless of their situation, one thing was likely the same for all: lots of time alone. Students found things to do to pass the time. Some learned to cook, some started exercising at home, and others had more time to do what they already loved.

Ethan, a student at the University of South Carolina, used the time to start lifting weights in his home gym. In the United States, sales of home gym equipment doubled, reaching nearly $2.4 Billion in revenue. Store shelves were entirely sold out of exercise equipment. Many students like Ethan report that exercising was one of the biggest changes they made during COVID lockdown.

Other students, such as Cam, found an opportunity to get in a better place mentally. “I learned not to take things for granted. My relationship with my family has gotten better. I’m a much stronger person,” the Clemson student reported. Grayson, an athlete at Winthrop University, reported that it made him have a more positive outlook on being by himself. A student that elected to remain anonymous was just happy they could wake up later and not have to brush their teeth as much because of masks. Whether a dentist would approve of that habit or not, an improvement in mental health is a win in anyone’s book.

A select few students decided to challenge themselves in a world where all odds are stacked against them. Dean, a freshman at the University of South Carolina, decided to start his own bracelet and T-Shirt business in a time when small businesses all over the country were facing a grave threat of going out of business. All the while, he learned to play the guitar and uploaded his songs to SoundCloud, he reported.

Whether college students decided to get a six-pack or learned how to sew, almost everyone found something constructive and positive to do with their extra free time. The college students of COVID-19 learned what it meant to make the best of an unfortunate situation. Things may have looked bleak and frightening, but they learned how to manage those feelings and make something positive out of it.

Change in Workforce

Before the pandemic, many companies did not allow employees to work from home. Also, many companies would not even allow employees to take home items, such as laptops, as a safety precaution. According to Stanford Medicine, rapid innovation and implementation of technology has allowed for the employees to navigate the challenges. It states that it is clear that technology has transformed our typical daily workflow. Technology has also made it easier to connect with the patients during the pandemic.

The Pew Research Center states “about half of new teleworkers say they have more flexibility now and that majority who are working in person worry about virus exposure.” In December 2020, 71% of the workers that were surveyed were doing their job from home all or most of the time. Of those workers, more than half said if they were given the choice that they would want to keep working from home even after the pandemic. Among those who are currently working from home, most say that it has been easy to meet deadlines and complete projects on time without interruptions.

Environmental Improvements

Before the COVID-19 outbreak, a typical day consisted of billions of people across the globe commuting to work or school, whether that be through public buses or trains, driving themselves in cars, or some other means of transportation. As all these vehicles were used, immeasurable amounts of gases and chemicals were released into the atmosphere. As infection numbers and the death toll increased, most nations began enforcing lockdown protocols, and these mandates affected almost 3 billion people (Rume & Islam, 2020). Businesses and factories shut down or people began working from home, meaning they no longer needed to drive to work. In an attempt to stunt transmission, the majority of international travel was halted, limiting tourism, which also had a great impact. Since industrialization has advanced in major cities across the globe, the amount of Greenhouse Gases that have been emitted is alarming. Cars, buses, trains, industries, factories all release harmful chemicals due to the burning of fossil fuels or other energy sources. When these pollutants enter the atmosphere, they cause a variety of issues. It decreases overall air quality and visibility, and can be dangerous to those inhali ng the m.

According to research performed by Shakeel Ahmad Bhat and a group of other scientists from India, China, and the United Kingdom, Delhi, India is one of the most polluted cities in the world (Bhat et al, 2021). The city is highly industrialized and densely populated, contributing to the elevated levels of particulate matter in the air. Particulate matter is small pollutant liquid droplets and solid particles in the air (Environmental Protection Agency, 2020). When inhaled, they can burrow deep into the lungs and even the bloodstream and cause serious damage to a person, “particularly respiratory ailments” (Bhat et al, 2021). The two types of particulate matter are PM10 and PM2.5, and their numbers correspond to the size of the particles (their diameters in units of micrometers). The smaller the particle, the more harmful they are. By National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), the level of particulate matter in Delhi is well above the tolerable limits. In 2016 alone, the amount of deaths caused by the poor air quality in India “was approximately 4.2 million” (Bhat et al, 2021).

Lockdowns positively affe cted more than just the air quality around the world; additionally, water quality and beaches were a major beneficiary. Tourism for centuries has led to a significant overuse of beach resources such as fishing and leisure activities, and these in turn led to pollution of the water. If people are using jet skis and boating in lakes or oceans, the fuel and exhaust often leak into the water which can cause significant harm to the wildlife that lives in it. Restricting beach access has allowed them to recover and regain their resources, and has also decreased the pollution levels in the water. The water flowing in the Venice canals are cleaner now than they have been before (Bhat et al, 2021). pH levels, electric conductivity, dissolved oxygen levels, biochemical oxygen demand, and chemical oxygen demand have all decreased as a result of the lockdowns (Rume & Islam, 2020). These decreases all contribute to the fact that overall water quality levels have increased.

Noise pollution is an often-overlooked type of pollution that affects the world, especially in highly urbanized regions. Noise pollution is elevated levels of sound which are typically caused by human activities including transportation, machines, factories, etc. When the noise levels are elevated for extended periods of time, it negatively affects all organisms in the area. It leads to hearing loss, lack of concentration, high stress levels, interrupted sleep, and many other issues in humans. As for the wildlife, their abilities to detect and avoid predators and prey are hindered by noise pollution. It affects the invertebrates responsible for the control of many environmental processes that maintain balance in the ecosystem (Rume & Islam, 2020). When lockdowns were implemented, traveling and transportation stopped, industries shut down, flights were canceled, and people stayed home. The environment was able to recover and the people and organisms within the ecosystem enjoy a higher quality of life as a result.

Reflection Questions

What kinds of positive experiences have you had during the pandemic?
As stated in the chapter, there are many students who spent their time working out or picked up new hobbies. What new things were you able to focus on during the lockdowns?

Bhat, Shakeel Ahmad et al. “Impact of COVID-Related Lockdowns on Environmental and Climate Change Scenarios.” Environmental research 195 (2021): 110839–110839. Web. https://www-sciencedirect-com.libproxy.clemson.edu/science/article/pii/S001393512100133X?via%3Dihub.

DiDonato, S., Forgo, E., & Manella, H. (2020, June 5). Here’s how technology is helping residents during the COVID-19 pandemic . Scope Blog. https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2020/06/04/how-technology-is-helping-residents-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/.

Environmental Protection Agency. (2020, October 1). Particulate Matter (PM) Basics. EPA. https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/particulate-matter-pm-basics.

Merkle, Steffen. “Positive Experiences During COVID-19.” Survey. 18 April 2021.

Parker, K., Horowitz, J. M., & Minkin, R. (2021, February 9). How Coronavirus Has Changed the Way Americans Work . Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/12/09/how-the-coronavirus-outbreak-has-and-hasnt-changed-the-way-americans-work/.

Rume, T., & Islam, S. M. D.-U. (2020, September 17). Environmental effects of COVID-19 pandemic and potential strategies of sustainability. Heliyon. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7498239/#bib42.

Shaban, Hamza. “The Pandemic’s Home-Workout Revolution May Be Here to Stay.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 8 Jan. 2021, www.washingtonpost.com/road-to-recovery/2021/01/07/home-fitness-boom/.

Thompson, K. L. (2021, February 2). I’m a college professor who’s teaching virtually during the pandemic. Here are 7 things my most successful students do on Zoom. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/tips-for-zoom-success-as-remote-student-professor-advice-2021-2.

To the extent possible under law, Yang Wu; Allie Messenger; Arnaut Aguilar; Ashley Bui; Ava Kramer; Ben Jablonski; Blake Busking; Blake Moore; Carrie Pohlman; Brenna Turpin; Brooke Baker; Caroline Edwards; Chris Leroux; Claudia Sisk; Clayton Trentham; Davey Crouch; Eli Packer; Elle Wagner; Eliza Nix; Ellie Vensel; Erin Kennedy; Emily Cleveland; Ethan May; Ethan Hirsch; Frances Laughlin; George Easter; Grace Arnold; Grace D'Egidio; Grace Towe; Hope Wilde; Jack Sanford; Jake Brazinski; Jason McNult; Jason Saadeh; John Fuller; John Griffen; Julia Wood; Kasey Kiser; Katie Herbolsheimer; Katrina Campos; Kerrigan Donnelly; Kierstyn Stevens; Laurence Innes; Luke Dotson; Macey Coulter; Marco Guareschi; Meg Botts; Michael Havasy; Mikel Zoeller; Mitchell Wallin; Patrick Reed; Reagan Beach; Ryan Cook; Ryan Kennedy; Spencer Dalley; Steffen Merkle; Tayler Smith; Thomas Williams; Tim Egan; Tres Key; Tyler Parker; Virginia Lundeen; Will Gosnell; William Carroll; and Zoe Sabbert have waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to COVID 19: A Student Perspective , except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book

Our Mission

Illustration of an achievement gap concept

Covid-19’s Impact on Students’ Academic and Mental Well-Being

The pandemic has revealed—and exacerbated—inequities that hold many students back. Here’s how teachers can help.

The pandemic has shone a spotlight on inequality in America: School closures and social isolation have affected all students, but particularly those living in poverty. Adding to the damage to their learning, a mental health crisis is emerging as many students have lost access to services that were offered by schools.

No matter what form school takes when the new year begins—whether students and teachers are back in the school building together or still at home—teachers will face a pressing issue: How can they help students recover and stay on track throughout the year even as their lives are likely to continue to be disrupted by the pandemic?

New research provides insights about the scope of the problem—as well as potential solutions.

The Achievement Gap Is Likely to Widen

A new study suggests that the coronavirus will undo months of academic gains, leaving many students behind. The study authors project that students will start the new school year with an average of 66 percent of the learning gains in reading and 44 percent of the learning gains in math, relative to the gains for a typical school year. But the situation is worse on the reading front, as the researchers also predict that the top third of students will make gains, possibly because they’re likely to continue reading with their families while schools are closed, thus widening the achievement gap.

To make matters worse, “few school systems provide plans to support students who need accommodations or other special populations,” the researchers point out in the study, potentially impacting students with special needs and English language learners.

Of course, the idea that over the summer students forget some of what they learned in school isn’t new. But there’s a big difference between summer learning loss and pandemic-related learning loss: During the summer, formal schooling stops, and learning loss happens at roughly the same rate for all students, the researchers point out. But instruction has been uneven during the pandemic, as some students have been able to participate fully in online learning while others have faced obstacles—such as lack of internet access—that have hindered their progress.

In the study, researchers analyzed a national sample of 5 million students in grades 3–8 who took the MAP Growth test, a tool schools use to assess students’ reading and math growth throughout the school year. The researchers compared typical growth in a standard-length school year to projections based on students being out of school from mid-March on. To make those projections, they looked at research on the summer slide, weather- and disaster-related closures (such as New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina), and absenteeism.

The researchers predict that, on average, students will experience substantial drops in reading and math, losing roughly three months’ worth of gains in reading and five months’ worth of gains in math. For Megan Kuhfeld, the lead author of the study, the biggest takeaway isn’t that learning loss will happen—that’s a given by this point—but that students will come back to school having declined at vastly different rates.

“We might be facing unprecedented levels of variability come fall,” Kuhfeld told me. “Especially in school districts that serve families with lots of different needs and resources. Instead of having students reading at a grade level above or below in their classroom, teachers might have kids who slipped back a lot versus kids who have moved forward.”

Disproportionate Impact on Students Living in Poverty and Students of Color

Horace Mann once referred to schools as the “great equalizers,” yet the pandemic threatens to expose the underlying inequities of remote learning. According to a 2015 Pew Research Center analysis , 17 percent of teenagers have difficulty completing homework assignments because they do not have reliable access to a computer or internet connection. For Black students, the number spikes to 25 percent.

“There are many reasons to believe the Covid-19 impacts might be larger for children in poverty and children of color,” Kuhfeld wrote in the study. Their families suffer higher rates of infection, and the economic burden disproportionately falls on Black and Hispanic parents, who are less likely to be able to work from home during the pandemic.

Although children are less likely to become infected with Covid-19, the adult mortality rates, coupled with the devastating economic consequences of the pandemic, will likely have an indelible impact on their well-being.

Impacts on Students’ Mental Health

That impact on well-being may be magnified by another effect of school closures: Schools are “the de facto mental health system for many children and adolescents,” providing mental health services to 57 percent of adolescents who need care, according to the authors of a recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics . School closures may be especially disruptive for children from lower-income families, who are disproportionately likely to receive mental health services exclusively from schools.

“The Covid-19 pandemic may worsen existing mental health problems and lead to more cases among children and adolescents because of the unique combination of the public health crisis, social isolation, and economic recession,” write the authors of that study.

A major concern the researchers point to: Since most mental health disorders begin in childhood, it is essential that any mental health issues be identified early and treated. Left untreated, they can lead to serious health and emotional problems. In the short term, video conferencing may be an effective way to deliver mental health services to children.

Mental health and academic achievement are linked, research shows. Chronic stress changes the chemical and physical structure of the brain, impairing cognitive skills like attention, concentration, memory, and creativity. “You see deficits in your ability to regulate emotions in adaptive ways as a result of stress,” said Cara Wellman, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at Indiana University in a 2014 interview . In her research, Wellman discovered that chronic stress causes the connections between brain cells to shrink in mice, leading to cognitive deficiencies in the prefrontal cortex.

While trauma-informed practices were widely used before the pandemic, they’re likely to be even more integral as students experience economic hardships and grieve the loss of family and friends. Teachers can look to schools like Fall-Hamilton Elementary in Nashville, Tennessee, as a model for trauma-informed practices .

3 Ways Teachers Can Prepare

When schools reopen, many students may be behind, compared to a typical school year, so teachers will need to be very methodical about checking in on their students—not just academically but also emotionally. Some may feel prepared to tackle the new school year head-on, but others will still be recovering from the pandemic and may still be reeling from trauma, grief, and anxiety.

Here are a few strategies teachers can prioritize when the new school year begins:

Focus on relationships first. Fear and anxiety about the pandemic—coupled with uncertainty about the future—can be disruptive to a student’s ability to come to school ready to learn. Teachers can act as a powerful buffer against the adverse effects of trauma by helping to establish a safe and supportive environment for learning. From morning meetings to regular check-ins with students, strategies that center around relationship-building will be needed in the fall.
Strengthen diagnostic testing. Educators should prepare for a greater range of variability in student learning than they would expect in a typical school year. Low-stakes assessments such as exit tickets and quizzes can help teachers gauge how much extra support students will need, how much time should be spent reviewing last year’s material, and what new topics can be covered.
Differentiate instruction—particularly for vulnerable students. For the vast majority of schools, the abrupt transition to online learning left little time to plan a strategy that could adequately meet every student’s needs—in a recent survey by the Education Trust, only 24 percent of parents said that their child’s school was providing materials and other resources to support students with disabilities, and a quarter of non-English-speaking students were unable to obtain materials in their own language. Teachers can work to ensure that the students on the margins get the support they need by taking stock of students’ knowledge and skills, and differentiating instruction by giving them choices, connecting the curriculum to their interests, and providing them multiple opportunities to demonstrate their learning.

I Thought We’d Learned Nothing From the Pandemic. I Wasn’t Seeing the Full Picture

M y first home had a back door that opened to a concrete patio with a giant crack down the middle. When my sister and I played, I made sure to stay on the same side of the divide as her, just in case. The 1988 film The Land Before Time was one of the first movies I ever saw, and the image of the earth splintering into pieces planted its roots in my brain. I believed that, even in my own backyard, I could easily become the tiny Triceratops separated from her family, on the other side of the chasm, as everything crumbled into chaos.

Some 30 years later, I marvel at the eerie, unexpected ways that cartoonish nightmare came to life – not just for me and my family, but for all of us. The landscape was already covered in fissures well before COVID-19 made its way across the planet, but the pandemic applied pressure, and the cracks broke wide open, separating us from each other physically and ideologically. Under the weight of the crisis, we scattered and landed on such different patches of earth we could barely see each other’s faces, even when we squinted. We disagreed viciously with each other, about how to respond, but also about what was true.

Recently, someone asked me if we’ve learned anything from the pandemic, and my first thought was a flat no. Nothing. There was a time when I thought it would be the very thing to draw us together and catapult us – as a capital “S” Society – into a kinder future. It’s surreal to remember those early days when people rallied together, sewing masks for health care workers during critical shortages and gathering on balconies in cities from Dallas to New York City to clap and sing songs like “Yellow Submarine.” It felt like a giant lightning bolt shot across the sky, and for one breath, we all saw something that had been hidden in the dark – the inherent vulnerability in being human or maybe our inescapable connectedness .

More from TIME

Read More: The Family Time the Pandemic Stole

But it turns out, it was just a flash. The goodwill vanished as quickly as it appeared. A couple of years later, people feel lied to, abandoned, and all on their own. I’ve felt my own curiosity shrinking, my willingness to reach out waning , my ability to keep my hands open dwindling. I look out across the landscape and see selfishness and rage, burnt earth and so many dead bodies. Game over. We lost. And if we’ve already lost, why try?

Still, the question kept nagging me. I wondered, am I seeing the full picture? What happens when we focus not on the collective society but at one face, one story at a time? I’m not asking for a bow to minimize the suffering – a pretty flourish to put on top and make the whole thing “worth it.” Yuck. That’s not what we need. But I wondered about deep, quiet growth. The kind we feel in our bodies, relationships, homes, places of work, neighborhoods.

Like a walkie-talkie message sent to my allies on the ground, I posted a call on my Instagram. What do you see? What do you hear? What feels possible? Is there life out here? Sprouting up among the rubble? I heard human voices calling back – reports of life, personal and specific. I heard one story at a time – stories of grief and distrust, fury and disappointment. Also gratitude. Discovery. Determination.

Among the most prevalent were the stories of self-revelation. Almost as if machines were given the chance to live as humans, people described blossoming into fuller selves. They listened to their bodies’ cues, recognized their desires and comforts, tuned into their gut instincts, and honored the intuition they hadn’t realized belonged to them. Alex, a writer and fellow disabled parent, found the freedom to explore a fuller version of herself in the privacy the pandemic provided. “The way I dress, the way I love, and the way I carry myself have both shrunk and expanded,” she shared. “I don’t love myself very well with an audience.” Without the daily ritual of trying to pass as “normal” in public, Tamar, a queer mom in the Netherlands, realized she’s autistic. “I think the pandemic helped me to recognize the mask,” she wrote. “Not that unmasking is easy now. But at least I know it’s there.” In a time of widespread suffering that none of us could solve on our own, many tended to our internal wounds and misalignments, large and small, and found clarity.

Read More: A Tool for Staying Grounded in This Era of Constant Uncertainty

I wonder if this flourishing of self-awareness is at least partially responsible for the life alterations people pursued. The pandemic broke open our personal notions of work and pushed us to reevaluate things like time and money. Lucy, a disabled writer in the U.K., made the hard decision to leave her job as a journalist covering Westminster to write freelance about her beloved disability community. “This work feels important in a way nothing else has ever felt,” she wrote. “I don’t think I’d have realized this was what I should be doing without the pandemic.” And she wasn’t alone – many people changed jobs , moved, learned new skills and hobbies, became politically engaged.

Perhaps more than any other shifts, people described a significant reassessment of their relationships. They set boundaries, said no, had challenging conversations. They also reconnected, fell in love, and learned to trust. Jeanne, a quilter in Indiana, got to know relatives she wouldn’t have connected with if lockdowns hadn’t prompted weekly family Zooms. “We are all over the map as regards to our belief systems,” she emphasized, “but it is possible to love people you don’t see eye to eye with on every issue.” Anna, an anti-violence advocate in Maine, learned she could trust her new marriage: “Life was not a honeymoon. But we still chose to turn to each other with kindness and curiosity.” So many bonds forged and broken, strengthened and strained.

Instead of relying on default relationships or institutional structures, widespread recalibrations allowed for going off script and fortifying smaller communities. Mara from Idyllwild, Calif., described the tangible plan for care enacted in her town. “We started a mutual-aid group at the beginning of the pandemic,” she wrote, “and it grew so quickly before we knew it we were feeding 400 of the 4000 residents.” She didn’t pretend the conditions were ideal. In fact, she expressed immense frustration with our collective response to the pandemic. Even so, the local group rallied and continues to offer assistance to their community with help from donations and volunteers (many of whom were originally on the receiving end of support). “I’ve learned that people thrive when they feel their connection to others,” she wrote. Clare, a teacher from the U.K., voiced similar conviction as she described a giant scarf she’s woven out of ribbons, each representing a single person. The scarf is “a collection of stories, moments and wisdom we are sharing with each other,” she wrote. It now stretches well over 1,000 feet.

A few hours into reading the comments, I lay back on my bed, phone held against my chest. The room was quiet, but my internal world was lighting up with firefly flickers. What felt different? Surely part of it was receiving personal accounts of deep-rooted growth. And also, there was something to the mere act of asking and listening. Maybe it connected me to humans before battle cries. Maybe it was the chance to be in conversation with others who were also trying to understand – what is happening to us? Underneath it all, an undeniable thread remained; I saw people peering into the mess and narrating their findings onto the shared frequency. Every comment was like a flare into the sky. I’m here! And if the sky is full of flares, we aren’t alone.

I recognized my own pandemic discoveries – some minor, others massive. Like washing off thick eyeliner and mascara every night is more effort than it’s worth; I can transform the mundane into the magical with a bedsheet, a movie projector, and twinkle lights; my paralyzed body can mother an infant in ways I’d never seen modeled for me. I remembered disappointing, bewildering conversations within my own family of origin and our imperfect attempts to remain close while also seeing things so differently. I realized that every time I get the weekly invite to my virtual “Find the Mumsies” call, with a tiny group of moms living hundreds of miles apart, I’m being welcomed into a pocket of unexpected community. Even though we’ve never been in one room all together, I’ve felt an uncommon kind of solace in their now-familiar faces.

Hope is a slippery thing. I desperately want to hold onto it, but everywhere I look there are real, weighty reasons to despair. The pandemic marks a stretch on the timeline that tangles with a teetering democracy, a deteriorating planet , the loss of human rights that once felt unshakable . When the world is falling apart Land Before Time style, it can feel trite, sniffing out the beauty – useless, firing off flares to anyone looking for signs of life. But, while I’m under no delusions that if we just keep trudging forward we’ll find our own oasis of waterfalls and grassy meadows glistening in the sunshine beneath a heavenly chorus, I wonder if trivializing small acts of beauty, connection, and hope actually cuts us off from resources essential to our survival. The group of abandoned dinosaurs were keeping each other alive and making each other laugh well before they made it to their fantasy ending.

Read More: How Ice Cream Became My Own Personal Act of Resistance

After the monarch butterfly went on the endangered-species list, my friend and fellow writer Hannah Soyer sent me wildflower seeds to plant in my yard. A simple act of big hope – that I will actually plant them, that they will grow, that a monarch butterfly will receive nourishment from whatever blossoms are able to push their way through the dirt. There are so many ways that could fail. But maybe the outcome wasn’t exactly the point. Maybe hope is the dogged insistence – the stubborn defiance – to continue cultivating moments of beauty regardless. There is value in the planting apart from the harvest.

I can’t point out a single collective lesson from the pandemic. It’s hard to see any great “we.” Still, I see the faces in my moms’ group, making pancakes for their kids and popping on between strings of meetings while we try to figure out how to raise these small people in this chaotic world. I think of my friends on Instagram tending to the selves they discovered when no one was watching and the scarf of ribbons stretching the length of more than three football fields. I remember my family of three, holding hands on the way up the ramp to the library. These bits of growth and rings of support might not be loud or right on the surface, but that’s not the same thing as nothing. If we only cared about the bottom-line defeats or sweeping successes of the big picture, we’d never plant flowers at all.

More Must-Reads from TIME

Breaking Down the 2024 Election Calendar
Heman Bekele Is TIME’s 2024 Kid of the Year
The Reintroduction of Kamala Harris
A Battle Over Fertility Law in China
For the Love of Savoring Sandwiches : Column
The 1 Heart-Health Habit You Should Start When You’re Young
Cuddling Might Help You Get Better Sleep
The 50 Best Romance Novels to Read Right Now

Students’ Essays on Infectious Disease Prevention, COVID-19 Published Nationwide

As part of the BIO 173: Global Change and Infectious Disease course, Professor Fred Cohan assigns students to write an essay persuading others to prevent future and mitigate present infectious diseases. If students submit their essay to a news outlet—and it’s published—Cohan awards them with extra credit.

As a result of this assignment, more than 25 students have had their work published in newspapers across the United States. Many of these essays cite and applaud the University’s Keep Wes Safe campaign and its COVID-19 testing protocols.

Cohan, professor of biology and Huffington Foundation Professor in the College of the Environment (COE), began teaching the Global Change and Infectious Disease course in 2009, when the COE was established. “I wanted very much to contribute a course to what I saw as a real game-changer in Wesleyan’s interest in the environment. The course is about all the ways that human demands on the environment have brought us infectious diseases, over past millennia and in the present, and why our environmental disturbances will continue to bring us infections into the future.”

Over the years, Cohan learned that he can sustainably teach about 170 students every year without running out of interested students. This fall, he had 207. Although he didn’t change the overall structure of his course to accommodate COVID-19 topics, he did add material on the current pandemic to various sections of the course.

“I wouldn’t say that the population of the class increased tremendously as a result of COVID-19, but I think the enthusiasm of the students for the material has increased substantially,” he said.

To accommodate online learning, Cohan shaved off 15 minutes from his normal 80-minute lectures to allow for discussion sections, led by Cohan and teaching assistants. “While the lectures mostly dealt with biology, the discussions focused on how changes in behavior and policy can solve the infectious disease problems brought by human disturbance of the environment,” he said.

Based on student responses to an introspective exam question, Cohan learned that many students enjoyed a new hope that we could each contribute to fighting infectious disease. “They discovered that the solution to infectious disease is not entirely a waiting game for the right technologies to come along,” he said. “Many enjoyed learning about fighting infectious disease from a moral and social perspective. And especially, the students enjoyed learning about the ‘socialism of the microbe,’ how preventing and curing others’ infections will prevent others’ infections from becoming our own. The students enjoyed seeing how this idea can drive both domestic and international health policies.”

A sampling of the published student essays are below:

Alexander Giummo ’22 and Mike Dunderdale’s ’23 op-ed titled “ A National Testing Proposal: Let’s Fight Back Against COVID-19 ” was published in the Journal Inquirer in Manchester, Conn.

They wrote: “With an expansive and increased testing plan for U.S. citizens, those who are COVID-positive could limit the number of contacts they have, and this would also help to enable more effective contact tracing. Testing could also allow for the return of some ‘normal’ events, such as small social gatherings, sports, and in-person class and work schedules.

“We propose a national testing strategy in line with the one that has kept Wesleyan students safe this year. The plan would require a strong push by the federal government to fund the initiative, but it is vital to successful containment of the virus.

“Twice a week, all people living in the U.S. should report to a local testing site staffed with professionals where the anterior nasal swab Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, used by Wesleyan and supported by the Broad Institute, would be implemented.”

Kalyani Mohan ’22 and Kalli Jackson ’22 penned an essay titled “ Where Public Health Meets Politics: COVID-19 in the United States ,” which was published in Wesleyan’s Arcadia Political Review .

They wrote: “While the U.S. would certainly benefit from a strengthened pandemic response team and structural changes to public health systems, that alone isn’t enough, as American society is immensely stratified, socially and culturally. The politicization of the COVID-19 pandemic shows that individualism, libertarianism and capitalism are deeply ingrained in American culture, to the extent that Americans often blind to the fact community welfare can be equivalent to personal welfare. Pandemics are multifaceted, and preventing them requires not just a cultural shift but an emotional one amongst the American people, one guided by empathy—towards other people, different communities and the planet. Politics should be a tool, not a weapon against its people.”

Sydnee Goyer ’21 and Marcel Thompson’s ’22 essay “ This Flu Season Will Be Decisive in the Fight Against COVID-19 ” also was published in Arcadia Political Review .

“With winter approaching all around the Northern Hemisphere, people are preparing for what has already been named a “twindemic,” meaning the joint threat of the coronavirus and the seasonal flu,” they wrote. “While it is known that seasonal vaccinations reduce the risk of getting the flu by up to 60% and also reduce the severity of the illness after the contamination, additional research has been conducted in order to know whether or not flu shots could reduce the risk of people getting COVID-19. In addition to the flu shot, it is essential that people remain vigilant in maintaining proper social distancing, washing your hands thoroughly, and continuing to wear masks in public spaces.”

An op-ed titled “ The Pandemic Has Shown Us How Workplace Culture Needs to Change ,” written by Adam Hickey ’22 and George Fuss ’21, was published in Park City, Utah’s The Park Record .

They wrote: “One review of academic surveys (most of which were conducted in the United States) conducted in 2019 found that between 35% and 97% of respondents in those surveys reported having attended work while they were ill, often because of workplace culture or policy which generated pressure to do so. Choosing to ignore sickness and return to the workplace while one is ill puts colleagues at risk, regardless of the perceived severity of your own illness; COVID-19 is an overbearing reminder that a disease that may cause mild, even cold-like symptoms for some can still carry fatal consequences for others.

“A mandatory paid sick leave policy for every worker, ideally across the globe, would allow essential workers to return to work when necessary while still providing enough wiggle room for economically impoverished employees to take time off without going broke if they believe they’ve contracted an illness so as not to infect the rest of their workplace and the public at large.”

Women’s cross country team members and classmates Jane Hollander ’23 and Sara Greene ’23 wrote a sports-themed essay titled “ This Season, High School Winter Sports Aren’t Worth the Risk ,” which was published in Tap into Scotch Plains/Fanwood , based in Scotch Plains, N.J. Their essay focused on the risks high school sports pose on student-athletes, their families, and the greater community.

“We don’t propose cutting off sports entirely— rather, we need to be realistic about the levels at which athletes should be participating. There are ways to make practices safer,” they wrote. “At [Wesleyan], we began the season in ‘cohorts,’ so the amount of people exposed to one another would be smaller. For non-contact sports, social distancing can be easily implemented, and for others, teams can focus on drills, strength and conditioning workouts, and skill-building exercises. Racing sports such as swim and track can compete virtually, comparing times with other schools, and team sports can focus their competition on intra-team scrimmages. These changes can allow for the continuation of a sense of normalcy and team camaraderie without the exposure to students from different geographic areas in confined, indoor spaces.”

Brook Guiffre ’23 and Maddie Clarke’s ’22 op-ed titled “ On the Pandemic ” was published in Hometown Weekly, based in Medfield, Mass.

“The first case of COVID-19 in the United States was recorded on January 20th, 2020. For the next month and a half, the U.S. continued operating normally, while many other countries began their lockdown,” they wrote. “One month later, on February 29th, 2020, the federal government approved a national testing program, but it was too little too late. The U.S. was already in pandemic mode, and completely unprepared. Frontline workers lacked access to N-95 masks, infected patients struggled to get tested, and national leaders informed the public that COVID-19 was nothing more than the common flu. Ultimately, this unpreparedness led to thousands of avoidable deaths and long-term changes to daily life. With the risk of novel infectious diseases emerging in the future being high, it is imperative that the U.S. learn from its failure and better prepare for future pandemics now. By strengthening our public health response and re-establishing government organizations specialized in disease control, we have the ability to prevent more years spent masked and six feet apart.”

In addition, their other essay, “ On Mass Extinction ,” was also published by Hometown Weekly .

“The sixth mass extinction—which scientists have coined as the Holocene Extinction—is upon us. According to the United Nations, around one million plant and animal species are currently in danger of extinction, and many more within the next decade. While other extinctions have occurred in Earth’s history, none have occurred at such a rapid rate,” they wrote. “For the sake of both biodiversity and infectious diseases, it is in our best interest to stop pushing this Holocene Extinction further.”

An essay titled “ Learning from Our Mistakes: How to Protect Ourselves and Our Communities from Diseases ,” written by Nicole Veru ’21 and Zoe Darmon ’21, was published in My Hometown Bronxville, based in Bronxville, N.Y.

“We can protect ourselves and others from future infectious diseases by ensuring that we are vaccinated,” they wrote. “Vaccines have high levels of success if enough people get them. Due to vaccines, society is no longer ravaged by childhood diseases such as mumps, rubella, measles, and smallpox. We have been able to eradicate diseases through vaccines; smallpox, one of the world’s most consequential diseases, was eradicated from the world in the 1970s.

“In 2000, the U.S. was nearly free of measles, yet, due to hesitations by anti-vaxxers, there continues to be cases. From 2000–2015 there were over 18 measles outbreaks in the U.S. This is because unless a disease is completely eradicated, there will be a new generation susceptible.

“Although vaccines are not 100% effective at preventing infection, if we continue to get vaccinated, we protect ourselves and those around us. If enough people are vaccinated, societies can develop herd immunity. The amount of people vaccinated to obtain herd immunity depends on the disease, but if this fraction is obtained, the spread of disease is contained. Through herd immunity, we protect those who may not be able to get vaccinated, such as people who are immunocompromised and the tiny portion of people for whom the vaccine is not effective.”

Dhruvi Rana ’22 and Bryce Gillis ’22 co-authored an op-ed titled “ We Must Educate Those Who Remain Skeptical of the Dangers of COVID-19 ,” which was published in Rhode Island Central .

“As Rhode Island enters the winter season, temperatures are beginning to drop and many studies have demonstrated that colder weather and lower humidity are correlated with higher transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,” they wrote. “By simply talking or breathing, we release respiratory droplets and aerosols (tiny fluid particles which could carry the coronavirus pathogen), which can remain in the air for minutes to hours.

“In order to establish herd immunity in the US, we must educate those who remain skeptical of the dangers of COVID-19. Whether community-driven or state-funded, educational campaigns are needed to ensure that everyone fully comprehends how severe COVID-19 is and the significance of airborne transmission. While we await a vaccine, it is necessary now more than ever that we social distance, avoid crowds, and wear masks, given that colder temperatures will likely yield increased transmission of the virus.”

Danielle Rinaldi ’21 and Verónica Matos Socorro ’21 published their op-ed titled “ Community Forum: How Mask-Wearing Demands a Cultural Reset ” in the Ewing Observer , based in Lawrence, N.J.

“In their own attempt to change personal behavior during the pandemic, Wesleyan University has mandated mask-wearing in almost every facet of campus life,” they wrote. “As members of our community, we must recognize that mask-wearing is something we are all responsible and accountable for, not only because it is a form of protection for us, but just as important for others as well. However, it seems as though both Covid fatigue and complacency are dominating the mindsets of Americans, leading to even more unwillingness to mask up. Ultimately, it is inevitable that this pandemic will not be the last in our lifespan due to global warming creating irreversible losses in biodiversity. As a result, it is imperative that we adopt the norm of mask-wearing now and undergo a culture shift of the abandonment of an individualistic mindset, and instead, create a society that prioritizes taking care of others for the benefit of all.”

Shayna Dollinger ’22 and Hayley Lipson ’21 wrote an essay titled “ My Pandemic Year in College Has Brought Pride and Purpose. ” Dollinger submitted the piece, rewritten in first person, to Jewish News of Northern California . Read more about Dollinger’s publication in this News @ Wesleyan article .

“I lay in the dead grass, a 6-by-6-foot square all to myself. I cheer for my best friend, who is on the stage constructed at the bottom of Foss hill, dancing with her Bollywood dance group. Masks cover their ordinarily smiling faces as their bodies move in sync. Looking around at friends and classmates, each in their own 6-by-6 world, I feel an overwhelming sense of normalcy.

“One of the ways in which Wesleyan has prevented outbreaks on campus is by holding safe, socially distanced events that students want to attend. By giving us places to be and things to do on the weekends, we are discouraged from breaking rules and causing outbreaks at ‘super-spreader’ events.”

An op-ed written by Luna Mac-Williams ’22 and Daëlle Coriolan ’24 titled “ Collectivist Practices to Combat COVID-19 ” was published in the Wesleyan Argus .

“We are embroiled in a global pandemic that disproportionately affects poor communities of color, and in the midst of a higher cultural consciousness of systemic inequities,” they wrote. “A cultural shift to center collectivist thought and action not only would prove helpful in disease prevention, but also belongs in conversation with the Black Lives Matter movement. Collectivist models of thinking effectively target the needs of vulnerable populations including the sick, the disenfranchised, the systematically marginalized. Collectivist systems provide care, decentering the capitalist, individualist system, and focusing on how communities can work to be self-sufficient and uplift our own neighbors.”

An essay written by Maria Noto ’21 , titled “ U.S. Individualism Has Deadly Consequences ,” is published in the Oneonta Daily Star , based in Oneonta, N.Y.

She wrote, “When analyzing the cultures of certain East Asian countries, several differences stand out. For instance, when people are sick and during the cold and flu season, many East Asian cultures, including South Korea, use mask-wearing. What is considered a threat to freedom by some Americans is a preventive action and community obligation in this example. This, along with many other cultural differences, is insightful in understanding their ability to contain the virus.

“These differences are deeply seeded in the values of a culture. However, there is hope for the U.S. and other individualistic cultures in recognizing and adopting these community-centered approaches. Our mindset needs to be revolutionized with the help of federal and local assistance: mandating masks, passing another stimulus package, contact tracing, etc… However, these measures will be unsuccessful unless everyone participates for the good of a community.”

A published op-ed by Madison Szabo ’23 , Caitlyn Ferrante ’23 ran in the Two Rivers Times . The piece is titled “ Anxiety and Aspiration: Analyzing the Politicization of the Pandemic .”

John Lee ’21 and Taylor Goodman-Leong ’21 have published their op-ed titled “ Reassessing the media’s approach to COVID-19 ” in Weekly Monday Cafe 24 (Page 2).

An essay by Eleanor Raab ’21 and Elizabeth Nefferdorf ’22 titled “ Preventing the Next Epidemic ” was published in The Almanac .

Keep Wes Safe
student publications
Teaching during the pandemic

Jacobsen Maps Out Legal Landscape of College Campuses in New Book

In a new book, alumnus examines venture capital’s impact on startups, wesleyan in the news: july 2024, previous matesan's new book explores political violence, islamist mobilization in egypt and indonesia, next students launch fun, interactive virtual program for school-aged kids.

Read these 12 moving essays about life during coronavirus

Artists, novelists, critics, and essayists are writing the first draft of history.

by Alissa Wilkinson

The world is grappling with an invisible, deadly enemy, trying to understand how to live with the threat posed by a virus . For some writers, the only way forward is to put pen to paper, trying to conceptualize and document what it feels like to continue living as countries are under lockdown and regular life seems to have ground to a halt.

So as the coronavirus pandemic has stretched around the world, it’s sparked a crop of diary entries and essays that describe how life has changed. Novelists, critics, artists, and journalists have put words to the feelings many are experiencing. The result is a first draft of how we’ll someday remember this time, filled with uncertainty and pain and fear as well as small moments of hope and humanity.

The Vox guide to navigating the coronavirus crisis

At the New York Review of Books, Ali Bhutto writes that in Karachi, Pakistan, the government-imposed curfew due to the virus is “eerily reminiscent of past military clampdowns”:

Beneath the quiet calm lies a sense that society has been unhinged and that the usual rules no longer apply. Small groups of pedestrians look on from the shadows, like an audience watching a spectacle slowly unfolding. People pause on street corners and in the shade of trees, under the watchful gaze of the paramilitary forces and the police.

His essay concludes with the sobering note that “in the minds of many, Covid-19 is just another life-threatening hazard in a city that stumbles from one crisis to another.”

Writing from Chattanooga, novelist Jamie Quatro documents the mixed ways her neighbors have been responding to the threat, and the frustration of conflicting direction, or no direction at all, from local, state, and federal leaders:

Whiplash, trying to keep up with who’s ordering what. We’re already experiencing enough chaos without this back-and-forth. Why didn’t the federal government issue a nationwide shelter-in-place at the get-go, the way other countries did? What happens when one state’s shelter-in-place ends, while others continue? Do states still under quarantine close their borders? We are still one nation, not fifty individual countries. Right?

A syllabus for the end of the world

Award-winning photojournalist Alessio Mamo, quarantined with his partner Marta in Sicily after she tested positive for the virus, accompanies his photographs in the Guardian of their confinement with a reflection on being confined :

The doctors asked me to take a second test, but again I tested negative. Perhaps I’m immune? The days dragged on in my apartment, in black and white, like my photos. Sometimes we tried to smile, imagining that I was asymptomatic, because I was the virus. Our smiles seemed to bring good news. My mother left hospital, but I won’t be able to see her for weeks. Marta started breathing well again, and so did I. I would have liked to photograph my country in the midst of this emergency, the battles that the doctors wage on the frontline, the hospitals pushed to their limits, Italy on its knees fighting an invisible enemy. That enemy, a day in March, knocked on my door instead.

In the New York Times Magazine, deputy editor Jessica Lustig writes with devastating clarity about her family’s life in Brooklyn while her husband battled the virus, weeks before most people began taking the threat seriously:

At the door of the clinic, we stand looking out at two older women chatting outside the doorway, oblivious. Do I wave them away? Call out that they should get far away, go home, wash their hands, stay inside? Instead we just stand there, awkwardly, until they move on. Only then do we step outside to begin the long three-block walk home. I point out the early magnolia, the forsythia. T says he is cold. The untrimmed hairs on his neck, under his beard, are white. The few people walking past us on the sidewalk don’t know that we are visitors from the future. A vision, a premonition, a walking visitation. This will be them: Either T, in the mask, or — if they’re lucky — me, tending to him.

Essayist Leslie Jamison writes in the New York Review of Books about being shut away alone in her New York City apartment with her 2-year-old daughter since she became sick:

The virus. Its sinewy, intimate name. What does it feel like in my body today? Shivering under blankets. A hot itch behind the eyes. Three sweatshirts in the middle of the day. My daughter trying to pull another blanket over my body with her tiny arms. An ache in the muscles that somehow makes it hard to lie still. This loss of taste has become a kind of sensory quarantine. It’s as if the quarantine keeps inching closer and closer to my insides. First I lost the touch of other bodies; then I lost the air; now I’ve lost the taste of bananas. Nothing about any of these losses is particularly unique. I’ve made a schedule so I won’t go insane with the toddler. Five days ago, I wrote Walk/Adventure! on it, next to a cut-out illustration of a tiger—as if we’d see tigers on our walks. It was good to keep possibility alive.

At Literary Hub, novelist Heidi Pitlor writes about the elastic nature of time during her family’s quarantine in Massachusetts:

During a shutdown, the things that mark our days—commuting to work, sending our kids to school, having a drink with friends—vanish and time takes on a flat, seamless quality. Without some self-imposed structure, it’s easy to feel a little untethered. A friend recently posted on Facebook: “For those who have lost track, today is Blursday the fortyteenth of Maprilay.” ... Giving shape to time is especially important now, when the future is so shapeless. We do not know whether the virus will continue to rage for weeks or months or, lord help us, on and off for years. We do not know when we will feel safe again. And so many of us, minus those who are gifted at compartmentalization or denial, remain largely captive to fear. We may stay this way if we do not create at least the illusion of movement in our lives, our long days spent with ourselves or partners or families.

What day is it today?

Novelist Lauren Groff writes at the New York Review of Books about trying to escape the prison of her fears while sequestered at home in Gainesville, Florida:

Some people have imaginations sparked only by what they can see; I blame this blinkered empiricism for the parks overwhelmed with people, the bars, until a few nights ago, thickly thronged. My imagination is the opposite. I fear everything invisible to me. From the enclosure of my house, I am afraid of the suffering that isn’t present before me, the people running out of money and food or drowning in the fluid in their lungs, the deaths of health-care workers now growing ill while performing their duties. I fear the federal government, which the right wing has so—intentionally—weakened that not only is it insufficient to help its people, it is actively standing in help’s way. I fear we won’t sufficiently punish the right. I fear leaving the house and spreading the disease. I fear what this time of fear is doing to my children, their imaginations, and their souls.

At ArtForum , Berlin-based critic and writer Kristian Vistrup Madsen reflects on martinis, melancholia, and Finnish artist Jaakko Pallasvuo’s 2018 graphic novel Retreat , in which three young people exile themselves in the woods:

In melancholia, the shape of what is ending, and its temporality, is sprawling and incomprehensible. The ambivalence makes it hard to bear. The world of Retreat is rendered in lush pink and purple watercolors, which dissolve into wild and messy abstractions. In apocalypse, the divisions established in genesis bleed back out. My own Corona-retreat is similarly soft, color-field like, each day a blurred succession of quarantinis, YouTube–yoga, and televized press conferences. As restrictions mount, so does abstraction. For now, I’m still rooting for love to save the world.

At the Paris Review , Matt Levin writes about reading Virginia Woolf’s novel The Waves during quarantine:

A retreat, a quarantine, a sickness—they simultaneously distort and clarify, curtail and expand. It is an ideal state in which to read literature with a reputation for difficulty and inaccessibility, those hermetic books shorn of the handholds of conventional plot or characterization or description. A novel like Virginia Woolf’s The Waves is perfect for the state of interiority induced by quarantine—a story of three men and three women, meeting after the death of a mutual friend, told entirely in the overlapping internal monologues of the six, interspersed only with sections of pure, achingly beautiful descriptions of the natural world, a day’s procession and recession of light and waves. The novel is, in my mind’s eye, a perfectly spherical object. It is translucent and shimmering and infinitely fragile, prone to shatter at the slightest disturbance. It is not a book that can be read in snatches on the subway—it demands total absorption. Though it revels in a stark emotional nakedness, the book remains aloof, remote in its own deep self-absorption.

Vox is starting a book club. Come read with us!

In an essay for the Financial Times, novelist Arundhati Roy writes with anger about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s anemic response to the threat, but also offers a glimmer of hope for the future:

Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it.

From Boston, Nora Caplan-Bricker writes in The Point about the strange contraction of space under quarantine, in which a friend in Beirut is as close as the one around the corner in the same city:

It’s a nice illusion—nice to feel like we’re in it together, even if my real world has shrunk to one person, my husband, who sits with his laptop in the other room. It’s nice in the same way as reading those essays that reframe social distancing as solidarity. “We must begin to see the negative space as clearly as the positive, to know what we don’t do is also brilliant and full of love,” the poet Anne Boyer wrote on March 10th, the day that Massachusetts declared a state of emergency. If you squint, you could almost make sense of this quarantine as an effort to flatten, along with the curve, the distinctions we make between our bonds with others. Right now, I care for my neighbor in the same way I demonstrate love for my mother: in all instances, I stay away. And in moments this month, I have loved strangers with an intensity that is new to me. On March 14th, the Saturday night after the end of life as we knew it, I went out with my dog and found the street silent: no lines for restaurants, no children on bicycles, no couples strolling with little cups of ice cream. It had taken the combined will of thousands of people to deliver such a sudden and complete emptiness. I felt so grateful, and so bereft.

And on his own website, musician and artist David Byrne writes about rediscovering the value of working for collective good , saying that “what is happening now is an opportunity to learn how to change our behavior”:

In emergencies, citizens can suddenly cooperate and collaborate. Change can happen. We’re going to need to work together as the effects of climate change ramp up. In order for capitalism to survive in any form, we will have to be a little more socialist. Here is an opportunity for us to see things differently — to see that we really are all connected — and adjust our behavior accordingly. Are we willing to do this? Is this moment an opportunity to see how truly interdependent we all are? To live in a world that is different and better than the one we live in now? We might be too far down the road to test every asymptomatic person, but a change in our mindsets, in how we view our neighbors, could lay the groundwork for the collective action we’ll need to deal with other global crises. The time to see how connected we all are is now.

The portrait these writers paint of a world under quarantine is multifaceted. Our worlds have contracted to the confines of our homes, and yet in some ways we’re more connected than ever to one another. We feel fear and boredom, anger and gratitude, frustration and strange peace. Uncertainty drives us to find metaphors and images that will let us wrap our minds around what is happening.

Yet there’s no single “what” that is happening. Everyone is contending with the pandemic and its effects from different places and in different ways. Reading others’ experiences — even the most frightening ones — can help alleviate the loneliness and dread, a little, and remind us that what we’re going through is both unique and shared by all.

Recommendations

Today, Explained

Understand the world with a daily explainer plus the most compelling stories of the day.

This is the title for the native ad

The impact of COVID-19 on student experiences and expectations: Evidence from a survey ☆

Esteban m. aucejo.

a Department of Economics, Arizona State University, CEP & NBER, United States of America

Jacob French

b Department of Economics, Arizona State University, United States of America

Maria Paola Ugalde Araya

Basit zafar.

c Department of Economics, University of Michigan, & NBER, United States of America

In order to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education, we surveyed approximately 1500 students at one of the largest public institutions in the United States using an instrument designed to recover the causal impact of the pandemic on students' current and expected outcomes. Results show large negative effects across many dimensions. Due to COVID-19: 13% of students have delayed graduation, 40% have lost a job, internship, or job offer, and 29% expect to earn less at age 35. Moreover, these effects have been highly heterogeneous. One quarter of students increased their study time by more than 4 hours per week due to COVID-19, while another quarter decreased their study time by more than 5 hours per week. This heterogeneity often followed existing socioeconomic divides. Lower-income students are 55% more likely than their higher-income peers to have delayed graduation due to COVID-19. Finally, we show that the economic and health related shocks induced by COVID-19 vary systematically by socioeconomic factors and constitute key mediators in explaining the large (and heterogeneous) effects of the pandemic.

• Due to COVID: 13% of students delayed graduation, 40% lost a job, internship, or offer, and 29% expect to earn less at 35.
• The effects of the pandemic have been highly heterogeneous.
• Lower-income students are 55% more likely than their higher-income peers to have delayed graduation due to COVID-19.
• COVID-19's economic and health shocks vary by socioeconomic status and act as key mediators explaining pandemic's effects.

1. Introduction

The disruptive effects of the COVID-19 outbreak have impacted almost all sectors of our society. Higher education is no exception. Anecdotal evidence paints a bleak picture for both students and universities. According to the American Council on Education, enrollment is likely to drop by 15% in the fall of 2020, while at the same time many institutions may have to confront demands for large tuition cuts if classes remain virtual. 1 In a similar vein, students face an increasingly uncertain environment, where financial and health shocks (for example, lack of resources to complete their studies or fear of becoming seriously sick), along with the transition to online learning may have affected their academic performance, educational plans, current labor market participation, and expectations about future employment.

This paper attempts to shed light on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students. First, we describe and quantify the causal effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on a wide set of students' outcomes/expectations. In particular, we analyze enrollment and graduation decisions, academic performance, major choice, study and social habits, remote learning experiences, current labor market participation, and expectations about future employment. Second, we study how these effects differ along existing socioeconomic divides and whether the pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities. Finally, we present suggestive evidence on the mechanisms behind the heterogeneous COVID-19 effects by quantifying the relationship between individual-level (financial and health) shocks and students' academic decisions and labor market expectations.

For this purpose, we surveyed about 1500 undergraduate students at Arizona State University (ASU), one of the largest public universities in the United States, in late April 2020. The survey was explicitly designed to not only collect student outcomes and expectations after the onset of the pandemic, but also to recover counterfactual outcomes in the absence of the outbreak. Specifically, the survey asked students about their current experiences/expectations and what those experiences/expectations would have been had it not been for the pandemic. Because we collect information conditional on both states of the world (with the COVID-19 pandemic, and without) from each student , we can directly analyze how each student believes COVID-19 has impacted their current and future outcomes. 2 For example, by asking students about their current GPA in a post-COVID-19 world and their expected GPA in the absence of COVID-19, we can back out the subjective treatment effect of COVID-19 on academic performance. The credibility of our approach depends on: (1) students having well-formed beliefs about outcomes in the counterfactual scenario. This is a plausible assumption in our context since the counterfactual state is a realistic and relevant one - it was the status quo less than two months before the survey, and (2) there being no systematic bias in the reporting of the data - an assumption that is implicitly made when using any survey data. 3

Our findings on academic outcomes indicate that COVID-19 has led to a large number of students delaying graduation (13%), withdrawing from classes (11%), and intending to change majors (12%). Moreover, approximately 50% of our sample separately reported a decrease in study hours and in their academic performance. Predicting the longer-term impact of the pandemic on student achievement is more difficult, but students reported that they expect to take a break from college in the fall 2020 semester at more than twice the rate in previous years. Historically, 28% of students who fail to re-enroll do not return to ASU or another university after 5 years (authors' calculations from ASU first-time freshmen transcript data for the 2012–2014 spring semesters), suggesting that the pandemic may have a lasting impact on the educational achievement of current students. We also find that students report a decreased preference for online instruction as a result of their recent experiences.

As expected, the COVID-19 outbreak also had large negative effects on students' current labor market participation and expectations about post-college labor outcomes. Working students suffered a 31% decrease in their wages and a 37% drop in weekly hours worked, on average. Moreover, around 40% of students lost a job, internship, or a job offer, and 61% reported to have a family member that experienced a reduction in income. The pandemic also had a substantial impact on students' expectations about their labor market prospects post-college. For example, their perceived probability of finding a job before graduation decreased by almost 20%, and their expected earnings when 35 years old (around 15 years from the outbreak) declined by approximately 2.5%. This last finding suggests that students expect the pandemic to have a long-lasting impact on their labor market prospects, which is qualitatively consistent with the literature on graduating during a recession. For instance, Oreopoulos et al. (2012) and Schwandt and von Wachter (2019) find significant reductions in earnings 5 and 10 years after graduation, respectively, and Kahn (2010) finds an even longer-lasting effect on wages. On the other hand, although we are measuring the probability of finding a job before graduating, not unemployment directly, our estimated quantitative effect on students' expectations of finding a job seems to be larger relative to the literature ( Kahn, 2010 ; Altonji et al., 2016 ; and Rothstein, 2020 ).

The data also show that while all subgroups of the population have experienced negative effects due to the outbreak, the size of the effects are heterogeneous. For example, compared to their more affluent peers, lower-income students are 55% more likely to delay graduation due to COVID-19 and are 41% more likely to report that COVID-19 impacted their major choice. Further, COVID-19 nearly doubled the gap between higher- and lower-income students' expected GPA. 4 There also is substantial variation in the pandemic's effect on preference for online learning, with Honors students and males revising their preferences down more than 2.5 times as much as their peers. However, despite appearing to be more disrupted by the switch to online learning, the impact of COVID-19 on Honors students' academic outcomes is consistently smaller than the impact on non-Honors students.

Finally, we evaluate the extent to which mitigating factors associated with more direct economic and health shocks from the pandemic (for example, a family member losing income due to COVID-19, or the expected probability of hospitalization if contracting COVID-19) can explain the heterogeneity in pandemic effects. We find that both types of shock (economic and health) are systematically correlated with students' COVID-19 experiences. For example, the expected probability of delaying graduation due to COVID-19 increases by approximately 25% if either a student's subjective probability of being late on a debt payment in the following 90 days (a measure of financial fragility) or subjective probability of requiring hospitalization conditional on contracting COVID-19 increases by one standard deviation. As expected, the magnitude of health and economic shocks are not homogeneous across the student population. The average of the principal component for the economic and health shocks is about 0.3–0.4 standard deviations higher for students from lower-income families. Importantly, we find that the disparate economic and health impacts of COVID-19 can explain 40% of the delayed graduation gap (as well as a substantial part of the gap for other outcomes) between lower- and higher-income students. This analysis should be viewed as descriptive in nature and not necessarily causal, since omitted factors that are correlated both with the shocks and the outcomes may be driving these relationships.

To our knowledge, this is the first paper to shed light on the effects of COVID-19 on college students' experiences. The treatment effects that we find are large in economic terms. Whether students are overreacting in their response to the COVID-19 shock is not clear. We do find that previous cumulative GPA is a strong predictor of expected semester GPA without COVID-19, suggesting that students' reported expectations are meaningful. However, we know that individuals generally tend to overweight recent experiences ( Malmendier and Nagel, 2016 ; Kuchler and Zafar, 2019 ). Whether students' subjective treatment effects are “correct” in some ex-post sense is beside the point. As long as students are reporting their subjective beliefs without any systematic bias, it is the perceived treatment effects, not actual ones, – regardless of whether they are correct or not – which are fundamental to understanding choices. For example, if students (rightly or wrongly) perceive a negative treatment effect of COVID-19 on the returns to a college degree, this belief will have an impact on their future human capital decisions (such as continuing with their education, choice of major, etc.).

Our results underscore the fact that the COVID-19 shock is likely to exacerbate socioeconomic disparities in higher education. This is consistent with findings regarding the impacts of COVID-19 on K-12 students. Kuhfeld et al. (2020) project that school closures are likely to lead to significant learning losses in math and reading. However, they estimate heterogeneous effects, and conclude that high-performing students are likely to make gains. Likewise, Chetty et al. (2020) find that, post-COVID, student progress on an online math program decreased significantly more in poorer ZIP codes. Our analysis reveals that the heterogeneous economic and health burden imposed by COVID-19 can partially explain these varying impacts. This suggests that by addressing the economic and health impacts imposed by COVID-19, policy makers may be able to prevent COVID-19 from widening existing gaps in higher education.

2.1. Survey

Our data come from an original survey of undergraduate students at Arizona State University (ASU), one of the largest public universities in the United States. Like other higher educational institutions in the US, the Spring 2020 semester started in person. However, in early March during spring break, the school announced that instruction would be transitioned online and that students were advised not to return to campus.

The study was advertised on the My ASU website, accessible only through the student's ASU ID and password. Undergraduate students were invited to participate in an online survey about their experiences and expectations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, for which they would be paid $10. The study was posted during the second to last week of instruction for the spring semester (April 23rd). Our sample size was constrained by the research funds to 1500 students, and the survey was closed once the desired sample size was reached, which happened within 3 days of posting the survey.

The survey was programmed in Qualtrics. It collected data on students' demographics and family background, their current experiences (both for academic outcomes and non-academic outcomes), and their future expectations. Importantly for the purposes of this study, the survey collected data on what these outcomes/expectations would have been in the counterfactual state, without COVID-19. The survey instrument (with only the relevant sections) can be found here .

2.2. Sample

A total of 1564 respondents completed the survey. 5 90 respondents were ineligible for the study (such as students enrolled in graduate degree programs or diploma programs) and were dropped from the sample. Finally, responses in the 1st and 99th percentile of survey duration were further excluded, leading to a final sample size of 1446. The survey took 38 min to complete, on average (median completion time was 26 min).

The first five columns of Table 1 show how our sample compares with the broader ASU undergraduate population and the average undergraduate student at other large flagship universities (specifically, the largest public universities in each state). Relative to the ASU undergraduate population, our sample has a significantly higher proportion of first-generation students (that is, students with no parent with a college degree), and a smaller proportion of international students. The demographic composition of our sample compares reasonably well with that of students in flagship universities. Our sample is also positively selected in terms of SAT/ACT scores relative to these two populations. The sample may also differ from the student body at other large public schools in that 30% report living on campus, which is not always the norm at other large institutions and may play an important role in how disruptive the pandemic has been. 6

Summary statistics.

	Survey	ASU	P-value	Flagship	P-value	Survey	P-value	Top-10	P-value
	All	ASU	(1)–(2)	Univ.	(1)-(4)	Honors	(6)-(2)	Univ.	(6)-(8)

	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)
Female	0.50	0.48	0.04	0.50	0.77	0.51	0.31	0.50	0.90
Black	0.04	0.04	0.15	0.07	0.00	0.02	0.00	0.07	0.00
White	0.61	0.49	0.00	0.61	0.82	0.60	0.00	0.39	0.00
Hispanic	0.20	0.24	0.00	0.12	0.00	0.12	0.00	0.12	0.76
Int. students	0.02	0.09	0.00	0.06	0.00	0.01	0.00	0.12	0.00
First generation ,	0.38	0.28	0.00	–	–	0.20	0.00	–	–
Family income ,	97	111	0.00	–	–	117	0.07	–	–
Freshman	0.24	0.27	0.01	–	–	0.29	0.44	–	–
Sophomore	0.25	0.24	0.19	–	–	0.32	0.00	–	–
Junior	0.28	0.22	0.00	–	–	0.24	0.41	–	–
Senior	0.23	0.28	0.00	–	–	0.16	0.00	–	–
SAT verbal 25th %tile	600	532	0.00	557	0.00	680	0.00	716	0.00
SAT verbal 75th %tile	720	644	0.00	655	0.00	750	0.00	782	0.00
SAT math 25th %tile	600	542	0.00	563	0.00	690	0.00	731	0.00
SAT math 75th %tile	740	661	0.00	675	0.00	780	0.00	798	0.00
ACT 25th %tile	25	22	0.00	24	0.00	29	0.00	32	0.00
ACT 75th %tile	32	28	0.00	29	0.00	34	0.00	35	0.00

	1446	60,108		1,339,304		322		81,118

Notes: Data in columns (2), (3) and (8) is from IPEDS 2018. The flagship universities are the 4-year public universities with the highest number of undergraduate students in each state. Means for these columns are weighted by total number of undergraduates in each institution. ACT and SAT data are weighted averages of 2018–2015 years from IPEDS. P -value columns show the p -value of a difference in means test between the two columns indicated by the numbers in the heading.

The better performance on admission tests could be explained by the high proportion of Honors students in our sample (22% compared to 18% in the ASU population). The last four columns of Table 1 show how Honors students compare with ASU students and the average college student at a top-10 university. We see that they perform better than the average ASU student (which is expected) and just slightly worse than the average college student at a top-10 university. The share of white Honors students in our sample (60%) is higher than the proportion in the ASU population and much higher than the proportion of white students in the top-10 universities.

Overall, we believe our sample of ASU students is a reasonable representation of students at other large public schools, while the Honors students may provide insight into the experiences of students at more elite Institutions. Though, it is important to acknowledge that elite institutions may have additional resources to address a global pandemic.

3. Analytic framework

We next outline a simple analytic framework that guides the empirical analysis. Let O i ( COVID  – 19) be the potential outcome of individual i associated with COVID-19 treatment. We are interested in the causal impact of COVID-19 on student outcomes:

where the first term on the right-hand side is student i 's outcome in the state of the world with COVID-19, and the second term being student i 's outcome in the state of the world without COVID-19. Recovering the treatment effect at the individual level entails comparison of the individual's outcomes in two alternate states of the world. With standard data on realizations, a given individual is observed in only one state of the world (in our case, COVID –  19 = 1). The alternate outcomes are counterfactual and unobserved. A large econometric and statistics literature studies how to identify these counterfactual outcomes and moments of the counterfactual outcomes (such as average treatment effects) from realized choice data (e.g., Heckman and Vytlacil, 2005 ; Angrist and Pischke, 2009 ; Imbens and Rubin, 2015 ). Instead, the approach we use in this paper is to directly ask individuals for their expected outcomes in both states of the world. From the collected data, we can then directly calculate the individual-level subjective treatment effect. As an example, consider beliefs about end-of-semester GPA. The survey asked students “ What semester-level GPA do you expect to get at the end of this semester ?” This is the first-term on the right-hand side of Eq. (1) . The counterfactual is elicited as follows “ Were it not for the COVID-19 pandemic , what semester-level GPA would you have expected to get at the end of the semester ?”. The difference in the responses to these two questions gives us the subjective expected treatment effect of COVID-19 on the student's GPA. For certain binary outcomes in the survey, we directly ask students for the Δ i . For example, regarding graduation plans, we simply ask a student if the Δ i is positive, negative, or zero: “ How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your graduation plan ? [ graduate later ; graduation plan unaffected ; graduate earlier ].”

The approach we use in this paper follows a small and growing literature that uses subjective expectations to understand decision-making under uncertainty. Specifically, Arcidiacono et al. (2020) and Wiswall and Zafar (2020) ask college students about their beliefs for several outcomes associated with counterfactual choices of college majors, and estimate the ex-ante treatment effects of college majors on career and family outcomes. Shapiro and Giustinelli (2019) use a similar approach to estimate the subjective ex-ante treatment effects of health on labor supply. There is one minor distinction from these papers: while these papers elicit ex-ante treatment effects, in our case, we look at outcomes that have been observed (for example, withdrawing from a course during the semester) as well as those that will be observed in the future (such as age 35 earnings). Thus, some of our subjective treatment effects are ex-post in nature while others are ex-ante.

The soundness of our approach depends on a key assumption that students have well-formed expectations for outcomes in both the realized state and the counterfactual state. Since the outcomes we ask about are absolutely relevant and germane to students, they should have well-formed expectations for the realized state. In addition, given that the counterfactual state is the one that had been the status quo in prior semesters (and so students have had prior experiences in that state of the world), their ability to have expectations for outcomes in the counterfactual state should not be a controversial assumption. 7 As evidence that students' expectations exhibit meaningful variation, Appendix Fig. A1 shows that previous cumulative GPA is a strong predictor of expected semester GPA with COVID-19.

4. Empirical analysis

4.1. treatment effects.

We start with the analysis of the aggregate-level treatment effects, which are presented in Table 2 . The outcomes are organized in two groups, academic and labor market (see Appendix Table A1 for a complete list of outcomes). The first two columns of the table show the average beliefs for those outcomes where the survey elicited beliefs in both states of the world. The average treatment effects shown in column (3) are of particular interest. Since we can compute the individual-level treatment effects, columns (4)–(7) of the table show the cross-sectional heterogeneity in the treatment effects.

Subjective treatment effects.

	With	Without		Prop.	Prop.	25th	75th
	COVID-19	COVID-19		>0	=0	%tile	%tile
	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)

Likelihood of taking online classes	0.46	0.50	−0.04	0.31	0.22	−0.20	0.08
	(0.30)	(0.33)	(0.26)
Semester GPA	3.48	3.65	−0.17	0.07	0.41	−0.30	0.00
	(0.37)	(0.50)	(0.33)
Weekly study hours	15.12	16.03	−0.91	0.33	0.20	−5.00	4.00
	(10.21)	(11.55)	(8.15)
Delayed graduation (0/1)			0.13			0.00	0.00
			(0.34)
Withdraw from a class (0/1)			0.11			0.00	0.00
			(0.31)
Change major (0/1)			0.12			0.00	0.00
			(0.33)


Lost in-college job (0/1)			0.29			0.00	1.00
			(0.45)
In-college weekly hours worked	12.97	24.38	−11.64	0.40	0.21	−22.00	0.00
	(13.71)	(15.30)	(16.09)
In-college weekly earnings ,	147.73	237.02	−21.27	0.09	0.52	−1.00	0.00
	(366.62)	(342.91)	(170.05)
Fam. lost job or reduce income (0/1)			0.61			0.00	1.00
			(0.49)
Lost job offer or internship (0/1)			0.13			0.00	0.00
			(0.34)
Probability of finding a Job	55.97	69.36	−13.39	0.13	0.24	−20.00	0.00
	(25.07)	(28.04)	(20.27)
Reservation waged	48.53	50.53	−1.91	0.09	0.63	−0.08	0.00
	(21.95)	(21.93)	(28.02)
Expected earnings at 35 years old	88.18	91.49	−2.34	0.06	0.65	−0.07	0.00
	(33.92)	(33.90)	(28.64)

Notes: Δ : change. Prop. Δ >0: proportion of students for whom the individual level Δ is positive. Prop. Δ =0: proportion of students for whom the individual level Δ is zero. 25th and 75th percentiles of the cross-sectional distribution of Δ . Standard deviation in parentheses. ( ∗  :  p <0.1, ∗∗  :  p <0.05, ∗∗∗  :  p <0.01).

We see that the average treatment effects are statistically and economically significant for all outcomes. The average impacts on academic outcomes, shown in Panel A, are mostly negative. For example, the average subjective treatment effect of COVID-19 on semester-level GPA is a decline of 0.17 points. More than 50% of the students in our sample expect a decrease in their GPA due to the treatment (versus only 7% expecting an increase). Additionally, 13% of the participants delayed their graduation, 11% withdrew from a class during the spring semester, and 12% stated that their major choice was impacted by COVID-19. 8

While almost no students report planning to drop out due to COVID-19, on average they expect to take a break from ASU in the fall 2020 semester at nearly twice the historical rate. Admittedly, the decision to take a break during a pandemic may be different than in more normal times. However, a substantial increase in the share of students failing to continue their studies is concerning, as historically 28% of students who fail to re-enroll for a fall semester do not return to ASU or another university within 5 years.

Regarding the impact of the pandemic on major choice, students who report that COVID-19 impacted their major choice were more likely to be in lower-paying majors before the pandemic; mean pre-COVID major-specific annual earnings were $43,053 ($46,943) for students whose major choice was (not) impacted by COVID-19. 9 Impacted students were also 9.3 percentage points less likely to be in a science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) major before COVID-19. 10 We are only able to observe pre- and post-COVID major choices for the subset of students who had switched their major by the date of the survey. 11 Within this selected subsample of switchers, students chose to move into higher paying majors, with an average change in first-year earnings of $3,340. These patterns are generally consistent with the finding that students tend to gravitate towards higher-paying majors when exposed to adverse economic conditions when in college ( Blom et al., 2019 ).

An interesting and perhaps unanticipated result reported in Table 2 is that, on average, students are 4 percentage points less likely to opt for online instruction if given the choice between online and in-person instruction due to their experience with online instruction during the pandemic. 12 13 However, there is a substantial amount of variation in terms of the direction of the effect: 31% (47%) of the participants are now more (less) likely to enroll in online classes. We explore this heterogeneity in more detail in the next section, but it seems that prior experience with online classes somewhat ameliorates the negative experience; the average treatment effect for students with prior experience in online classes is a 2.4 percentage points decrease in their likelihood of enrolling in online classes, versus a 9.5 percentage points decline for their counterparts (difference statistically significant at the 0.1% level).

This large variation in the treatment effects of COVID-19 is apparent in several of the other outcomes, such as study hours, where the average treatment effect of COVID-19 on weekly study hours is −0.9 (that is, students spend 0.9 less hours studying per week due to COVID-19). The interquartile range of the across-subject treatment effect demonstrates substantial variation, with the pandemic decreasing study time by 5 hours at the 25th percentile and increasing study time by 4 hours at the 75th.

Overall, these results suggest that COVID-19 represents a substantial disruption to students' academic experiences, and is likely to have lasting impacts through changes in major/career and delayed graduation timelines. Students' negative experiences with online teaching, perhaps due to the abruptness of the transition, also has implications for the willingness of students to take online classes in the future.

Turning to Panel B in Table 2 , we see that students' current and expected labor market outcomes were substantially disrupted by COVID-19. As for the extensive margin of current employment, on average, 29% of the students lost the jobs they were working at prior to the pandemic (67% of the students were working prior to the pandemic), 13% of students had their internships or job offers rescinded, and 61% of the students reported that a close family member had lost their job or experienced an income reduction. The last statistic is in line with findings from other surveys of widespread economic disruption across the US. 14 Respondents experienced an average decrease of 11.5 hours of work per week and a 21% decrease in weekly earnings, although there was no change in weekly earnings for 52% of the sample, which again reflects substantial variation in the effects of COVID-19 across students.

In terms of labor market expectations, on average, students foresee a 13 percentage points decrease in the probability of finding a job by graduation, a reduction of 2% in their reservation wages, and a 2.3% decrease in their expected earnings at age 35.

The significant changes in reservation wages and expected earnings at age 35 demonstrate that students expect the treatment effects of COVID-19 to be long-lasting. Qualitatively, this is broadly consistent with the literature on graduating during recession. Oreopoulos et al. (2012) finds that graduating during a recession in which the unemployment rate increases 5% implies an initial loss in earnings of 9%, that decreases to 4.5% within 5 years and disappears after 10 years for a sample of male college graduates in Canada. Similarly, Schwandt and von Wachter (2019) find a 2.6% reduction in earnings 10 years after graduation for a 3-percentage point increase in unemployment at graduation, and Kahn (2010) finds an even longer-lasting effect on wages.

A large literature has investigated the impact of graduating during recessions on unemployment rates. Kahn (2010) finds that during the 1980's recession, the probability of being employed right after graduation for white males was largely unaffected by economic conditions. Altonji et al. (2016) only find what they term modest impacts. On the other hand, Rothstein (2020) finds that, for 22 to 23-year-olds graduating from college during the Great Recession, the probability of being employed decreases by 0.7 percentage point for every 1 percentage point increase in the unemployment rate. Using the estimates in Rothstein (2020) and the approximate 10 percentage point increase in the unemployment rate during April 2020, a back-of-the-envelope calculation indicates a 7 percentage point reduction in the probability of being employed for the graduating cohort in our sample. We find that students who are graduating in spring or summer 2020 expect a 35 percentage point decline in the likelihood of finding a job before graduation. While it is difficult to precisely map pre-graduation job finding rates to unemployment over the subsequent year, a 7 percentage point increase in unemployment appears low compared to the impact on students' expectations. It could be the case that the literature estimates are not appropriate for a situation as unexpected and different as a global pandemic, where the economic recession goes hand in hand with health concerns. Having said that, it could also be that students are overreacting to the COVID-19 shock. Data that tracks students' expectations and outcomes over time may be able to shed light on this.

4.2. Heterogeneous effects

We next explore demographic heterogeneity in the treatment effects of COVID-19. Fig. 1 plots the average treatment effects across several relevant demographic divisions including gender, race, parental education, and parental income. Honors college status and cohort are also included as interesting dimensions of heterogeneity in the COVID-19 context. The figure shows the impacts for six of the more economically meaningful outcomes from Table 2 (additional outcomes can be found in Appendix Fig. A2 ).

Treatment effects by demographic group.

(a) Delay Graduation due to COVID (0/1)

(b) Semester GPA ( Δ 0–4)

(d) Likelihood take online classes ( Δ 0–1)

(e) Probability job before graduate ( Δ 0–1)

(f) Expected earnings at age 35 (Pct. Δ )

Notes: bars denote 90% confidence interval.

At least four patterns of note emerge from Fig. 1 . First, compared to their classmates, students from disadvantaged backgrounds (lower-income students defined as those with below-median parental income, racial minorities, and first-generation students) experienced larger negative impacts for the academic outcomes, as shown in the first three panels of the figure. 15 The trends are most striking for lower-income students, who are 55% more likely to delay graduation due to COVID-19 than their more affluent classmates (0.16 increase in the proportion of those expecting to delay graduation versus 0.10), expect 30% larger negative effects on their semester GPA due to COVID-19, and are 41% more likely to report that COVID-19 impacted their major choice (these differences are statistically significant at the 5% level). For some academic outcomes, COVID-19 had similarly disproportionate effects on nonwhite and first-generation students, with nonwhite students being 70% more likely to report changing their major preference compared to their white peers and first-generation students being 50% more likely to delay their graduation than students with college-educated parents. Thus, while on average COVID-19 negatively impacted several measures of academic achievement for all subgroups, the effects are significantly more pronounced for socioeconomic groups which were predisposed towards worse academic outcomes pre-COVID. 16 The pandemic's widening of existing achievement gaps can be seen directly in students' expected Semester GPA. Without COVID-19, lower-income students expected a 0.052 lower semester GPA than their higher-income peers. With COVID-19, this gap nearly doubles to 0.098. 17

Second, Panel (d) of Fig. 1 shows that the switch to online learning was substantially harder for some demographic groups; for example, men are 7 percentage points less likely to opt for an online version of a course as a result of COVID-19, while women do not have a statistically significant change in their online preferences. We also see that Honors students revise their preferences by more than 2.5 times the amount of non-Honors students. As we show later (in Table 4 ), these gaps persist after controlling for household income, major, and cohort, suggesting that the switch to online learning mid-semester may have been substantially more disruptive for males and Honors students. While the effect of COVID-19 on preferences for online learning looks similar for males and Honors students, our survey evidence indicates that different mechanisms underpin these shifts. Based on qualitative evidence, it appears that Honors students had a negative reaction to the transition to online learning because they felt less challenged, while males were more likely to struggle with the learning methods available through the online platform. 18 One speculative explanation for the gender difference is that consumption value of college amenities is higher for men (however, Jacob et al. (2018) , find little gender difference in willingness to pay for the amenities they consider).

Composition of COVID effects.

	Delay grad due to COVID (0/100)					COVID impact major choice (0/100)					Prob take online classes ( pp)					Prob job before grad ( pp)
	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)	(10)	(11)	(12)	(13)	(14)	(15)	(16)	(17)	(18)	(19)	(20)

Women	1.80	0.82	0.20	−0.12	−0.09	3.01	0.08	−0.53	−0.71	−0.69	5.61	3.45	3.65	3.73	3.70	−1.23	−0.64	−0.50	−0.31	−0.36
	(1.66)	(2.04)	(2.16)	(2.07)	(2.12)	(1.65)	(2.03)	(2.08)	(2.03)	(2.05)	(1.46)	(1.61)	(1.66)	(1.65)	(1.67)	(0.98)	(1.13)	(1.13)	(1.15)	(1.13)
Lower-income	4.34	3.26	3.84	2.68	3.15	3.08	1.16	1.74	0.73	1.33	1.96	1.47	1.40	1.76	1.41	−0.40	0.13	−0.52	0.38	−0.16
	(1.77)	(1.94)	(1.78)	(1.85)	(1.75)	(1.61)	(1.67)	(1.63)	(1.69)	(1.71)	(1.15)	(1.24)	(1.17)	(1.25)	(1.20)	(1.02)	(1.05)	(0.99)	(1.01)	(0.96)
Honors	− 9.00	− 7.41	− 7.75	− 6.59	− 6.93	− 6.36	− 4.55	− 4.52	− 3.88	− 4.09	− 4.52	−2.64	−2.62	−2.87	−2.75	0.53	− 2.18	− 2.11	− 2.49	− 2.56
	(1.76)	(1.93)	(2.00)	(1.96)	(1.98)	(1.72)	(1.78)	(1.72)	(1.73)	(1.75)	(1.44)	(1.73)	(1.75)	(1.78)	(1.79)	(1.09)	(1.02)	(1.04)	(1.06)	(1.06)


Student Lost Job (0/1)		3.59		4.07			−1.03		−0.58			− 2.78		− 2.64			0.86		0.72
		(2.66)		(2.66)			(2.27)		(2.31)			(1.57)		(1.57)			(1.60)		(1.61)
Family Lost Income (0/1)		2.31		1.77			1.53		1.01			−1.45		−1.30			− 4.35		− 4.14
		(2.27)		(2.25)			(1.66)		(1.59)			(1.47)		(1.42)			(1.38)		(1.37)
Student Change in Earnings ($)		0.00		0.00			0.00		0.00			− 0.01		− 0.01			0.00		0.00
		(0.01)		(0.01)			(0.01)		(0.01)			(0.00)		(0.00)			(0.00)		(0.00)
Prob. miss Debt (0–1)		17.12		13.74			15.89		12.76			−2.83		−2.37			−4.83		−3.71
		(4.36)		(4.40)			(3.93)		(4.02)			(2.79)		(2.67)			(3.07)		(3.00)
Principal Component					2.85					1.41					−0.26					− 1.49
					(0.82)					(0.83)					(0.60)					(0.48)


Subjective health (1–5, 5 high)			− 2.68	− 2.33				−2.20	−1.89				2.91	2.71				1.51	1.34
			(1.26)	(1.30)				(1.40)	(1.33)				(0.96)	(0.96)				(0.87)	(0.83)
Prob. hosp. if catch COVID (0–1)			12.89	11.56				10.98	9.74				0.11	0.10				− 3.99	− 3.45
			(4.42)	(4.24)				(4.00)	(4.00)				(2.98)	(3.03)				(1.99)	(1.98)
Prob. catch COVID (0–1)			8.24	6.43				9.52	7.65				2.73	3.29				−2.41	−1.55
			(4.02)	(3.95)				(3.78)	(3.76)				(2.88)	(2.86)				(2.36)	(2.35)
Principal component					4.32					3.90					− 1.37					− 1.66
					(0.89)					(0.91)					(0.69)					(0.51)




Economic proxies		0.000		0.002			0.002		0.031			0.116		0.166			0.001		0.003
Health Proxies			0.000	0.000				0.000	0.000				0.001	0.002				0.006	0.022




Major FE	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Cohort FE	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y



Mean	12.93	12.93	12.93	12.93	12.93	12.24	12.24	12.24	12.24	12.24	−4.18	−4.18	−4.18	−4.18	−4.18	−13.39	−13.39	−13.39	−13.39	−13.39
R	0.020	0.163	0.164	0.178	0.172	0.012	0.194	0.198	0.206	0.199	0.021	0.153	0.157	0.160	0.152	0.001	0.237	0.230	0.243	0.237
N	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446	1380	1380	1380	1380	1380

Notes: Standard errors in parentheses bootstrapped with 1000 replications. Each column reports results from a separate OLS regression of the dependent variable onto the covariates (row variables). Dependent variables measured in percentage points. ( ∗  :  p <0.1, ∗∗  :  p <0.05, ∗∗∗  :  p <0.01).

The third trend worth highlighting from Fig. 1 is that Honors students were better able to mitigate the negative effect of COVID-19 on their academic outcomes (panels a, b, and c), despite appearing to be more disrupted by the move to online learning (panel d). Honors students report being less than half as likely as non-Honors students to delay graduation and change their major due to COVID-19. Extrapolating from these patterns provides suggestive evidence that academic impacts for students attending elite schools– the group more comparable to these Honors students– are likely to have been small relative to the impacts for the average student at large public schools.

Finally, the last two panels of Fig. 1 present the COVID effect on two labor market expectations and show much less meaningful heterogeneity across demographic groups compared to the academic outcomes in previous panels. This suggests that, while students believe COVID-19 will impact both their academic outcomes and future labor market outcomes, they do not believe there is a strong connection between these domains. Supporting this observation, the individual-specific treatment effect on semester GPA is only weakly correlated with the individual-specific treatment effects on finding a job before graduation (corr = 0.0497, p  = 0.065) and expected earnings at 35 (corr = 0.0467, p  = 0.077).

The one notable exception to the lack of heterogeneity in panels (e) and (f) of Fig. 1 are seniors, who on average revised their subjective probability of finding a job before graduation three times as much as other cohorts. Appendix Fig. A3 further breaks down the estimated COVID-19 effects by expected year of graduation. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the 2020 cohort expects much larger effects on immediate job market outcomes such as reservation wages and probability of finding a job before graduation. While average expected changes to job market outcomes are noisier for academically younger students, perhaps reflecting additional uncertainty about the longer-term impacts of COVID-19, they appear to anticipate meaningful changes to their future labor market prospects. Conversely, younger students also expected larger disruptions to academic outcomes such as semester GPA and study time.

5. Understanding the heterogeneous effects

This section presents mediation analysis on the drivers of the underlying heterogeneity in the treatment effects. The COVID-19 pandemic serves as both an economic and a health shock. However, these shocks may have been quite heterogeneous across the various groups, and that could partly explain the heterogeneous treatment effects we documented in the previous section.

5.1. Economic and health mediating factors

We proxy for the financial and health shocks due to COVID-19 by relying on a small but relevant set of covariates which capture more fundamental or first-order disruptions from the pandemic. Financial shocks are characterized based on whether a student lost a job due to COVID-19, whether a student's family members lost income due to COVID-19, the change in a student's monthly earnings due to COVID-19, and the likelihood a student will fail to fully meet debt payments in the next 90 days. To measure health shocks, we consider a student's belief about the likelihood that they will be hospitalized if they contract COVID-19, a student's belief about the likelihood that they will have contracted COVID-19 by summer, and a student's subjective health assessment. Finally, in order to summarize the combined effect of each set of proxies, we construct principal component scores as one-dimensional measures of the financial and health shock to students. 19

Table 3 reports summary statistics of the different economic and health proxies by demographic group. Given the results in Fig. 1 , the remainder of the analysis will focus on three socioeconomic divisions: parental income, gender, and Honors college status. Our data indicate that lower-income students faced larger health and economic shocks as compared to their more affluent peers. In particular, they are almost 10 percentage points more likely to expect to default on their debt payments compared to their higher-income counterparts. Additionally, lower-income students are 16 percentage points more likely to have had a close family member experience an income reduction due to COVID-19. Regarding the health proxies, lower-income students rate their health as worse than higher-income students and perceive a higher probability of being hospitalized if they catch the virus. Finally, the differences in economic and health shocks between lower and higher-income students, as summarized by the principle components of the selected proxy variables, are statistically significant.

Summary statistics for economic and health proxies.

	All	Lower	Higher	P-value	Honors	Not	P-value	Female	Male	P-value
	All	Income	Income	(2)–(3)	Honors	Honors	(5)–(6)	Female	Male	(8)–(9)
	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)	(10)

Likelihood default in next 90 days (0–1)	0.16	0.21	0.12	0.00	0.08	0.18	0.00	0.19	0.13	0.00
	(0.26)	(0.29)	(0.23)		(0.19)	(0.28)		(0.29)	(0.24)
Student lost job (0/1)	0.29	0.30	0.28	0.53	0.22	0.31	0.00	0.32	0.26	0.01
	(0.45)	(0.46)	(0.45)		(0.41)	(0.46)		(0.47)	(0.44)
Family lost job or earnings (0/1)	0.61	0.70	0.54	0.00	0.54	0.64	0.00	0.67	0.56	0.00
	(0.49)	(0.46)	(0.50)		(0.50)	(0.48)		(0.47)	(0.50)
Student change in earnings	−89.30	−95.40	−84.16	0.36	−49.42	−100.72	0.00	−107.27	−71.02	0.00
	(230.50)	(230.21)	(230.77)		(181.77)	(241.52)		(237.35)	(221.99)

	0.00	0.19	−0.16	0.00	−0.37	0.10	0.00	0.17	−0.18	0.00
	(1.28)	(1.27)	(1.26)		(1.07)	(1.31)		(1.30)	(1.23)


Subjective health	3.98	3.88	4.05	0.00	4.06	3.95	0.04	3.90	4.06	0.00
	(0.82)	(0.84)	(0.80)		(0.81)	(0.82)		(0.83)	(0.80)
Likelihood hospitalized if catch COVID (0–1)	0.33	0.38	0.30	0.00	0.29	0.35	0.00	0.37	0.29	0.00
	(0.28)	(0.29)	(0.27)		(0.26)	(0.29)		(0.29)	(0.27)
Likelihood catch COVID-19 by summer (0–1)	0.30	0.30	0.30	0.75	0.29	0.31	0.17	0.32	0.29	0.01
	(0.24)	(0.24)	(0.23)		(0.23)	(0.24)		(0.24)	(0.23)

	0.00	0.18	−0.15	0.00	−0.20	0.06	0.00	0.18	−0.19	0.00
	(1.15)	(1.19)	(1.09)		(1.10)	(1.16)		(1.18)	(1.09)

Notes: P-value columns report the p-value of a difference in means test between the two columns indicated by the numbers in the heading.

Columns (5)–(7) of Table 3 show that both economic and health shocks are larger for non-Honors students. In fact, the average differences in the principal component scores for both the economic and health factors is larger for these two groups than for the income groups. Likewise, the last three columns of the table show that women experienced larger COVID-19 shocks due to economic and health factors. These differences are partly driven by the fact that, in our sample, females are more likely to report that they belong to a lower-income household than males (50% vs. 42%).

In short, Table 3 makes clear that the impacts of COVID-19 on the economic well-being and health of students have been quite heterogeneous, with lower-income and lower-ability students being more adversely affected.

5.2. The role of economic and health shocks on explaining the COVID-19 effects

To investigate the role of economic and health shocks in explaining the heterogeneous treatment effects (in Section 4.2 ), we estimate the following specification:

where Δ i is the COVID-19 treatment effect for outcome O on student i . Demog i is a vector including indicators for gender, lower-income, Honors status, and dummies for cohort year and major. FinShock i and HealthShock i are vectors containing the shock proxies or their principal component. Finally, ε i denotes an idiosyncratic shock.

The parameters of interest are α 2 and α 3 . A causal interpretation of these parameters requires FinShock i and HealthShock i to be independent of ε i . This seems unlikely in our context as unobservables correlated with FinShock i and HealthShock i may also modulate COVID-19's impact on academic outcomes. Therefore, we prefer to interpret α 2 and α 3 as simple correlations. Nevertheless, we believe this descriptive evidence can be informative from a policy perspective.

Table 4 shows estimates of Eq. (2) for four different outcomes ( Appendix Table A2 shows the estimates for additional outcomes). For each outcome, five specifications are reported ranging from controlling for only demographic variables in the first specification to controlling for both economic and health factors in the fourth specification. Finally, the last column includes only the principal component of each shock to provide insight about overall effects, given that certain shock proxies show high levels of correlation (see Appendix Table A4 for the correlations within each set of proxies).

Several important messages emerge from Table 4 . First, both shocks are (economically and statistically) significant correlates of the COVID-19 effects on students' outcomes. In particular, F-tests show that the financial and health shock proxies are jointly significant across almost all specifications. 20 This is also reflected in the statistical significance of the principal components. Moreover, the fact that the effect of key proxy variables remains robust when we simultaneously control for both shocks demonstrates the robustness of our results. For example, we find that a 50 percentage point increase in the probability of being late on debt payments is associated with an increase in the probability of delaying graduation and switching majors due to COVID-19 of 6.9 and 6.4 percentage points respectively. These effects are large given that they represent more than half of the overall COVID-19 treatment effect for these variables. Similarly, we find that an analogous increase in the probability of hospitalization if contracting COVID-19 is associated with a 6 and 5 percentage points increase in the probability of delaying graduation and switching majors due to COVID-19.

Second, in terms of labor market expectations, we find that the change in the expected probability of finding a job before graduation strongly depends on having a family member that lost income (which is also correlated with the student himself losing a job). In particular, the size of this effect represents 32% of the overall COVID-19 treatment effect. Therefore, this finding suggests that students' labor market expectations are driven in large part by personal/family experiences.

Third, although the proxies play an important role in explaining the pandemic's impact on students, there is still a substantial amount of variation in COVID-19 treatment effects left unexplained. Across the four outcomes in Table 4 , the full set of proxies explain less than a quarter of the variation in outcomes across individuals. Appendix Fig. A4 visualizes this variation by plotting the distribution of several continuous outcomes with and without controls. While the interquartile range noticeably shrinks after conditioning on the proxy variables, these plots highlight the large amount of variation in treatment effects remaining after conditioning on the proxies.

Finally, our results show that the financial and health shocks play an important role in explaining the heterogeneous effects of the COVID-19 outbreak. In particular, columns (4) and (9) demonstrate that economic and health factors together can explain approximately 40% and 70% of the income gap in COVID-19's effect on delayed graduation and changing major respectively. The gap between Honors and non-Honors students is likewise reduced by 27% and 39% for the same outcomes. Taken together, these results imply that differences in the magnitude of COVID-19's economic and health impact can explain a significant proportion of the demographic gaps in COVID-19's effect on the decision to delay graduation, the decision to change major, and preferences for online learning. These results are important and suggest that focusing on the needs of students who experienced larger financial or health shocks from COVID-19 may be an effective way to minimize the disparate disruptive effects and prevent COVID-19 from exacerbating existing achievement gaps in higher education.

6. Conclusions

This paper provides the first systematic analysis of the effects of COVID-19 on higher education. To study these effects, we surveyed 1500 students at Arizona State University, and present quantitative evidence showing the negative effects of the pandemic on students' outcomes and expectations. For example, we find that 13% of students have delayed graduation due to COVID-19. Expanding upon these results, we show that the effects of the pandemic are highly heterogeneous, with lower-income students 55% more likely to delay graduation compared to their higher-income counterparts. We further show that the negative economic and health impacts of COVID-19 have been significantly more pronounced for less advantaged groups, and that these differences can partially explain the underlying heterogeneity that we document. Our results suggest that by focusing on addressing the economic and health burden imposed by COVID-19, as measured by a relatively narrow set of mitigating factors, policy makers may be able to prevent COVID-19 from widening existing achievement gaps in higher education.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no relevant or material financial interests that relate to the research described in this paper. There are no declarations of interest.

☆ Noah Deitrick and Adam Streff provided excellent research assistance. All errors that remain are ours.

1 See, the New York Times article “ After Coronavirus , Colleges Worry : Will Students Come Back ?” (April 15, 2020) for a discussion surrounding students' demands for tuition cuts.

2 In some cases, instead of asking students for the outcomes in both states of the world, we directly ask for the difference. For example, the survey asked how the pandemic had affected the student's graduation date.

3 This approach has been used successfully in several other settings, such as to construct career and family returns to college majors ( Arcidiacono et al., 2020 ; Wiswall and Zafar, 2020 ), and the causal impact of health on retirement ( Shapiro and Giustinelli, 2019 ).

4 The income gap in GPA increased from 0.052 to 0.098 on a 4 point scale. It is significant at the 1% level in both scenarios.

5 The 64 people taking the survey at the moment the target sample size (1500) was reached were allowed to finish.

6 59% of Honors students in our sample report living on campus.

7 This is different from asking students in normal times about their expected outcomes in a state with online teaching and no campus activities (COVID-19) since most students would not have had any experience with this counterfactual prior to March this year.

8 Altonji et al. (2016) finds a small but positive effect on the probability of attending graduate school when graduating into a recession. This is suggestive evidence that students try to avoid entering the labor market when economic conditions are adverse. Our results on delayed graduation are consistent with students avoiding entering the labor market at inopportune times.

9 For this calculation, we take earnings data from the US Department of Education College Scorecard dataset. Major-specific earnings are calculated using median first-year earnings for ASU graduates in 2015 and 2016 by two-digit CIP code. Observable earnings averaged within major category.

10 STEM major designation made using two-digit CIP code and The STEM Designated Degree Program from the US Department of Homeland Security.

11 This includes 77 respondents, or 43% of those who say COVID-19 impacted their major choice.

12 The relevant survey question read: “ Suppose you are given the choice to take a course online/remote or in-person . [ Had you NOT had experience with online/remote classes this semester ], what is the percent chance that you would opt for the online/remote option ?”

13 This result is in line with a survey about eLearning experiences across different universities in Washington and New York that concludes that 75% of the students are unhappy with the quality of their classes after moving to online learning due to COVID-19.

14 According to the US Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey Week 3, 48% of the surveyed households have experienced a loss in employment income since March 13 2020.

15 The cutoff for median parental income in our sample is $80,000.

16 Based on analysis of ASU administrative data including transcripts, we find that, relative to their counterparts, first-generation, lower-income, and non-white students drop out at higher rates, take longer to graduate, have lower GPAs at graduation, and are more likely to switch majors when in college (see Appendix Table A3 ).

17 The difference is significant at 1% in both cases.

18 Honors students were as likely as non-Honors students to say that classes got easier after they went online but, conditional on saying classes got easier, were 47% more likely to say “homework/test questions got easier.” Conversely, males were marginally more likely to say classes got harder after they went online (10% more likely, p  = 0.055) and, conditional on this, were 14% more likely to say that “online material is not clear”.

19 Eigenvalues indicate the presence of only one principal component for each of the shocks.

20 The only exception is the financial shock when explaining changes in the probability of taking classes online.

Expected and previous academic performance.

Notes: Figure plots mean expected GPA with COVID-19 against students' cumulative GPA up to the spring 2020 semester. The 45 degree line is also plotted for reference.

More treatment effects by demographic group.

(a) Withdrew from Class due to COVID (0/1); (b) Social Events per Week ( Δ 0–14); (c) Move in With Family due to COVID (0/1); (d) Weekly Study Hours ( Δ 0–40); (e) Reservation Wage (Pct. Δ )

Notes: Bars denote 90% confidence interval.

Cohort trends.

Notes: Figure plots average COVID-19 effects for a series of outcomes. The x-axis variable in each panel is expected academic year of graduation (after COVID), with summer graduation dates included in the previous academic year. Bars denote 90% confidence interval.

Distribution of individual effects.

Notes: Data winsorized below 5% and above 95%. Controls include cohort fixed effects, major fixed effects, and the economic/health proxies in Table 3 . Conditional distribution adjusted to preserve unconditional mean. Within each plot: middle line represents median, edges of box represent interquatile range (IQR), edge of whisker represents the adjacent values or the 25th(75th) percentile plus(minus) 1.5 times the IQR. Outlier observations past adjacent values plotted as individual points.

	With	Without		Prop.	Prop.	25th	75th
	COVID-19	COVID-19		>0	=0	%tile	%tile
	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)

Likelihood of taking online classes	0.46 (0.33)	0.50 (0.30)	−0.04 (0.26)	0.31	0.22	−0.20	0.08
Semester GPA	3.48 (0.50)	3.65 (0.37)	−0.17 (0.33)	0.07	0.41	−0.30	0.00
Weekly study hours	15.12 (11.55)	16.03 (10.21)	−0.91 (8.15)	0.33	0.20	−5.00	4.00
Delayed graduation (0/1)			0.13 (0.34)			0.00	0.00
Withdraw from a class (0/1)			0.11 (0.31)			0.00	0.00
Change major (0/1)			0.12 (0.33)			0.00	0.00
Time in classes			−0.10 (0.87)	0.33	0.24	−1.00	1.00
Time studying by myself			0.28 (0.83)	0.52	0.23	0.00	1.00
Time studying with peers			−0.75 (0.51)	0.04	0.18	−1.00	−1.00


Lost in-college job (0/1)			0.29 (0.45)			0.00	1.00
In-college weekly hours worked	12.97 (15.30)	24.38 (13.71)	−11.64 (16.09)	0.40	0.21	−22.00	0.00
In-college weekly earnings ,	147.73 (342.91)	237.02 (366.62)	−21.27 (170.05)	0.09	0.52	−1.00	0.00
Fam. lost job or reduce income (0/1)			0.61 (0.49)			0.00	1.00
Lost job offer or internship (0/1)			0.13 (0.34)			0.00	0.00
Probability of finding a Job	55.97 (28.04)	69.36 (25.07)	−13.39 (20.27)	0.13	0.24	−20.00	0.00
Reservation waged	48.53 (21.93)	50.53 (21.95)	−1.91 (28.02)	0.09	0.63	−0.08	0.00
Expected earnings at 35 years old	88.18 (33.90)	91.49 (33.92)	−2.34 (28.64)	0.06	0.65	−0.07	0.00
Time working for pay			−0.46 (0.66)	0.09	0.35	−1.00	0.00
Making a lot of money			0.26 (0.61)	0.35	0.56	0.00	1.00
Being a leader in your line of work			0.16 (0.55)	0.24	0.68	0.00	0.00
Enjoying your line of work			0.20 (0.63)	0.32	0.56	0.00	1.00
Family-life Balance			0.34 (0.63)	0.42	0.49	0.00	1.00
Job security			0.55 (0.67)	0.66	0.24	0.00	1.00
Have opt. to be helpful to others			0.38 (0.63)	0.46	0.45	0.00	1.00
Have opt. to work with people			0.08 (0.68)	0.28	0.53	0.00	1.00


Number of weekly social events	0.26 (1.28)	4.44 (3.82)	−4.17 (3.66)	0.01	0.08	−5.00	−2.00
Time on social media			0.62 (0.61)	0.69	0.24	0.00	1.00
Time news and online browsing			0.71 (0.53)	0.75	0.21	1.00	1.00
Time online entertainment			0.74 (0.54)	0.78	0.17	1.00	1.00
Time in sports and exercise			−0.46 (0.75)	0.15	0.23	−1.00	0.00
Time commuting			−0.89 (0.36)	0.02	0.07	−1.00	−1.00
Time sleeping			0.17 (0.83)	0.44	0.28	−1.00	1.00

Composition of COVID effects: more outcomes.

	Expect earn at age 35 ( pp)					Res wage ( pp)					Sem GPA ( 0–4)					Withdrew class b/c COVID (0/100)
	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)	(10)	(11)	(12)	(13)	(14)	(15)	(16)	(17)	(18)	(19)	(20)

Women	0.60	−0.08	−0.04	0.07	0.17	1.90	2.18	2.18	2.22	2.33	0.04	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.03	−0.02	−0.00	−0.01	−0.01	−0.01
	(1.35)	(1.48)	(1.62)	(1.58)	(1.66)	(1.47)	(2.47)	(2.59)	(2.61)	(2.60)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)
Lower-Income	0.56	1.27	1.18	1.30	1.46	−0.13	−0.02	−0.24	−0.11	−0.03	− 0.04	−0.03	− 0.05	−0.03	− 0.04	0.03	0.02	0.03	0.02	0.02
	(1.62)	(1.62)	(2.11)	(1.65)	(2.11)	(1.35)	(1.58)	(1.62)	(1.77)	(1.55)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)
Honors	4.92	5.53	5.60	5.47	5.22	−1.17	−0.95	−0.90	−0.93	−1.13	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.03	0.04	− 0.06	− 0.06	− 0.07	− 0.06	− 0.06
	(3.04)	(3.37)	(3.24)	(3.29)	(3.15)	(1.66)	(1.84)	(1.76)	(1.84)	(1.81)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)	(0.02)


Student lost job (0/1)		−2.38		−2.39			1.13		1.08			−0.02		−0.02			−0.01		−0.00
		(1.86)		(1.86)			(2.10)		(2.11)			(0.03)		(0.03)			(0.02)		(0.02)
Family lost income (0/1)		− 2.67		−2.31			−1.03		−0.73			− 0.06		− 0.05			0.02		0.01
		(1.43)		(1.48)			(1.91)		(1.93)			(0.02)		(0.02)			(0.02)		(0.02)
Student change in earnings ($)		−0.00		−0.00			0.00		0.00			− 0.00		−0.00			−0.00		−0.00
		(0.00)		(0.00)			(0.00)		(0.00)			(0.00)		(0.00)			(0.00)		(0.00)
Prob. miss debt (0–1)		2.21		3.35			−1.16		−0.29			− 0.13		− 0.11			∗∗0.10		∗0.08
		(5.47)		(6.26)			(3.07)		(2.98)			(0.04)		(0.04)			(0.04)		(0.05)
Principal component					−0.69					−0.28					− 0.02					0.02
					(0.49)					(0.57)					(0.01)					(0.01)


Subjective health (1–5, 5 high)			2.30	2.31				1.24	1.25				0.04	0.04				− 0.02	− 0.02
			(1.26)	(1.29)				(0.68)	(0.71)				(0.01)	(0.01)				(0.01)	(0.01)
Prob. hosp. if catch COVID (0–1)			2.27	2.00				1.93	2.09				−0.02	−0.01				0.04	0.03
			(3.63)	(3.85)				(4.23)	(4.17)				(0.04)	(0.04)				(0.04)	(0.05)
Prob. catch COVID (0–1)			−4.49	−4.77				−5.64	−5.53				−0.05	−0.03				0.06	0.05
			(2.84)	(3.51)				(3.55)	(3.79)				(0.04)	(0.04)				(0.04)	(0.04)
Principal component					−1.13					−0.72					− 0.03					0.02
					(0.86)					(0.71)					(0.01)					(0.01)




Economic proxies		0.267		0.304			0.702		0.767			0.000		0.000			0.045		0.101
Health proxies			0.244	0.290				0.104	0.172				0.000	0.003				0.010	0.039




Major FE	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Cohort FE	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y



Mean	−2.34	−2.34	−2.34	−2.34	−2.34	−1.91	−1.91	−1.91	−1.91	−1.91	−0.17	−0.17	−0.17	−0.17	−0.17	0.11	0.11	0.11	0.11	0.11
R	0.005	0.046	0.048	0.051	0.045	0.001	0.087	0.089	0.090	0.087	0.012	0.169	0.164	0.177	0.164	0.010	0.142	0.141	0.148	0.146
N	1435	1435	1435	1435	1435	1430	1430	1430	1430	1430	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446	1446

Notes: Standard errors in parentheses bootstrapped with 1000 replications. Each column reports results from a separate OLS regression of the dependent variable onto the covariates (row variables). Dependent variables measured in percentage points (except GPA). ( ∗  :  p <0.1, ∗∗  :  p <0.05, ∗∗∗  :  p <0.01).

Existing achievement gaps.

	Years to graduate	Cum GPA at grad	Graduate	Dropout	Ever switch major
Women	3.37	3.39	0.62	0.22	0.54
Men	3.54	3.25	0.54	0.28	0.51
	−0.16	0.15	0.08	−0.06	0.02

First generation	3.49	3.26	0.49	0.33	0.52
Not first generation	3.40	3.36	0.55	0.23	0.49
	0.10	−0.10	−0.06	0.10	0.03

Low income	3.54	3.28	0.50	0.32	0.52
High income	3.30	3.37	0.57	0.20	0.48
	0.24	−0.09	−0.07	0.12	0.04

Nonwhite	3.51	3.25	0.55	0.29	0.54
White	3.40	3.38	0.61	0.21	0.52
	0.11	−0.13	−0.06	0.08	0.02

Honors	3.34	3.67	0.83	0.09	0.43
Non-honors	3.47	3.25	0.55	0.27	0.54
	−0.14	0.42	0.29	−0.18	−0.11

Notes: Sample includes all first time freshman at ASU's main campus who started within the last 10 years. N  = 58,426. ( ∗  :  p <0.1, ∗∗  :  p <0.05, ∗∗∗  :  p <0.01).

Correlation of shock proxies.


	Student lost	Family lost	Student	Likelihood
	Job	Income	Change in earnings	Default in next 90 days

Student lost job (0/1)	1.000
Family lost income (0/1)	0.174	1.000
Student change in earnings ($)	−0.572	−0.153	1.000
Likelihood default in next 90 days (0–1)	0.225	0.176	−0.203	1.000


	Subjective	Likelihood	Likelihood
	Health	Hospitalized if catch COVID	Catch COVID by summer

Subjective health (1–5, 5 High)	1.000
Likelihood hospitalized if catch COVID (0–1)	−0.293	1.000
Likelihood catch COVID by summer (0–1)	−0.053	0.093	1.000

Notes: Table reports correlation matrix for indicated variables.

Altonji J., Arcidiacono P., Maurel A. Handbook of the Economics of Education. vol. 5. Elsevier; Cambridge, MA: 2016. The analysis of field choice in college and graduate school: determinants and wage effects; pp. 305–396. [ Google Scholar ]
Angrist J.D., Pischke J.-S. Princeton University Press; Princeton: 2009. Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist’s Companion. OCLC: ocn231586808. [ Google Scholar ]
Arcidiacono P., Hotz V.J., Maurel A., Romano T. Ex ante returns and occupational choice. J. Polit. Econ. 2020 (forthcoming) [ Google Scholar ]
Blom E., Cadena B.C., Keys B.J. 2019. Investment Over the Business Cycle: Insights from College Major Choice. (Working Paper) [ Google Scholar ]
Chetty R., Friedman J.N., Hendren N., Stepner M. 2020, May. Real-Time Economics: A New Platform to Track the Impacts of COVID-19 on People, Businesses, and Communities Using Private Sector Data. [ Google Scholar ]
Heckman J.J., Vytlacil E. Structural equations, treatment effects, and econometric policy evaluation. Econometrica. 2005, May; 73 (3):669–738. [ Google Scholar ]
Imbens G., Rubin D.B. Causal inference: for statistics, social and biomedical sciences: an introduction. OCLC. 2015; 985493948 [ Google Scholar ]
Jacob B., McCall B., Stange K. College as country club: do colleges cater to students’ preferences for consumption? J. Labor Econ. 2018; 36 (2):40. [ Google Scholar ]
Kahn L.B. The long-term labor market consequences of graduating from college in a bad economy. Labour Econ. 2010, April; 17 (2):303–316. [ Google Scholar ]
Kuchler T., Zafar B. Personal experiences and expectations about aggregate outcomes. J. Financ. 2019, October; 74 (5):2491–2542. [ Google Scholar ]
Kuhfeld M., Soland J., Tarasawa B., Johnson A., Ruzek E., Liu J. 2020, May. Projecting the Potential Impacts of COVID-19 School Closures on Academic Achievement. Publisher: EdWorkingPapers.com. [ Google Scholar ]
Malmendier U., Nagel S. Learning from inflation experiences *. Q. J. Econ. 2016, February; 131 (1):53–87. [ Google Scholar ]
Oreopoulos P., von Wachter T., Heisz A. The short- and long-term career effects of graduating in a recession. Am. Econ. J. Appl. Econ. 2012, January; 4 (1):1–29. [ Google Scholar ]
Rothstein J. 2020, May. The Lost Generation? Labor Market Outcomes for Post Great Recession Entrants. [ Google Scholar ]
Schwandt H., von Wachter T. Unlucky cohorts: estimating the long-term effects of entering the labor market in a recession in large cross-sectional data sets. J. Labor Econ. 2019; 37 (S1):S161–S198. [ Google Scholar ]
Shapiro M., Giustinelli P. 2019, July. SeaTE: Subjective ex Ante Treatment Effect of Health on Retirement. [ Google Scholar ]
Wiswall M., Zafar B. Human capital investments and expectations about career and family. J. Polit. Econ. 2020 (forthcoming) [ Google Scholar ]

What Life Was Like for Students in the Pandemic Year

In this video, Navajo student Miles Johnson shares how he experienced the stress and anxiety of schools shutting down last year. Miles’ teacher shared his experience and those of her other students in a recent piece for Education Week. In these short essays below, teacher Claire Marie Grogan’s 11th grade students at Oceanside High School on Long Island, N.Y., describe their pandemic experiences. Their writings have been slightly edited for clarity. Read Grogan’s essay .

“Hours Staring at Tiny Boxes on the Screen”

By Kimberly Polacco, 16

I stare at my blank computer screen, trying to find the motivation to turn it on, but my finger flinches every time it hovers near the button. I instead open my curtains. It is raining outside, but it does not matter, I will not be going out there for the rest of the day. The sound of pounding raindrops contributes to my headache enough to make me turn on my computer in hopes that it will give me something to drown out the noise. But as soon as I open it up, I feel the weight of the world crash upon my shoulders.

Each 42-minute period drags on by. I spend hours upon hours staring at tiny boxes on a screen, one of which my exhausted face occupies, and attempt to retain concepts that have been presented to me through this device. By the time I have the freedom of pressing the “leave” button on my last Google Meet of the day, my eyes are heavy and my legs feel like mush from having not left my bed since I woke up.

Tomorrow arrives, except this time here I am inside of a school building, interacting with my first period teacher face to face. We talk about our favorite movies and TV shows to stream as other kids pile into the classroom. With each passing period I accumulate more and more of these tiny meaningless conversations everywhere I go with both teachers and students. They may not seem like much, but to me they are everything because I know that the next time I am expected to report to school, I will be trapped in the bubble of my room counting down the hours until I can sit down in my freshly sanitized wooden desk again.

“My Only Parent Essentially on Her Death Bed”

By Nick Ingargiola, 16

My mom had COVID-19 for ten weeks. She got sick during the first month school buildings were shut. The difficulty of navigating an online classroom was already overwhelming, and when mixed with my only parent essentially on her death bed, it made it unbearable. Focusing on schoolwork was impossible, and watching my mother struggle to lift up her arm broke my heart.

My mom has been through her fair share of diseases from pancreatic cancer to seizures and even as far as a stroke that paralyzed her entire left side. It is safe to say she has been through a lot. The craziest part is you would never know it. She is the strongest and most positive person I’ve ever met. COVID hit her hard. Although I have watched her go through life and death multiple times, I have never seen her so physically and mentally drained.

I initially was overjoyed to complete my school year in the comfort of my own home, but once my mom got sick, I couldn’t handle it. No one knows what it’s like to pretend like everything is OK until they are forced to. I would wake up at 8 after staying up until 5 in the morning pondering the possibility of losing my mother. She was all I had. I was forced to turn my camera on and float in the fake reality of being fine although I wasn’t. The teachers tried to keep the class engaged by obligating the students to participate. This was dreadful. I didn’t want to talk. I had to hide the distress in my voice. If only the teachers understood what I was going through. I was hesitant because I didn’t want everyone to know that the virus that was infecting and killing millions was knocking on my front door.

After my online classes, I was required to finish an immense amount of homework while simultaneously hiding my sadness so that my mom wouldn’t worry about me. She was already going through a lot. There was no reason to add me to her list of worries. I wasn’t even able to give her a hug. All I could do was watch.

“The Way of Staying Sane”

By Lynda Feustel, 16

Entering year two of the pandemic is strange. It barely seems a day since last March, but it also seems like a lifetime. As an only child and introvert, shutting down my world was initially simple and relatively easy. My friends and I had been super busy with the school play, and while I was sad about it being canceled, I was struggling a lot during that show and desperately needed some time off.

As March turned to April, virtual school began, and being alone really set in. I missed my friends and us being together. The isolation felt real with just my parents and me, even as we spent time together. My friends and I began meeting on Facetime every night to watch TV and just be together in some way. We laughed at insane jokes we made and had homework and therapy sessions over Facetime and grew closer through digital and literal walls.

The summer passed with in-person events together, and the virus faded into the background for a little while. We went to the track and the beach and hung out in people’s backyards.

Then school came for us in a more nasty way than usual. In hybrid school we were separated. People had jobs, sports, activities, and quarantines. Teachers piled on work, and the virus grew more present again. The group text put out hundreds of messages a day while the Facetimes came to a grinding halt, and meeting in person as a group became more of a rarity. Being together on video and in person was the way of staying sane.

In a way I am in a similar place to last year, working and looking for some change as we enter the second year of this mess.

“In History Class, Reports of Heightening Cases”

By Vivian Rose, 16

I remember the moment my freshman year English teacher told me about the young writers’ conference at Bread Loaf during my sophomore year. At first, I didn’t want to apply, the deadline had passed, but for some strange reason, the directors of the program extended it another week. It felt like it was meant to be. It was in Vermont in the last week of May when the flowers have awakened and the sun is warm.

I submitted my work, and two weeks later I got an email of my acceptance. I screamed at the top of my lungs in the empty house; everyone was out, so I was left alone to celebrate my small victory. It was rare for them to admit sophomores. Usually they accept submissions only from juniors and seniors.

That was the first week of February 2020. All of a sudden, there was some talk about this strange virus coming from China. We thought nothing of it. Every night, I would fall asleep smiling, knowing that I would be able to go to the exact conference that Robert Frost attended for 42 years.

Then, as if overnight, it seemed the virus had swung its hand and had gripped parts of the country. Every newscast was about the disease. Every day in history, we would look at the reports of heightening cases and joke around that this could never become a threat as big as Dr. Fauci was proposing. Then, March 13th came around--it was the last day before the world seemed to shut down. Just like that, Bread Loaf would vanish from my grasp.

“One Day Every Day Won’t Be As Terrible”

By Nick Wollweber, 17

COVID created personal problems for everyone, some more serious than others, but everyone had a struggle.

As the COVID lock-down took hold, the main thing weighing on my mind was my oldest brother, Joe, who passed away in January 2019 unexpectedly in his sleep. Losing my brother was a complete gut punch and reality check for me at 14 and 15 years old. 2019 was a year of struggle, darkness, sadness, frustration. I didn’t want to learn after my brother had passed, but I had to in order to move forward and find my new normal.

Routine and always having things to do and places to go is what let me cope in the year after Joe died. Then COVID came and gave me the option to let up and let down my guard. I struggled with not wanting to take care of personal hygiene. That was the beginning of an underlying mental problem where I wouldn’t do things that were necessary for everyday life.

My “coping routine” that got me through every day and week the year before was gone. COVID wasn’t beneficial to me, but it did bring out the true nature of my mental struggles and put a name to it. Since COVID, I have been diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety. I began taking antidepressants and going to therapy a lot more.

COVID made me realize that I’m not happy with who I am and that I needed to change. I’m still not happy with who I am. I struggle every day, but I am working towards a goal that one day every day won’t be as terrible.

Coverage of social and emotional learning is supported in part by a grant from the NoVo Foundation, at www.novofoundation.org . Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage. A version of this article appeared in the March 31, 2021 edition of Education Week as What Life Was Like for Students in the Pandemic Year

Sign Up for The Savvy Principal

Edweek top school jobs.

Middle school students walk between classes at A.D. Henderson School in Boca Raton, Fla., Tuesday, April 16, 2024.

Sign Up & Sign In

How to Order

Persuasive Essay Guide

Persuasive Essay About Covid19

How to Write a Persuasive Essay About Covid19 | Examples & Tips

14 min read

Steps to Write a Persuasive Essay About Covid-19

Here are the steps to help you write a persuasive essay on this topic, along with an example essay:

Step 1: Choose a Specific Thesis Statement

Your thesis statement should clearly state your position on a specific aspect of COVID-19. It should be debatable and clear. For example:

"COVID-19 vaccination mandates are necessary for public health and safety."

Step 2: Research and Gather Information

Collect reliable and up-to-date information from reputable sources to support your thesis statement. This may include statistics, expert opinions, and scientific studies. For instance:

COVID-19 vaccination effectiveness data
Information on vaccine mandates in different countries
Expert statements from health organizations like the WHO or CDC

Step 3: Outline Your Essay

Create a clear and organized outline to structure your essay. A persuasive essay typically follows this structure:

Introduction
Background Information
Body Paragraphs (with supporting evidence)
Counterarguments (addressing opposing views)

Step 4: Write the Introduction

In the introduction, grab your reader's attention and present your thesis statement. For example:

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an unprecedented global challenge, and in the face of this crisis, many countries have debated the implementation of vaccination mandates. This essay argues that such mandates are essential for safeguarding public health and preventing further devastation caused by the virus.

Step 5: Provide Background Information

Offer context and background information to help your readers understand the issue better. For instance:

COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, emerged in late 2019 and quickly spread worldwide, leading to millions of infections and deaths. Vaccination has proven to be an effective tool in curbing the virus's spread and severity.

Step 6: Develop Body Paragraphs

Each body paragraph should present a single point or piece of evidence that supports your thesis statement. Use clear topic sentences , evidence, and analysis. Here's an example:

One compelling reason for implementing COVID-19 vaccination mandates is the overwhelming evidence of vaccine effectiveness. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines demonstrated an efficacy of over 90% in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 cases. This level of protection not only reduces the risk of infection but also minimizes the virus's impact on healthcare systems.

Step 7: Address Counterarguments

Acknowledge opposing viewpoints and refute them with strong counterarguments. This demonstrates that you've considered different perspectives. For example:

Some argue that vaccination mandates infringe on personal freedoms and autonomy. While individual freedom is a crucial aspect of democratic societies, public health measures have long been implemented to protect the collective well-being. Seatbelt laws, for example, are in place to save lives, even though they restrict personal choice.

Step 8: Write the Conclusion

Summarize your main points and restate your thesis statement in the conclusion. End with a strong call to action or thought-provoking statement. For instance:

In conclusion, COVID-19 vaccination mandates are a crucial step toward controlling the pandemic, protecting public health, and preventing further loss of life. The evidence overwhelmingly supports their effectiveness, and while concerns about personal freedoms are valid, they must be weighed against the greater good of society. It is our responsibility to take collective action to combat this global crisis and move toward a safer, healthier future.

Step 9: Revise and Proofread

Edit your essay for clarity, coherence, grammar, and spelling errors. Ensure that your argument flows logically.

Step 10: Cite Your Sources

Include proper citations and a bibliography page to give credit to your sources.

Remember to adjust your approach and arguments based on your target audience and the specific angle you want to take in your persuasive essay about COVID-19.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That's our Job!

Examples of Persuasive Essay About COVID-19

When writing a persuasive essay about the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to consider how you want to present your argument. To help you get started, here are some example essays for you to read:

Here is another example explaining How COVID-19 has changed our lives essay:

The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in late 2019, has drastically altered the way we live. From work and education to social interactions and healthcare, every aspect of our daily routines has been impacted. Reflecting on these changes helps us understand their long-term implications.

COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is an infectious disease first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. It spreads through respiratory droplets and can range from mild symptoms like fever and cough to severe cases causing pneumonia and death. The rapid spread and severe health impacts have led to significant public health measures worldwide.

The pandemic shifted many to remote work and online education. While some enjoy the flexibility, others face challenges like limited access to technology and blurred boundaries between work and home.

Social distancing and lockdowns have led to increased isolation and mental health issues. However, the pandemic has also fostered community resilience, with people finding new ways to connect and support each other virtually.

Healthcare systems have faced significant challenges, leading to innovations in telemedicine and a focus on public health infrastructure. Heightened awareness of hygiene practices, like handwashing and mask-wearing, has helped reduce the spread of infectious diseases.

COVID-19 has caused severe economic repercussions, including business closures and job losses. While governments have implemented relief measures, the long-term effects are still uncertain. The pandemic has also accelerated trends like e-commerce and contactless payments.

The reduction in travel and industrial activities during lockdowns led to a temporary decrease in pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. This has sparked discussions about sustainable practices and the potential for a green recovery.

COVID-19 has reshaped our lives in numerous ways, affecting work, education, social interactions, healthcare, the economy, and the environment. As we adapt to this new normal, it is crucial to learn from these experiences and work towards a more resilient and equitable future.

Let’s look at another sample essay:

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a transformative event, reshaping every aspect of our lives. In my opinion, while the pandemic has brought immense challenges, it has also offered valuable lessons and opportunities for growth.

One of the most striking impacts has been on our healthcare systems. The pandemic exposed weaknesses and gaps, prompting a much-needed emphasis on public health infrastructure and the importance of preparedness. Innovations in telemedicine and vaccine development have been accelerated, showing the incredible potential of scientific collaboration.

Socially, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of community and human connection. While lockdowns and social distancing measures increased feelings of isolation, they also fostered a sense of solidarity. People found creative ways to stay connected and support each other, from virtual gatherings to community aid initiatives.

The shift to remote work and online education has been another significant change. This transition, though challenging, demonstrated the flexibility and adaptability of both individuals and organizations. It also underscored the importance of digital literacy and access to technology.

Economically, the pandemic has caused widespread disruption. Many businesses closed, and millions lost their jobs. However, it also prompted a reevaluation of business models and work practices. The accelerated adoption of e-commerce and remote work could lead to more sustainable and efficient ways of operating in the future.

In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a profound and complex event. While it brought about considerable hardship, it also revealed the strength and resilience of individuals and communities. Moving forward, it is crucial to build on the lessons learned to create a more resilient and equitable world.

Check out some more PDF examples below:

Persuasive Essay About Covid-19 Pandemic

Sample Of Persuasive Essay About Covid-19

Persuasive Essay About Covid-19 In The Philippines - Example

If you're in search of a compelling persuasive essay on business, don't miss out on our “ persuasive essay about business ” blog!

Examples of Persuasive Essay About COVID-19 Vaccine

Covid19 vaccines are one of the ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but they have been a source of controversy. Different sides argue about the benefits or dangers of the new vaccines. Whatever your point of view is, writing a persuasive essay about it is a good way of organizing your thoughts and persuading others.

A persuasive essay about the COVID-19 vaccine could consider the benefits of getting vaccinated as well as the potential side effects.

Below are some examples of persuasive essays on getting vaccinated for Covid-19.

Covid19 Vaccine Persuasive Essay

Persuasive Essay on Covid Vaccines

Interested in thought-provoking discussions on abortion? Read our persuasive essay about abortion blog to eplore arguments!

Examples of Persuasive Essay About COVID-19 Integration

Covid19 has drastically changed the way people interact in schools, markets, and workplaces. In short, it has affected all aspects of life. However, people have started to learn to live with Covid19.

Writing a persuasive essay about it shouldn't be stressful. Read the sample essay below to get an idea for your own essay about Covid19 integration.

Persuasive Essay About Working From Home During Covid19

Searching for the topic of Online Education? Our persuasive essay about online education is a must-read.

Examples of Argumentative Essay About Covid 19

Covid-19 has been an ever-evolving issue, with new developments and discoveries being made on a daily basis.

Writing an argumentative essay about such an issue is both interesting and challenging. It allows you to evaluate different aspects of the pandemic, as well as consider potential solutions.

Here are some examples of argumentative essays on Covid19.

Argumentative Essay About Covid19 Sample

Argumentative Essay About Covid19 With Introduction Body and Conclusion

Looking for a persuasive take on the topic of smoking? You'll find it all related arguments in out Persuasive Essay About Smoking blog!

Examples of Persuasive Speeches About Covid-19

Do you need to prepare a speech about Covid19 and need examples? We have them for you!

Persuasive speeches about Covid-19 can provide the audience with valuable insights on how to best handle the pandemic. They can be used to advocate for specific changes in policies or simply raise awareness about the virus.

Check out some examples of persuasive speeches on Covid-19:

Persuasive Speech About Covid-19 Example

Persuasive Speech About Vaccine For Covid-19

You can also read persuasive essay examples on other topics to master your persuasive techniques!

Tips to Write a Persuasive Essay About Covid-19

Writing a persuasive essay about COVID-19 requires a thoughtful approach to present your arguments effectively.

Here are some tips to help you craft a compelling persuasive essay on this topic:

Choose a Specific Angle: Narrow your focus to a specific aspect of COVID-19, like vaccination or public health measures.
Provide Credible Sources: Support your arguments with reliable sources like scientific studies and government reports.
Use Persuasive Language: Employ ethos, pathos, and logos , and use vivid examples to make your points relatable.
Organize Your Essay: Create a solid persuasive essay outline and ensure a logical flow, with each paragraph focusing on a single point.
Emphasize Benefits: Highlight how your suggestions can improve public health, safety, or well-being.
Use Visuals: Incorporate graphs, charts, and statistics to reinforce your arguments.
Call to Action: End your essay conclusion with a strong call to action, encouraging readers to take a specific step.
Revise and Edit: Proofread for grammar, spelling, and clarity, ensuring smooth writing flow.
Seek Feedback: Have someone else review your essay for valuable insights and improvements.

Tough Essay Due? Hire Tough Writers!

Common Topics for a Persuasive Essay on COVID-19

Here are some persuasive essay topics on COVID-19:

The Importance of Vaccination Mandates for COVID-19 Control
Balancing Public Health and Personal Freedom During a Pandemic
The Economic Impact of Lockdowns vs. Public Health Benefits
The Role of Misinformation in Fueling Vaccine Hesitancy
Remote Learning vs. In-Person Education: What's Best for Students?
The Ethics of Vaccine Distribution: Prioritizing Vulnerable Populations
The Mental Health Crisis Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 on Healthcare Systems
Global Cooperation vs. Vaccine Nationalism in Fighting the Pandemic
The Future of Telemedicine: Expanding Healthcare Access Post-COVID-19

In search of more inspiring topics for your next persuasive essay? Our persuasive essay topics blog has plenty of ideas!

To sum it up,

You have read good sample essays and got some helpful tips. You now have the tools you needed to write a persuasive essay about Covid-19. So don't let the doubts stop you, start writing!

If you need professional writing help, don't worry! We've got that for you as well.

MyPerfectWords.com is a professional persuasive essay writing service that can help you craft an excellent persuasive essay on Covid-19. Our experienced essay writer will create a well-structured, insightful paper in no time!

So don't hesitate and place your ' write my essay online ' request today!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good title for a covid-19 essay.

A good title for a COVID-19 essay should be clear, engaging, and reflective of the essay's content. Examples include:

"The Impact of COVID-19 on Global Health"
"How COVID-19 Has Transformed Our Daily Lives"
"COVID-19: Lessons Learned and Future Implications"

How do I write an informative essay about COVID-19?

To write an informative essay about COVID-19, follow these steps:

Choose a specific focus: Select a particular aspect of COVID-19, such as its transmission, symptoms, or vaccines.
Research thoroughly: Gather information from credible sources like scientific journals and official health organizations.
Organize your content: Structure your essay with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Present facts clearly: Use clear, concise language to convey information accurately.
Include visuals: Use charts or graphs to illustrate data and make your essay more engaging.

How do I write an expository essay about COVID-19?

To write an expository essay about COVID-19, follow these steps:

Select a clear topic: Focus on a specific question or issue related to COVID-19.
Conduct thorough research: Use reliable sources to gather information.
Create an outline: Organize your essay with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Explain the topic: Use facts and examples to explain the chosen aspect of COVID-19 in detail.
Maintain objectivity: Present information in a neutral and unbiased manner.
Edit and revise: Proofread your essay for clarity, coherence, and accuracy.

Write Essay Within 60 Seconds!

Caleb S. has been providing writing services for over five years and has a Masters degree from Oxford University. He is an expert in his craft and takes great pride in helping students achieve their academic goals. Caleb is a dedicated professional who always puts his clients first.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That’s our Job!

Keep reading

The pandemic has had devastating impacts on learning. What will it take to help students catch up?

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, megan kuhfeld , megan kuhfeld senior research scientist - nwea jim soland , jim soland assistant professor, school of education and human development - university of virginia, affiliated research fellow - nwea karyn lewis , and karyn lewis director, center for school and student progress - nwea emily morton emily morton research scientist - nwea.

March 3, 2022

As we reach the two-year mark of the initial wave of pandemic-induced school shutdowns, academic normalcy remains out of reach for many students, educators, and parents. In addition to surging COVID-19 cases at the end of 2021, schools have faced severe staff shortages , high rates of absenteeism and quarantines , and rolling school closures . Furthermore, students and educators continue to struggle with mental health challenges , higher rates of violence and misbehavior , and concerns about lost instructional time .

As we outline in our new research study released in January, the cumulative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ academic achievement has been large. We tracked changes in math and reading test scores across the first two years of the pandemic using data from 5.4 million U.S. students in grades 3-8. We focused on test scores from immediately before the pandemic (fall 2019), following the initial onset (fall 2020), and more than one year into pandemic disruptions (fall 2021).

Average fall 2021 math test scores in grades 3-8 were 0.20-0.27 standard deviations (SDs) lower relative to same-grade peers in fall 2019, while reading test scores were 0.09-0.18 SDs lower. This is a sizable drop. For context, the math drops are significantly larger than estimated impacts from other large-scale school disruptions, such as after Hurricane Katrina—math scores dropped 0.17 SDs in one year for New Orleans evacuees .

Even more concerning, test-score gaps between students in low-poverty and high-poverty elementary schools grew by approximately 20% in math (corresponding to 0.20 SDs) and 15% in reading (0.13 SDs), primarily during the 2020-21 school year. Further, achievement tended to drop more between fall 2020 and 2021 than between fall 2019 and 2020 (both overall and differentially by school poverty), indicating that disruptions to learning have continued to negatively impact students well past the initial hits following the spring 2020 school closures.

These numbers are alarming and potentially demoralizing, especially given the heroic efforts of students to learn and educators to teach in incredibly trying times. From our perspective, these test-score drops in no way indicate that these students represent a “ lost generation ” or that we should give up hope. Most of us have never lived through a pandemic, and there is so much we don’t know about students’ capacity for resiliency in these circumstances and what a timeline for recovery will look like. Nor are we suggesting that teachers are somehow at fault given the achievement drops that occurred between 2020 and 2021; rather, educators had difficult jobs before the pandemic, and now are contending with huge new challenges, many outside their control.

Clearly, however, there’s work to do. School districts and states are currently making important decisions about which interventions and strategies to implement to mitigate the learning declines during the last two years. Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) investments from the American Rescue Plan provided nearly $200 billion to public schools to spend on COVID-19-related needs. Of that sum, $22 billion is dedicated specifically to addressing learning loss using “evidence-based interventions” focused on the “ disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underrepresented student subgroups. ” Reviews of district and state spending plans (see Future Ed , EduRecoveryHub , and RAND’s American School District Panel for more details) indicate that districts are spending their ESSER dollars designated for academic recovery on a wide variety of strategies, with summer learning, tutoring, after-school programs, and extended school-day and school-year initiatives rising to the top.

Comparing the negative impacts from learning disruptions to the positive impacts from interventions

To help contextualize the magnitude of the impacts of COVID-19, we situate test-score drops during the pandemic relative to the test-score gains associated with common interventions being employed by districts as part of pandemic recovery efforts. If we assume that such interventions will continue to be as successful in a COVID-19 school environment, can we expect that these strategies will be effective enough to help students catch up? To answer this question, we draw from recent reviews of research on high-dosage tutoring , summer learning programs , reductions in class size , and extending the school day (specifically for literacy instruction) . We report effect sizes for each intervention specific to a grade span and subject wherever possible (e.g., tutoring has been found to have larger effects in elementary math than in reading).

Figure 1 shows the standardized drops in math test scores between students testing in fall 2019 and fall 2021 (separately by elementary and middle school grades) relative to the average effect size of various educational interventions. The average effect size for math tutoring matches or exceeds the average COVID-19 score drop in math. Research on tutoring indicates that it often works best in younger grades, and when provided by a teacher rather than, say, a parent. Further, some of the tutoring programs that produce the biggest effects can be quite intensive (and likely expensive), including having full-time tutors supporting all students (not just those needing remediation) in one-on-one settings during the school day. Meanwhile, the average effect of reducing class size is negative but not significant, with high variability in the impact across different studies. Summer programs in math have been found to be effective (average effect size of .10 SDs), though these programs in isolation likely would not eliminate the COVID-19 test-score drops.

Figure 1: Math COVID-19 test-score drops compared to the effect sizes of various educational interventions

$Figure 1 – Math COVID-19 test-score drops compared to the effect sizes of various educational interventions$

Source: COVID-19 score drops are pulled from Kuhfeld et al. (2022) Table 5; reduction-in-class-size results are from pg. 10 of Figles et al. (2018) Table 2; summer program results are pulled from Lynch et al (2021) Table 2; and tutoring estimates are pulled from Nictow et al (2020) Table 3B. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals are shown with vertical lines on each bar.

Notes: Kuhfeld et al. and Nictow et al. reported effect sizes separately by grade span; Figles et al. and Lynch et al. report an overall effect size across elementary and middle grades. We were unable to find a rigorous study that reported effect sizes for extending the school day/year on math performance. Nictow et al. and Kraft & Falken (2021) also note large variations in tutoring effects depending on the type of tutor, with larger effects for teacher and paraprofessional tutoring programs than for nonprofessional and parent tutoring. Class-size reductions included in the Figles meta-analysis ranged from a minimum of one to minimum of eight students per class.

Figure 2 displays a similar comparison using effect sizes from reading interventions. The average effect of tutoring programs on reading achievement is larger than the effects found for the other interventions, though summer reading programs and class size reduction both produced average effect sizes in the ballpark of the COVID-19 reading score drops.

Figure 2: Reading COVID-19 test-score drops compared to the effect sizes of various educational interventions

Source: COVID-19 score drops are pulled from Kuhfeld et al. (2022) Table 5; extended-school-day results are from Figlio et al. (2018) Table 2; reduction-in-class-size results are from pg. 10 of Figles et al. (2018) ; summer program results are pulled from Kim & Quinn (2013) Table 3; and tutoring estimates are pulled from Nictow et al (2020) Table 3B. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals are shown with vertical lines on each bar.

Notes: While Kuhfeld et al. and Nictow et al. reported effect sizes separately by grade span, Figlio et al. and Kim & Quinn report an overall effect size across elementary and middle grades. Class-size reductions included in the Figles meta-analysis ranged from a minimum of one to minimum of eight students per class.

There are some limitations of drawing on research conducted prior to the pandemic to understand our ability to address the COVID-19 test-score drops. First, these studies were conducted under conditions that are very different from what schools currently face, and it is an open question whether the effectiveness of these interventions during the pandemic will be as consistent as they were before the pandemic. Second, we have little evidence and guidance about the efficacy of these interventions at the unprecedented scale that they are now being considered. For example, many school districts are expanding summer learning programs, but school districts have struggled to find staff interested in teaching summer school to meet the increased demand. Finally, given the widening test-score gaps between low- and high-poverty schools, it’s uncertain whether these interventions can actually combat the range of new challenges educators are facing in order to narrow these gaps. That is, students could catch up overall, yet the pandemic might still have lasting, negative effects on educational equality in this country.

Given that the current initiatives are unlikely to be implemented consistently across (and sometimes within) districts, timely feedback on the effects of initiatives and any needed adjustments will be crucial to districts’ success. The Road to COVID Recovery project and the National Student Support Accelerator are two such large-scale evaluation studies that aim to produce this type of evidence while providing resources for districts to track and evaluate their own programming. Additionally, a growing number of resources have been produced with recommendations on how to best implement recovery programs, including scaling up tutoring , summer learning programs , and expanded learning time .

Ultimately, there is much work to be done, and the challenges for students, educators, and parents are considerable. But this may be a moment when decades of educational reform, intervention, and research pay off. Relying on what we have learned could show the way forward.

Resources for

Prospective Students
Current Students
Admin Resources

Search form

Essays reveal experiences during pandemic, unrest.

Field study students share their thoughts

Members of Advanced Field Study, a select group of Social Ecology students who are chosen from a pool of applicants to participate in a year-long field study experience and course, had their internships and traditional college experience cut short this year. During our final quarter of the year together, during which we met weekly for two hours via Zoom, we discussed their reactions as the world fell apart around them. First came the pandemic and social distancing, then came the death of George Floyd and the response of the Black Lives Matter movement, both of which were imprinted on the lives of these students. This year was anything but dull, instead full of raw emotion and painful realizations of the fragility of the human condition and the extent to which we need one another. This seemed like the perfect opportunity for our students to chronicle their experiences — the good and the bad, the lessons learned, and ways in which they were forever changed by the events of the past four months. I invited all of my students to write an essay describing the ways in which these times had impacted their learning and their lives during or after their time at UCI. These are their voices. — Jessica Borelli , associate professor of psychological science

Becoming Socially Distant Through Technology: The Tech Contagion

The current state of affairs put the world on pause, but this pause gave me time to reflect on troubling matters. Time that so many others like me probably also desperately needed to heal without even knowing it. Sometimes it takes one’s world falling apart for the most beautiful mosaic to be built up from the broken pieces of wreckage.

As the school year was coming to a close and summer was edging around the corner, I began reflecting on how people will spend their summer breaks if the country remains in its current state throughout the sunny season. Aside from living in the sunny beach state of California where people love their vitamin D and social festivities, I think some of the most damaging effects Covid-19 will have on us all has more to do with social distancing policies than with any inconveniences we now face due to the added precautions, despite how devastating it may feel that Disneyland is closed to all the local annual passholders or that the beaches may not be filled with sun-kissed California girls this summer. During this unprecedented time, I don’t think we should allow the rare opportunity we now have to be able to watch in real time how the effects of social distancing can impact our mental health. Before the pandemic, many of us were already engaging in a form of social distancing. Perhaps not the exact same way we are now practicing, but the technology that we have developed over recent years has led to a dramatic decline in our social contact and skills in general.

The debate over whether we should remain quarantined during this time is not an argument I am trying to pursue. Instead, I am trying to encourage us to view this event as a unique time to study how social distancing can affect people’s mental health over a long period of time and with dramatic results due to the magnitude of the current issue. Although Covid-19 is new and unfamiliar to everyone, the isolation and separation we now face is not. For many, this type of behavior has already been a lifestyle choice for a long time. However, the current situation we all now face has allowed us to gain a more personal insight on how that experience feels due to the current circumstances. Mental illness continues to remain a prevalent problem throughout the world and for that reason could be considered a pandemic of a sort in and of itself long before the Covid-19 outbreak.

One parallel that can be made between our current restrictions and mental illness reminds me in particular of hikikomori culture. Hikikomori is a phenomenon that originated in Japan but that has since spread internationally, now prevalent in many parts of the world, including the United States. Hikikomori is not a mental disorder but rather can appear as a symptom of a disorder. People engaging in hikikomori remain confined in their houses and often their rooms for an extended period of time, often over the course of many years. This action of voluntary confinement is an extreme form of withdrawal from society and self-isolation. Hikikomori affects a large percent of people in Japan yearly and the problem continues to become more widespread with increasing occurrences being reported around the world each year. While we know this problem has continued to increase, the exact number of people practicing hikikomori is unknown because there is a large amount of stigma surrounding the phenomenon that inhibits people from seeking help. This phenomenon cannot be written off as culturally defined because it is spreading to many parts of the world. With the technology we now have, and mental health issues on the rise and expected to increase even more so after feeling the effects of the current pandemic, I think we will definitely see a rise in the number of people engaging in this social isolation, especially with the increase in legitimate fears we now face that appear to justify the previously considered irrational fears many have associated with social gatherings. We now have the perfect sample of people to provide answers about how this form of isolation can affect people over time.

Likewise, with the advancements we have made to technology not only is it now possible to survive without ever leaving the confines of your own home, but it also makes it possible for us to “fulfill” many of our social interaction needs. It’s very unfortunate, but in addition to the success we have gained through our advancements we have also experienced a great loss. With new technology, I am afraid that we no longer engage with others the way we once did. Although some may say the advancements are for the best, I wonder, at what cost? It is now commonplace to see a phone on the table during a business meeting or first date. Even worse is how many will feel inclined to check their phone during important or meaningful interactions they are having with people face to face. While our technology has become smarter, we have become dumber when it comes to social etiquette. As we all now constantly carry a mini computer with us everywhere we go, we have in essence replaced our best friends. We push others away subconsciously as we reach for our phones during conversations. We no longer remember phone numbers because we have them all saved in our phones. We find comfort in looking down at our phones during those moments of free time we have in public places before our meetings begin. These same moments were once the perfect time to make friends, filled with interactive banter. We now prefer to stare at other people on our phones for hours on end, and often live a sedentary lifestyle instead of going out and interacting with others ourselves.

These are just a few among many issues the advances to technology led to long ago. We have forgotten how to practice proper tech-etiquette and we have been inadvertently practicing social distancing long before it was ever required. Now is a perfect time for us to look at the society we have become and how we incurred a different kind of pandemic long before the one we currently face. With time, as the social distancing regulations begin to lift, people may possibly begin to appreciate life and connecting with others more than they did before as a result of the unique experience we have shared in together while apart.

Maybe the world needed a time-out to remember how to appreciate what it had but forgot to experience. Life is to be lived through experience, not to be used as a pastime to observe and compare oneself with others. I’ll leave you with a simple reminder: never forget to take care and love more because in a world where life is often unpredictable and ever changing, one cannot risk taking time or loved ones for granted. With that, I bid you farewell, fellow comrades, like all else, this too shall pass, now go live your best life!

Privilege in a Pandemic

Covid-19 has impacted millions of Americans who have been out of work for weeks, thus creating a financial burden. Without a job and the certainty of knowing when one will return to work, paying rent and utilities has been a problem for many. With unemployment on the rise, relying on unemployment benefits has become a necessity for millions of people. According to the Washington Post , unemployment rose to 14.7% in April which is considered to be the worst since the Great Depression.

Those who are not worried about the financial aspect or the thought never crossed their minds have privilege. Merriam Webster defines privilege as “a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor.” Privilege can have a negative connotation. What you choose to do with your privilege is what matters. Talking about privilege can bring discomfort, but the discomfort it brings can also carry the benefit of drawing awareness to one’s privilege, which can lead the person to take steps to help others.

I am a first-generation college student who recently transferred to a four-year university. When schools began to close, and students had to leave their on-campus housing, many lost their jobs.I was able to stay on campus because I live in an apartment. I am fortunate to still have a job, although the hours are minimal. My parents help pay for school expenses, including housing, tuition, and food. I do not have to worry about paying rent or how to pay for food because my parents are financially stable to help me. However, there are millions of college students who are not financially stable or do not have the support system I have. Here, I have the privilege and, thus, I am the one who can offer help to others. I may not have millions in funding, but volunteering for centers who need help is where I am able to help. Those who live in California can volunteer through Californians For All or at food banks, shelter facilities, making calls to seniors, etc.

I was not aware of my privilege during these times until I started reading more articles about how millions of people cannot afford to pay their rent, and landlords are starting to send notices of violations. Rather than feel guilty and be passive about it, I chose to put my privilege into a sense of purpose: Donating to nonprofits helping those affected by COVID-19, continuing to support local businesses, and supporting businesses who are donating profits to those affected by COVID-19.

My World is Burning

As I write this, my friends are double checking our medical supplies and making plans to buy water and snacks to pass out at the next protest we are attending. We write down the number for the local bailout fund on our arms and pray that we’re lucky enough not to have to use it should things get ugly. We are part of a pivotal event, the kind of movement that will forever have a place in history. Yet, during this revolution, I have papers to write and grades to worry about, as I’m in the midst of finals.

My professors have offered empty platitudes. They condemn the violence and acknowledge the stress and pain that so many of us are feeling, especially the additional weight that this carries for students of color. I appreciate their show of solidarity, but it feels meaningless when it is accompanied by requests to complete research reports and finalize presentations. Our world is on fire. Literally. On my social media feeds, I scroll through image after image of burning buildings and police cars in flames. How can I be asked to focus on school when my community is under siege? When police are continuing to murder black people, adding additional names to the ever growing list of their victims. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. George Floyd. David Mcatee. And, now, Rayshard Brooks.

It already felt like the world was being asked of us when the pandemic started and classes continued. High academic expectations were maintained even when students now faced the challenges of being locked down, often trapped in small spaces with family or roommates. Now we are faced with another public health crisis in the form of police violence and once again it seems like educational faculty are turning a blind eye to the impact that this has on the students. I cannot study for exams when I am busy brushing up on my basic first-aid training, taking notes on the best techniques to stop heavy bleeding and treat chemical burns because at the end of the day, if these protests turn south, I will be entering a warzone. Even when things remain peaceful, there is an ugliness that bubbles just below the surface. When beginning the trek home, I have had armed members of the National Guard follow me and my friends. While kneeling in silence, I have watched police officers cock their weapons and laugh, pointing out targets in the crowd. I have been emailing my professors asking for extensions, trying to explain that if something is turned in late, it could be the result of me being detained or injured. I don’t want to be penalized for trying to do what I wholeheartedly believe is right.

I have spent my life studying and will continue to study these institutions that have been so instrumental in the oppression and marginalization of black and indigenous communities. Yet, now that I have the opportunity to be on the frontlines actively fighting for the change our country so desperately needs, I feel that this study is more of a hindrance than a help to the cause. Writing papers and reading books can only take me so far and I implore that professors everywhere recognize that requesting their students split their time and energy between finals and justice is an impossible ask.

Opportunity to Serve

Since the start of the most drastic change of our lives, I have had the privilege of helping feed more than 200 different families in the Santa Ana area and even some neighboring cities. It has been an immense pleasure seeing the sheer joy and happiness of families as they come to pick up their box of food from our site, as well as a $50 gift card to Northgate, a grocery store in Santa Ana. Along with donating food and helping feed families, the team at the office, including myself, have dedicated this time to offering psychosocial and mental health check-ups for the families we serve.

Every day I go into the office I start my day by gathering files of our families we served between the months of January, February, and March and calling them to check on how they are doing financially, mentally, and how they have been affected by COVID-19. As a side project, I have been putting together Excel spreadsheets of all these families’ struggles and finding a way to turn their situation into a success story to share with our board at PY-OCBF and to the community partners who make all of our efforts possible. One of the things that has really touched me while working with these families is how much of an impact this nonprofit organization truly has on family’s lives. I have spoken with many families who I just call to check up on and it turns into an hour call sharing about how much of a change they have seen in their child who went through our program. Further, they go on to discuss that because of our program, their children have a different perspective on the drugs they were using before and the group of friends they were hanging out with. Of course, the situation is different right now as everyone is being told to stay at home; however, there are those handful of kids who still go out without asking for permission, increasing the likelihood they might contract this disease and pass it to the rest of the family. We are working diligently to provide support for these parents and offering advice to talk to their kids in order to have a serious conversation with their kids so that they feel heard and validated.

Although the novel Coronavirus has impacted the lives of millions of people not just on a national level, but on a global level, I feel that in my current position, it has opened doors for me that would have otherwise not presented themselves. Fortunately, I have been offered a full-time position at the Project Youth Orange County Bar Foundation post-graduation that I have committed to already. This invitation came to me because the organization received a huge grant for COVID-19 relief to offer to their staff and since I was already part-time, they thought I would be a good fit to join the team once mid-June comes around. I was very excited and pleased to be recognized for the work I have done at the office in front of all staff. I am immensely grateful for this opportunity. I will work even harder to provide for the community and to continue changing the lives of adolescents, who have steered off the path of success. I will use my time as a full-time employee to polish my resume, not forgetting that the main purpose of my moving to Irvine was to become a scholar and continue the education that my parents couldn’t attain. I will still be looking for ways to get internships with other fields within criminology. One specific interest that I have had since being an intern and a part-time employee in this organization is the work of the Orange County Coroner’s Office. I don’t exactly know what enticed me to find it appealing as many would say that it is an awful job in nature since it relates to death and seeing people in their worst state possible. However, I feel that the only way for me to truly know if I want to pursue such a career in forensic science will be to just dive into it and see where it takes me.

I can, without a doubt, say that the Coronavirus has impacted me in a way unlike many others, and for that I am extremely grateful. As I continue working, I can also state that many people are becoming more and more hopeful as time progresses. With people now beginning to say Stage Two of this stay-at-home order is about to allow retailers and other companies to begin doing curbside delivery, many families can now see some light at the end of the tunnel.

Let’s Do Better

This time of the year is meant to be a time of celebration; however, it has been difficult to feel proud or excited for many of us when it has become a time of collective mourning and sorrow, especially for the Black community. There has been an endless amount of pain, rage, and helplessness that has been felt throughout our nation because of the growing list of Black lives we have lost to violence and brutality.

To honor the lives that we have lost, George Floyd, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Eric Garner, Oscar Grant, Michael Brown, Trayon Martin, and all of the other Black lives that have been taken away, may they Rest in Power.

Throughout my college experience, I have become more exposed to the various identities and the upbringings of others, which led to my own self-reflection on my own privileged and marginalized identities. I identify as Colombian, German, and Mexican; however navigating life as a mixed race, I have never been able to identify or have one culture more salient than the other. I am visibly white-passing and do not hold any strong ties with any of my ethnic identities, which used to bring me feelings of guilt and frustration, for I would question whether or not I could be an advocate for certain communities, and whether or not I could claim the identity of a woman of color. In the process of understanding my positionality, I began to wonder what space I belonged in, where I could speak up, and where I should take a step back for others to speak. I found myself in a constant theme of questioning what is my narrative and slowly began to realize that I could not base it off lone identities and that I have had the privilege to move through life without my identities defining who I am. Those initial feelings of guilt and confusion transformed into growth, acceptance, and empowerment.

This journey has driven me to educate myself more about the social inequalities and injustices that people face and to focus on what I can do for those around me. It has motivated me to be more culturally responsive and competent, so that I am able to best advocate for those around me. Through the various roles I have worked in, I have been able to listen to a variety of communities’ narratives and experiences, which has allowed me to extend my empathy to these communities while also pushing me to continue educating myself on how I can best serve and empower them. By immersing myself amongst different communities, I have been given the honor of hearing others’ stories and experiences, which has inspired me to commit myself to support and empower others.

I share my story of navigating through my privileged and marginalized identities in hopes that it encourages others to explore their own identities. This journey is not an easy one, and it is an ongoing learning process that will come with various mistakes. I have learned that with facing our privileges comes feelings of guilt, discomfort, and at times, complacency. It is very easy to become ignorant when we are not affected by different issues, but I challenge those who read this to embrace the discomfort. With these emotions, I have found it important to reflect on the source of discomfort and guilt, for although they are a part of the process, in taking the steps to become more aware of the systemic inequalities around us, understanding the source of discomfort can better inform us on how we perpetuate these systemic inequalities. If we choose to embrace ignorance, we refuse to acknowledge the systems that impact marginalized communities and refuse to honestly and openly hear cries for help. If we choose our own comfort over the lives of those being affected every day, we can never truly honor, serve, or support these communities.

I challenge any non-Black person, including myself, to stop remaining complacent when injustices are committed. We need to consistently recognize and acknowledge how the Black community is disproportionately affected in every injustice experienced and call out anti-Blackness in every role, community, and space we share. We need to keep ourselves and others accountable when we make mistakes or fall back into patterns of complacency or ignorance. We need to continue educating ourselves instead of relying on the emotional labor of the Black community to continuously educate us on the history of their oppressions. We need to collectively uplift and empower one another to heal and rise against injustice. We need to remember that allyship ends when action ends.

To the Black community, you are strong. You deserve to be here. The recent events are emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausting, and the need for rest to take care of your mental, physical, and emotional well-being are at an all time high. If you are able, take the time to regain your energy, feel every emotion, and remind yourself of the power you have inside of you. You are not alone.

The Virus That Makes You Forget

Following Jan. 1 of 2020 many of my classmates and I continued to like, share, and forward the same meme. The meme included any image but held the same phrase: I can see 2020. For many of us, 2020 was a beacon of hope. For the Class of 2020, this meant walking on stage in front of our families. Graduation meant becoming an adult, finding a job, or going to graduate school. No matter what we were doing in our post-grad life, we were the new rising stars ready to take on the world with a positive outlook no matter what the future held. We felt that we had a deal with the universe that we were about to be noticed for our hard work, our hardships, and our perseverance.

Then March 17 of 2020 came to pass with California Gov. Newman ordering us to stay at home, which we all did. However, little did we all know that the world we once had open to us would only be forgotten when we closed our front doors.

Life became immediately uncertain and for many of us, that meant graduation and our post-graduation plans including housing, careers, education, food, and basic standards of living were revoked! We became the forgotten — a place from which many of us had attempted to rise by attending university. The goals that we were told we could set and the plans that we were allowed to make — these were crushed before our eyes.

Eighty days before graduation, in the first several weeks of quarantine, I fell extremely ill; both unfortunately and luckily, I was isolated. All of my roommates had moved out of the student apartments leaving me with limited resources, unable to go to the stores to pick up medicine or food, and with insufficient health coverage to afford a doctor until my throat was too swollen to drink water. For nearly three weeks, I was stuck in bed, I was unable to apply to job deadlines, reach out to family, and have contact with the outside world. I was forgotten.

Forty-five days before graduation, I had clawed my way out of illness and was catching up on an honors thesis about media depictions of sexual exploitation within the American political system, when I was relayed the news that democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was accused of sexual assault. However, when reporting this news to close friends who had been devastated and upset by similar claims against past politicians, they all were too tired and numb from the quarantine to care. Just as I had written hours before reading the initial story, history was repeating, and it was not only I who COVID-19 had forgotten, but now survivors of violence.

After this revelation, I realize the silencing factor that COVID-19 has. Not only does it have the power to terminate the voices of our older generations, but it has the power to silence and make us forget the voices of every generation. Maybe this is why social media usage has gone up, why we see people creating new social media accounts, posting more, attempting to reach out to long lost friends. We do not want to be silenced, moreover, we cannot be silenced. Silence means that we have been forgotten and being forgotten is where injustice and uncertainty occurs. By using social media, pressing like on a post, or even sending a hate message, means that someone cares and is watching what you are doing. If there is no interaction, I am stuck in the land of indifference.

This is a place that I, and many others, now reside, captured and uncertain. In 2020, my plan was to graduate Cum Laude, dean's honor list, with three honors programs, three majors, and with research and job experience that stretched over six years. I would then go into my first year of graduate school, attempting a dual Juris Doctorate. I would be spending my time experimenting with new concepts, new experiences, and new relationships. My life would then be spent giving a microphone to survivors of domestic violence and sex crimes. However, now the plan is wiped clean, instead I sit still bound to graduate in 30 days with no home to stay, no place to work, and no future education to come back to. I would say I am overly qualified, but pandemic makes me lost in a series of names and masked faces.

Welcome to My Cage: The Pandemic and PTSD

When I read the campuswide email notifying students of the World Health Organization’s declaration of the coronavirus pandemic, I was sitting on my couch practicing a research presentation I was going to give a few hours later. For a few minutes, I sat there motionless, trying to digest the meaning of the words as though they were from a language other than my own, familiar sounds strung together in way that was wholly unintelligible to me. I tried but failed to make sense of how this could affect my life. After the initial shock had worn off, I mobilized quickly, snapping into an autopilot mode of being I knew all too well. I began making mental checklists, sharing the email with my friends and family, half of my brain wondering if I should make a trip to the grocery store to stockpile supplies and the other half wondering how I was supposed take final exams in the midst of so much uncertainty. The most chilling realization was knowing I had to wait powerlessly as the fate of the world unfolded, frozen with anxiety as I figured out my place in it all.

These feelings of powerlessness and isolation are familiar bedfellows for me. Early October of 2015, shortly after beginning my first year at UCI, I was diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Despite having had years of psychological treatment for my condition, including Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Retraining, the flashbacks, paranoia, and nightmares still emerge unwarranted. People have referred to the pandemic as a collective trauma. For me, the pandemic has not only been a collective trauma, it has also been the reemergence of a personal trauma. The news of the pandemic and the implications it has for daily life triggered a reemergence of symptoms that were ultimately ignited by the overwhelming sense of helplessness that lies in waiting, as I suddenly find myself navigating yet another situation beyond my control. Food security, safety, and my sense of self have all been shaken by COVID-19.

The first few weeks after UCI transitioned into remote learning and the governor issued the stay-at-home order, I hardly got any sleep. My body was cycling through hypervigilance and derealization, and my sleep was interrupted by intrusive nightmares oscillating between flashbacks and frightening snippets from current events. Any coping methods I had developed through hard-won efforts over the past few years — leaving my apartment for a change of scenery, hanging out with friends, going to the gym — were suddenly made inaccessible to me due to the stay-at-home orders, closures of non-essential businesses, and many of my friends breaking their campus leases to move back to their family homes. So for me, learning to cope during COVID-19 quarantine means learning to function with my re-emerging PTSD symptoms and without my go-to tools. I must navigate my illness in a rapidly evolving world, one where some of my internalized fears, such as running out of food and living in an unsafe world, are made progressively more external by the minute and broadcasted on every news platform; fears that I could no longer escape, being confined in the tight constraints of my studio apartment’s walls. I cannot shake the devastating effects of sacrifice that I experience as all sense of control has been stripped away from me.

However, amidst my mental anguish, I have realized something important—experiencing these same PTSD symptoms during a global pandemic feels markedly different than it did years ago. Part of it might be the passage of time and the growth in my mindset, but there is something else that feels very different. Currently, there is widespread solidarity and support for all of us facing the chaos of COVID-19, whether they are on the frontlines of the fight against the illness or they are self-isolating due to new rules, restrictions, and risks. This was in stark contrast to what it was like to have a mental disorder. The unity we all experience as a result of COVID-19 is one I could not have predicted. I am not the only student heartbroken over a cancelled graduation, I am not the only student who is struggling to adapt to remote learning, and I am not the only person in this world who has to make sacrifices.

Between observations I’ve made on social media and conversations with my friends and classmates, this time we are all enduring great pain and stress as we attempt to adapt to life’s challenges. As a Peer Assistant for an Education class, I have heard from many students of their heartache over the remote learning model, how difficult it is to study in a non-academic environment, and how unmotivated they have become this quarter. This is definitely something I can relate to; as of late, it has been exceptionally difficult to find motivation and put forth the effort for even simple activities as a lack of energy compounds the issue and hinders basic needs. However, the willingness of people to open up about their distress during the pandemic is unlike the self-imposed social isolation of many people who experience mental illness regularly. Something this pandemic has taught me is that I want to live in a world where mental illness receives more support and isn’t so taboo and controversial. Why is it that we are able to talk about our pain, stress, and mental illness now, but aren’t able to talk about it outside of a global pandemic? People should be able to talk about these hardships and ask for help, much like during these circumstances.

It has been nearly three months since the coronavirus crisis was declared a pandemic. I still have many bad days that I endure where my symptoms can be overwhelming. But somehow, during my good days — and some days, merely good moments — I can appreciate the resilience I have acquired over the years and the common ground I share with others who live through similar circumstances. For veterans of trauma and mental illness, this isn’t the first time we are experiencing pain in an extreme and disastrous way. This is, however, the first time we are experiencing it with the rest of the world. This strange new feeling of solidarity as I read and hear about the experiences of other people provides some small comfort as I fight my way out of bed each day. As we fight to survive this pandemic, I hope to hold onto this feeling of togetherness and acceptance of pain, so that it will always be okay for people to share their struggles. We don’t know what the world will look like days, months, or years from now, but I hope that we can cultivate such a culture to make life much easier for people coping with mental illness.

A Somatic Pandemonium in Quarantine

I remember hearing that our brains create the color magenta all on their own.

When I was younger I used to run out of my third-grade class because my teacher was allergic to the mold and sometimes would vomit in the trash can. My dad used to tell me that I used to always have to have something in my hands, later translating itself into the form of a hair tie around my wrist.

Sometimes, I think about the girl who used to walk on her tippy toes. medial and lateral nerves never planted, never grounded. We were the same in this way. My ability to be firmly planted anywhere was also withered.

Was it from all the times I panicked? Or from the time I ran away and I blistered the soles of my feet 'til they were black from the summer pavement? Emetophobia.

I felt it in the shower, dressing itself from the crown of my head down to the soles of my feet, noting the feeling onto my white board in an attempt to solidify it’s permanence.

As I breathed in the chemical blue transpiring from the Expo marker, everything was more defined. I laid down and when I looked up at the starlet lamp I had finally felt centered. Still. No longer fleeting. The grooves in the lamps glass forming a spiral of what felt to me like an artificial landscape of transcendental sparks.

She’s back now, magenta, though I never knew she left or even ever was. Somehow still subconsciously always known. I had been searching for her in the tremors.

I can see her now in the daphnes, the golden rays from the sun reflecting off of the bark on the trees and the red light that glowed brighter, suddenly the town around me was warmer. A melting of hues and sharpened saturation that was apparent and reminded of the smell of oranges.

I threw up all of the carrots I ate just before. The trauma that my body kept as a memory of things that may or may not go wrong and the times that I couldn't keep my legs from running. Revelations bring memories bringing anxieties from fear and panic released from my body as if to say “NO LONGER!”

I close my eyes now and my mind's eye is, too, more vivid than ever before. My inner eyelids lit up with orange undertones no longer a solid black, neurons firing, fire. Not the kind that burns you but the kind that can light up a dull space. Like the wick of a tea-lit candle. Magenta doesn’t exist. It is perception. A construct made of light waves, blue and red.

Demolition. Reconstruction. I walk down the street into this new world wearing my new mask, somatic senses tingling and I think to myself “Houston, I think we’ve just hit equilibrium.”

How COVID-19 Changed My Senior Year

During the last two weeks of Winter quarter, I watched the emails pour in. Spring quarter would be online, facilities were closing, and everyone was recommended to return home to their families, if possible. I resolved to myself that I would not move back home; I wanted to stay in my apartment, near my boyfriend, near my friends, and in the one place I had my own space. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened, things continued to change quickly. Soon I learned my roommate/best friend would be cancelling her lease and moving back up to Northern California. We had made plans for my final quarter at UCI, as I would be graduating in June while she had another year, but all of the sudden, that dream was gone. In one whirlwind of a day, we tried to cram in as much of our plans as we could before she left the next day for good. There are still so many things – like hiking, going to museums, and showing her around my hometown – we never got to cross off our list.

Then, my boyfriend decided he would also be moving home, three hours away. Most of my sorority sisters were moving home, too. I realized if I stayed at school, I would be completely alone. My mom had been encouraging me to move home anyway, but I was reluctant to return to a house I wasn’t completely comfortable in. As the pandemic became more serious, gentle encouragement quickly turned into demands. I had to cancel my lease and move home.

I moved back in with my parents at the end of Spring Break; I never got to say goodbye to most of my friends, many of whom I’ll likely never see again – as long as the virus doesn’t change things, I’m supposed to move to New York over the summer to begin a PhD program in Criminal Justice. Just like that, my time at UCI had come to a close. No lasts to savor; instead I had piles of things to regret. In place of a final quarter filled with memorable lasts, such as the senior banquet or my sorority’s senior preference night, I’m left with a laundry list of things I missed out on. I didn’t get to look around the campus one last time like I had planned; I never got to take my graduation pictures in front of the UC Irvine sign. Commencement had already been cancelled. The lights had turned off in the theatre before the movie was over. I never got to find out how the movie ended.

Transitioning to a remote learning system wasn’t too bad, but I found that some professors weren’t adjusting their courses to the difficulties many students were facing. It turned out to be difficult to stay motivated, especially for classes that are pre-recorded and don’t have any face-to-face interaction. It’s hard to make myself care; I’m in my last few weeks ever at UCI, but it feels like I’m already in summer. School isn’t real, my classes aren’t real. I still put in the effort, but I feel like I’m not getting much out of my classes.

The things I had been looking forward to this quarter are gone; there will be no Undergraduate Research Symposium, where I was supposed to present two projects. My amazing internship with the US Postal Inspection Service is over prematurely and I never got to properly say goodbye to anyone I met there. I won’t receive recognition for the various awards and honors I worked so hard to achieve.

And I’m one of the lucky ones! I feel guilty for feeling bad about my situation, when I know there are others who have it much, much worse. I am like that quintessential spoiled child, complaining while there are essential workers working tirelessly, people with health concerns constantly fearing for their safety, and people dying every day. Yet knowing that doesn't help me from feeling I was robbed of my senior experience, something I worked very hard to achieve. I know it’s not nearly as important as what many others are going through. But nevertheless, this is my situation. I was supposed to be enjoying this final quarter with my friends and preparing to move on, not be stuck at home, grappling with my mental health and hiding out in my room to get some alone time from a family I don’t always get along with. And while I know it’s more difficult out there for many others, it’s still difficult for me.

The thing that stresses me out most is the uncertainty. Uncertainty for the future – how long will this pandemic last? How many more people have to suffer before things go back to “normal” – whatever that is? How long until I can see my friends and family again? And what does this mean for my academic future? Who knows what will happen between now and then? All that’s left to do is wait and hope that everything will work out for the best.

Looking back over my last few months at UCI, I wish I knew at the time that I was experiencing my lasts; it feels like I took so much for granted. If there is one thing this has all made me realize, it’s that nothing is certain. Everything we expect, everything we take for granted – none of it is a given. Hold on to what you have while you have it, and take the time to appreciate the wonderful things in life, because you never know when it will be gone.

Physical Distancing

Thirty days have never felt so long. April has been the longest month of the year. I have been through more in these past three months than in the past three years. The COVID-19 outbreak has had a huge impact on both physical and social well-being of a lot of Americans, including me. Stress has been governing the lives of so many civilians, in particular students and workers. In addition to causing a lack of motivation in my life, quarantine has also brought a wave of anxiety.

My life changed the moment the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and the government announced social distancing. My busy daily schedule, running from class to class and meeting to meeting, morphed into identical days, consisting of hour after hour behind a cold computer monitor. Human interaction and touch improve trust, reduce fear and increases physical well-being. Imagine the effects of removing the human touch and interaction from midst of society. Humans are profoundly social creatures. I cannot function without interacting and connecting with other people. Even daily acquaintances have an impact on me that is only noticeable once removed. As a result, the COVID-19 outbreak has had an extreme impact on me beyond direct symptoms and consequences of contracting the virus itself.

It was not until later that month, when out of sheer boredom I was scrolling through my call logs and I realized that I had called my grandmother more than ever. This made me realize that quarantine had created some positive impacts on my social interactions as well. This period of time has created an opportunity to check up on and connect with family and peers more often than we were able to. Even though we might be connecting solely through a screen, we are not missing out on being socially connected. Quarantine has taught me to value and prioritize social connection, and to recognize that we can find this type of connection not only through in-person gatherings, but also through deep heart to heart connections. Right now, my weekly Zoom meetings with my long-time friends are the most important events in my week. In fact, I have taken advantage of the opportunity to reconnect with many of my old friends and have actually had more meaningful conversations with them than before the isolation.

This situation is far from ideal. From my perspective, touch and in-person interaction is essential; however, we must overcome all difficulties that life throws at us with the best we are provided with. Therefore, perhaps we should take this time to re-align our motives by engaging in things that are of importance to us. I learned how to dig deep and find appreciation for all the small talks, gatherings, and face-to-face interactions. I have also realized that friendships are not only built on the foundation of physical presence but rather on meaningful conversations you get to have, even if they are through a cold computer monitor. My realization came from having more time on my hands and noticing the shift in conversations I was having with those around me. After all, maybe this isolation isn’t “social distancing”, but rather “physical distancing” until we meet again.

Follow us on social media

Essay Service Examples Education Public School

Going Back to School after Covid-19: Narrative Essay

Back To School Documentary:

Proper editing and formatting
Free revision, title page, and bibliography
Flexible prices and money-back guarantee

Works Cited-

Education: From disruption to recovery. UNESCO. (2021, November 7). Retrieved November 14, 2021, from https:en.unesco.orgcovid19educationresponse.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Guidance for covid-19 prevention in K-12 Schools. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved November 14, 2021, from https:www.cdc.govcoronavirus2019-ncovcommunityschools-childcarek-12-guidance.html.

Our writers will provide you with an essay sample written from scratch: any topic, any deadline, any instructions.

Cite this paper

Join our 150k of happy users

Get original paper written according to your instructions
Save time for what matters most

Fair Use Policy

EduBirdie considers academic integrity to be the essential part of the learning process and does not support any violation of the academic standards. Should you have any questions regarding our Fair Use Policy or become aware of any violations, please do not hesitate to contact us via [email protected].

We are here 24/7 to write your paper in as fast as 3 hours.

Provide your email, and we'll send you this sample!

By providing your email, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy .

Say goodbye to copy-pasting!

Get custom-crafted papers for you.

Enter your email, and we'll promptly send you the full essay. No need to copy piece by piece. It's in your inbox!

Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field.

For more information about PLOS Subject Areas, click here .

Loading metrics

Open Access

Peer-reviewed

Research Article

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education: Assessment of student performance in computer science

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Software, Supervision, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

* E-mail: [email protected]

Affiliations Department of Computer Science, Lublin University of Technology, Lublin, Poland, Systems Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Department of Computer Science, Lublin University of Technology, Lublin, Poland

Roles Data curation, Software

Małgorzata Charytanowicz,
Magdalena Zoła,
Waldemar Suszyński

Published: August 14, 2024
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305763
Reader Comments

The COVID-19 pandemic had radically changed higher education. The sudden transition to online teaching and learning exposed, however, some benefits by enhancing educational flexibility and digitization. The long-term effects of these changes are currently unknown, but a key question concerns their effect on student learning outcomes. This study aims to analyze the impact of the emergence of new models and teaching approaches on the academic performance of Computer Science students in the years 2019–2023. The COVID-19 pandemic created a natural experiment for comparisons in performance during in-person versus synchronous online and hybrid learning mode. We tracked changes in student achievements across the first two years of their engineering studies, using both basic (descriptive statistics, t-Student tests, Mann-Whitney test) and advanced statistical methods (Analysis of variance). The inquiry was conducted on 787 students of the Lublin University of Technology (Poland). Our findings indicated that first semester student scores were significantly higher when taught through online (13.77±2.77) and hybrid (13.7±2.86) approaches than through traditional in-person means as practiced before the pandemic (11.37±3.9, p-value < 0.05). Conversely, third semester student scores were significantly lower when taught through online (12.01±3.14) and hybrid (12.04±3.19) approaches than through traditional in-person means, after the pandemic (13.23±3.01, p-value < 0.05). However, the difference did not exceed 10% of a total score of 20 points. With regard to the statistical data, most of the questions were assessed as being difficult or appropriate, with adequate discrimination index, regardless of the learning mode. Based on the results, we conclude that we did not find clear evidence that pandemic disruption and online learning caused knowledge deficiencies. This critical situation increased students’ academic motivation. Moreover, we conclude that we have developed an effective digital platform for teaching and learning, as well as for a secure and fair student learning outcomes assessment.

Citation: Charytanowicz M, Zoła M, Suszyński W (2024) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education: Assessment of student performance in computer science. PLoS ONE 19(8): e0305763. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305763

Editor: Prabhat Mittal, Satyawati College (Eve.), University of Delhi, INDIA

Received: October 15, 2023; Accepted: June 4, 2024; Published: August 14, 2024

Copyright: © 2024 Charytanowicz et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Data Availability: All relevant data are available at the following link: https://zenodo.org/records/11583297 .

Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

1. Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it a number of health, economic and social consequences. Indeed, the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus turned out to be so dangerous that many countries implemented new regulations in the educational field to limit physical contact. The pandemic-induced school shutdowns and sudden transition to remote teaching and learning at all levels of education. This change-over generated a number of technical and social problems [ 1 – 6 ]. These problems had also affected the academic community, although online or blended learning methods were implemented before the COVID-19 pandemic [ 7 ].

On March 12, 2020, a state of epidemic emergency was declared in Poland, and a week later–a state of pandemic. In consequence, the Minister of Science and Higher Education issued a regulation on the temporary suspension of the functioning of education institutes, lasting from March 12 till 25 2020 [ 8 , 9 ]. On March 25, 2020, the education system, including higher education, was switched to online teaching and learning, as necessitated by the need to maintain social distancing measures. Universities had to adapt to the circumstances almost overnight. However, many universities were not fully prepared with regard to technical capabilities, educational resources and the skills of the teaching staff in organizing distance education [ 10 – 12 ]. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the applicable regulations of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education did not encourage the authorities of most universities to invest in technologies for conducting fully remote studies. Poland was, however, not an exception in this respect. Many old, prestigious universities in Europe were also reserved about remote learning, and the virtual learning environment was mainly used as a teaching aid.

Fortunately, the information revolution had by this time developed more flexible approaches to learning with the form of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Indeed, it is one of the leading factors that affect current teaching methodology [ 13 – 18 ]. E-learning systems, their accessibility and functionality, have provided new possibilities to acquire knowledge and to ease the burden of learning. As an outcome, remote teaching and learning are often seen as promising solutions that offer high flexibility and a learner-centered approach that enables students to learn at their own pace [ 19 , 20 ]. Thus, the role of the teacher in the classroom has transformed from that of being the font of knowledge, to an instructional manager identifying relevant resources and creating collaborative learning opportunities. Moreover, online assessments have become increasingly important and now represent one of the most critical aspects of the educational process. Unfortunately, the role of ICT in higher education is still somewhat controversial.

The extreme situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to revise our approach both to traditional and online learning, yet also posing challenges for the future of education systems. The main question of our research was whether the sudden transition to online teaching and learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on students academic performance and upon the reliability of the assessment process. We believe that our study can help to reduce the controversies related to remote learning and teaching.

2. Related works

Before the year 2020, the principal recipients of remote education were adults participating in professional development courses [ 21 ]. The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, however, resulted in increased interest in methods of education that do not require physical meeting between students and teachers. The closure of educational institutions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 compelled schools and universities to find alternative ways of continuing their operations. This led to the widespread adoption of online learning (e-learning).

The use of e-learning platforms has enabled the transformation of the traditional model of education in which the lecturer transmitted knowledge, into a model of supervised self-education. A separate line of research has been dedicated to the impact of remote education on university students, who are predominantly young adults, and, as such, are less subject to parental supervision. Topics under study include student attitudes towards distance learning [ 22 , 23 ], the technologies and learning platforms utilized [ 24 – 26 ], and the impact of network quality on the smoothness of classes [ 22 , 27 ].

A relatively well researched aspect of e-learning is the analysis of its advantages and disadvantages in comparison to traditional learning [ 28 – 30 ], including its application during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 31 – 34 ]. Undoubtedly, remote education has its benefits, among others, flexibility, speed, time savings [ 35 , 36 ], as well as better use of the infrastructure and organizational savings for the institution [ 37 ]. Distance learning in the form of e-learning also comes with drawbacks, for example, limited interpersonal contacts [ 38 ], lack of immediate feedback [ 39 , 40 ], and problems with self-discipline and adaptability [ 41 – 43 ]. Considering its strengths and weaknesses, e-learning can be viewed as either a replacement or augmentation of traditional approaches to education.

An integral part of remote education is the verification of its results. The topic was covered in literature in the pre-COVID era [ 44 – 46 ], but much less so during the pandemic [ 47 , 48 ]. Our work focuses on the analysis of student performance under the e-learning setup during COVID-19 related confinement and afterwards. The differentiating characteristic of this paper is the fact that it covers a longer period of time, unlike some other research focusing only on a single academic semester [ 49 ].

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided the opportunity to advance usage of online platforms and digital media, as well as to create new education strategies. It should be noted that most students (and instructors) adapted successfully to online teaching and learning [ 50 , 51 ]. However, certain studies [ 52 – 54 ] have indicated negative student feedback. In the year 2023, education has returned to more traditional teaching/learning approaches after more than two years of online learning.

The outbreak of COVID-19 presented a serious challenge to academic education by enforcing a drastic change in the teaching methods. For this reason, we formulated the following research questions:

How had the COVID-19 pandemic change applied teaching and learning strategies?
Did the COVID-19 pandemic have a disruptive effect on the academic performance of students resulting in knowledge deficiency?
How did the change from in-person to online learning affect the reliability of student assessment?

The rest of the paper is structured as follows. Section 3 presents the context of the study, materials and methods. Section 4 explains the results obtained. Sections 5 and 6 conclude our work and describe limitations and future scope.

3. Materials and methods

3.1. design and context.

The research was conducted in the Department of Computer Science of the Lublin University of Technology in Poland, the largest public technical university in the Lublin voivodship. This was a cross-sectional study carried out among students who were enrolled in the first semester of engineering studies in the academic years 2019/2020, 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 (from October to July). Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the courses of interest in this study were conducted in different delivery formats (in-person, synchronous online and hybrid).

Traditional in-person course delivery format included lectures and laboratories. The former involved, primarily, oral presentations given to a group of students. A teacher-centered approach to learning was applied with discussion and multimedia presentation, as well as whiteboard or chalkboard visual aids to emphasize important points in the lecture. Moreover, a Learning Management System (Moodle LMS) was incorporated within the lectures to develop, organize, deliver and manage didactic materials and assess the effectiveness of education via tests, surveys or assignments. This tool was also employed to provide discussion forums. The faculty used the activity Quiz as a student self-assessment tool, as well as to determine knowledge and skills.

With regard to laboratory work, practical classes were conducted in programming laboratories for the selected courses. In such a teaching/learning format, we found that most students preferred working alone or conducting discussions with their partners or their neighbors.

All students used online manuals or didactic materials delivered by Moodle LMS. Final exams were held at the University via Moodle LMS through in-person proctoring, as this approach allowed the introduction of a live person to monitor the activity of students in a testing environment.

In the synchronous online course format, students obtained theoretical and practical education entirely online via Microsoft Teams by way of video meetings and Moodle LMS. Meetings in Teams include audio, video and screen sharing. All lectures were delivered synchronously using MS Teams. Practical sessions were conducted through online synchronous video meetings in small student groups. Interaction occurred via the discussion board, while MS Teams was also employed to enable scheduled online consultations. Supporting materials (videos, presentations, tasks to do, quizzes, and other didactic materials) were provided to the students through the Moodle LMS. Final exams were conducted under controlled conditions via Moodle LMS through online live proctoring by accepting screen, video and audio sharing.

The hybrid course delivery format combined in-person and online strategies. Students obtained theoretical education entirely online as synchronous sessions by way of MS Teams and Moodle LMS, whilst practical education was obtained through the traditional in-person format, in small student groups. Final exams were held at the University via Moodle LMS through in-person proctoring.

We analyzed exam scores across the first two years of the engineering studies using anonymous data from the Moodle. The Research Ethics Committee of Lublin University of Technology approved the study (Ethical Approval Reference: 3/2023).

3.2. Course selection

The following criteria were used to select the courses:

the courses covered algorithms and programming,
the courses had unchanged objectives and learning outcomes during the investigated period,
the courses were conducted by the same instructors using to the same tools and methods.

Two compulsory courses met these criteria: 1 –Introduction to Computer Science and 2 –Numerical Analysis Algorithms. Both courses were conducted in the Polish language and they provided fundamental knowledge for all areas of Computer Science learning and skills development. Enrolled students were obligated to complete 30 lesson hours of theory and 30 lesson hours of practical experience within a course length of 15 weeks. In the full-time option, four hours of classes were given each course week, and were distributed into two two-hour sessions. Herein, the first consisted of a master class lecture and the second consisted of an interactive problem-based learning laboratory. In the part-time option, the number of in-person teaching hours was reduced to half and classes were held, on average, twice a month, on Saturday and Sunday.

The Introduction to Computer Science course is taught in the first year and is covered in the first semester. Students who successfully completed the course gained five credits, according to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). The intention of the offered course is to provide students with knowledge of standard algorithms and data structures, and to provide them with the skills to analyze both the theoretical complexity of algorithms and their practical behaviors. The course covers the following topics:

Introduction to algorithms and problem-solving techniques.
Basic programming concepts, types, sequential data structures.
Programming in Python.
Searching and sorting algorithms.
Examples of algorithms, algorithmic strategies.
Testing and documenting programming code.
Asymptotic notation and complexity analysis.
Analyzing program code for correctness, efficiency, and errors.
Automata theory and formal languages. Turing machine.
Classes P and NP.

The knowledge and skills to implement and solve algorithmic problems using the mentioned algorithms are developed using Python.

The Numerical Analysis Algorithms course is taught in the second year and is covered in the third semester. Successful completion awards students with five credits, according to ECTS. The primary objective of the course is to develop basic understanding of numerical algorithms, as well as the skills to implement algorithms to solve computer-based mathematical problems. The course covers the following topics:

Basic numerics, floating-point representation, convergence.
Horner’s scheme.
The theory of interpolation: Lagrange polynomial, Hermite interpolation, Neville’s iterative formula.
Least square approximation.
Numerical integration: Newton-Cotes formulas, Gaussian quadrature.
Direct methods for solving systems of linear equations: Gaussian elimination, LU factorization, Cholesky decomposition.
Householder method.
Solving nonlinear equations and systems of nonlinear equations: Bisection method, fixed-point iteration, Newton’s method.
Runge-Kutta methods for ordinary differential equations.
Characteristic polynomial and eigenvalues.

The knowledge and skills to implement and solve algorithmic problems using the mentioned algorithms were developed using C++ due to its object-oriented programming with high performance, efficient memory management, low-level access to hardware and a rich standard library, including mathematical functions commonly used in numerical algorithms. These allow students to write efficient and customizable numerical algorithms. Objective C++ was one of the courses of the first year of studies.

3.3. The study participants

Study participants were selected from Computer Science students who were enrolled in the two mentioned compulsory courses: Introduction to Computer Science (ICS) (first semester) and Numerical Analysis Algorithms (NAA) (third semester). The first group of students began their studies in the academic year 2019/2020 in a traditional in-person course delivery format that was interrupted because of the confinement. They then continued their studies utilizing the synchronous online format. The second group consisted of students who began their studies in academic year 2020/2021 in the synchronous online format and continued these activities in a hybrid format. The third group of students began their studies in academic year 2021/2022 in a hybrid format that returned to an in-person format in the year 2022/2023. Online learning was supported by Moodle and MS Teams.

Only students enrolled in either the ICS and NAA courses participated in our research. Students who interrupted their studies and did not complete the courses were excluded. Thus, the study group included students who were enrolled in both courses and took both final exams. A total of 787 participants were selected. Table 1 summarizes the study participant groups according to education strategy.

PPT PowerPoint slide
PNG larger image
TIFF original image

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305763.t001

Males constituted 87.5% of the total study participants, while females constituted 12.5%. Regarding nationality, the majority, i.e. 85.5%, came from Poland, while 14.5% came from other countries, mainly Ukraine.

3.4. Online exam quizzes

In this study, the Moodle platform provided by the Computer Science Department from the Lublin University of Technology was applied to conduct the final exam process. Comparative analysis of student academic performance was anchored on the results obtained in their final exams. Final exams were carried through the Moodle platform using Quiz activity . All exams comprised questions of various types, including Multiple Choice , Short Answer , Numerical and Essay as follows:

Multiple choice questions were employed for evaluating both theoretical and practical contents. For our purpose, the option Multiple answers are allowed was used. Multiple answers questions enable one or more answers to be chosen by providing check boxes next to the answers. We used a negative grade percentage for wrong answers, so that simply ticking all choices did not necessarily generate a full grade. If the sum of partial grades was negative, then the total grade for this question would be zero [ 55 ].
Short answer or numerical questions were used to evaluate theoretical and practical contents. In a short answer question, the student types in a word or phrase in response to a question. This must exactly match one of the acceptable answers. Numerical questions resembled short-answer questions. Here, the difference was that numerical answers were allowed to have an accepted error for number.
Essay questions were used to evaluate practical contents, mainly programming and coding skills. We employed essay-type questions to provide the option of answering by entering text online. The option Require the student to enter text was chosen. The Response format option was set to Plain text , monospaced font to improve the readability of code by ensuring consistent and clear alignment. This is particularly helpful for maintaining an organized layout. The essay questions had to be marked manually by the course instructor.

The number of multiple choice questions and short answer / numerical questions was comparable. One question was an essay question. Questions were created and stored separately in a Question bank and were organized into 10 categories according to the implemented curricula and learning outcomes. Each category consisted of at least 50 questions. Quiz settings were as follows:

Quizzes included 20 questions worth 20 points. There were two categories of questions: theoretical and practical.
Students were allowed to have one attempt at each quiz. The time limit option was set to 60 minutes.
Students were not allowed to open other windows or programs while taking these quizzes.
A password was required. The option Block concurrent connections was checked.
The Choose Sequential navigation method was employed to compel the student to progress through the questions in order and not return to a previous question or skip to a later one.
The timeframe when the students were able to see feedback was set to the option After the quiz is closed and the option Whether correct was checked.
Employed questions were assessed for quality and modified for re-use in the next academic year.

Students were tested using the same evaluation methods and types of questions in in-person, synchronous online and hybrid groups. The Moodle platform collected assessment data and generated report statistics. The data containing students’ exam results (points) were collected and exported from the Moodle platform as.xlsx files.

3.5. Quiz report statistics

Quiz statistics provided test statistics and quiz structure analysis. The test statistics gave information on how students performed on a quiz, and employed descriptive statistics: average grade, median grade, standard deviation of grades, skewness and kurtosis. A detailed analysis of each question was given in quiz structure analysis, and applied the following measures: facility index, discrimination index and discriminative efficiency. Discriminative efficiency is a measure similar to discrimination index [ 55 ].

Facility index.

In this work, facility index of a question was determined by the average score divided by the maximum score and represented as a percentage. A higher value indicated an easier question. The interpretation of its values is given in Table 2 [ 55 ].

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305763.t002

Discrimination index.

Discrimination index is the correlation between the score for this question and the score for the whole quiz represented as a percentage. If the score for the question and the score for the test are well correlated, the question can be categorized as a question with good discrimination. The maximum discrimination requires a facility index in the range 30%–70%, although this is not tantamount to high discrimination index. Discrimination index values should be interpreted according to Table 3 [ 55 ].

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305763.t003

A negative value of a discrimination index would mean that the best students got this question wrong more often than the worst students. A discrimination index of zero would mean it was a poor discriminator between good and bad students. Discrimination index is considered excellent when the value is higher than 40%, and considered good when it ranges from 20% to 40%.

Discriminative efficiency.

The discriminative efficiency estimates how good the discrimination index is relative to the difficulty of the question. This attempts to discriminate between students of different ability, and the higher the value, the better is the question at discriminating between students of different abilities [ 55 ]. Values between 30%–50% provide adequate discrimination, while those above 50% provide very good discrimination.

3.6. Statistical analysis

Data collected was tabulated, and analysis was carried out by applying simple percentage analysis, as well as descriptive analysis, using mean, standard deviation and inferential analysis such as t-Student tests and ANOVA [ 56 , 57 ]. We performed non-parametric alternatives such as a Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test to compare samples that cannot be assumed to be normally distributed [ 58 , 59 ]. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Data analysis was performed using the Statistica Package, Version 13 (TIBCO Software Inc.).

Participants’ profile

Our study included 787 Computer Science students, aged 18 to 22 years. The participant background characteristics revealed that most students were male (87.5%) and native (Polish; 85.5%). Furthermore, most of the students were enrolled in full-time studies (85.5%) ( Table 4 ).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305763.t004

The percentages of the students who began their studies in the academic years 2019/2020, 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 were comparable, around 30%. An important aspect of the analysis was the availability of data from the pre-pandemic period that was relevant for our investigations.

Comparison of in-person, synchronous online and hybrid learning

The comparison of in-person, synchronous online, and hybrid teaching methods in student learning outcomes based on background characteristics is presented in Tables 5 and 6 .

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305763.t005

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305763.t006

The findings indicated that for the first semester course Introduction to Computer Science, the relation between learning outcomes and student gender was insignificant (p = 0.427). Moreover, the relation between learning outcomes and study option was also insignificant (p = 0.223). However, there was statistically significant difference between learning outcomes and residency status (p < 0.001). The findings indicated that during in-person and online studies, native students had significantly higher learning outcomes than did non-native students (p < 0.001). In addition, full-time students of online studies had significantly higher learning outcomes (p = 0.002) than did part-time students.

Regarding the learning outcomes of the students as obtained in the third semester course Numerical Analysis Algorithms, gender and study options were also insignificant (p = 0.834; p = 0.157) in relation to learning outcomes. In contrast, residency status was significant (p < 0.001). The findings indicate that native students had significantly higher learning outcomes than did non-native students (p < 0.001). Moreover, full-time students of online studies had significantly higher learning outcomes as compared to part-time students (p = 0.011).

The comparison of teaching methods in participant performance based on different semesters (courses) is presented in Table 7 .

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305763.t007

The differences in mean scores related to the first semester course Introduction to Computer Science, during online and hybrid studies, were significantly higher compared to in-person studies (LSD post-hoc, p < 0.001). However, mean scores related to the third semester course Numerical Analysis Algorithms, during online and hybrid studies, were significantly lower in comparison to in-person studies (LSD post-hoc, p < 0.001). Switching to traditional in-person studies in the academic year 2022/2023 did not degrade student performance.

Quiz quality assessment

Tables 8 and 9 reveal the facility index, discrimination index and discriminative efficiency values from the final exams held from 2019/2020 to 2022/2023.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305763.t008

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305763.t009

The lowest mean facility index was 47% ± 25%, while the highest mean facility index was 59% ± 20%. Moreover, the mean discrimination index was located within the range between 31% and 37% and the mean discriminative efficiency was found within the range between 43% and 54%. The results indicate, with regard to facility index, that most of the questions were moderately difficult, yet about right for the average student, and demonstrated adequate discrimination—regardless of the course delivery format.

5. Discussion and conclusions

In our study, we compared the learning outcomes of Computer Science students who were taught through synchronous online and hybrid systems, to those who learned in the traditional in-person system, and this revealed significantly higher learning outcomes when taught through online and hybrid systems versus in-person. It is worth noting that student scores showed an increasing trend in the years 2019–2023. Despite this, the significant difference in the results of the students’ final examination was not too large–as it did not exceed 10% of the maximal score.

A comparison between the student groups demonstrates that utilizing synchronous online learning can result in more enhanced educational opportunities for students. However, our findings indicated that native students had significantly higher learning outcomes than did non-native students. The reason could be that the study courses were held in Polish, which is a difficult language for non-native students to learn and utilize.

Several research studies have shown that online learning and the combination of online and in-person learning systems have positive and powerful roles in enhancing the effectiveness of education [ 19 , 29 , 41 , 47 , 60 ]. However, along with enhanced accessibility and flexibility, pure online learning also has several disadvantages, notably, the lack of interpersonal contacts and student satisfaction. In the hybrid form, however, flexibility and accessibility are enhanced, while human connection occurs.

Our results indicated that synchronous online learning could be appreciated as a successful method of conducting Computer Science education and can be used as a tool supporting traditional in-person methods. Although this approach is a little less flexible for teachers and students, and requires reliable technology, in comparison to asynchronous learning, this allows for more real time engagement and feedback [ 61 ].

As the effective measurement of knowledge acquired is an important component of Computer Science education, the use of the Moodle quizzes activity as a continuous assessment of students was analyzed according to statistical data such as the facility index, discrimination index and discriminative efficiency. Out of the exam tests conducted from the academic year 2019/2020 to 2022/2023, the mean facility index scores ranged from 47% to 59% and the mean discrimination index ranged from 31% to 37%. The statistic results indicated that, regarding facility index, most of the questions were moderately difficult and about right for the average student regardless of the course delivery format, and that a consistent and adequate level of discrimination indices was maintained. In addition, the similar results obtained in our study no matter the year, with three different groups of students, also confirmed the validity and reliability of the designed exam tests.

Although online learning requires extensive self-discipline, it allows universities to integrate new technologies into their offer, and hence, effectively facilitate the student learning process. After the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a quick transition back to in-person teaching, but still there are many proffered activities being in an online format. At present, many students state that they prefer to learn through hybrid learning methods. Furthermore, several studies have shown that e-learning methods are used widely by students outside of their formal curricula for continuing their professional education [ 62 ]. This indicates that students and professionals appreciate and take advantage of self-paced learning environments in which they control their learning pace, information flow, selection of learning activities, as well as their time management. Thus, the digital transformation of the educational process has become a necessity to meet shifting student demands and seems to be one of the leading factors that affect current teaching methodology.

It is worth noting that the extreme situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to revise our approach, both to traditional and online learning, but also posed challenges for the future of education systems. In conclusion, the results of the analysis allow us to answer the questions formulated before in the following way.

The COVID-19 confinement caused online education, which previously was mainly used as an addition to traditional learning methods, to become the mainstream, in particular, in Computer Science.
The COVID-19 pandemic did not have a disruptive effect that resulted in knowledge deficiency with regard to the academic performance of Computer Science students. In contrast, this situation increased student academic motivation. Indeed, students demonstrated higher exam scores during subsequent two academic years.
Despite the change from in-person to online learning, the reliability of student assessment remained at similar levels.

6. Limitations and future works

Our context is algorithms and programming in the first two years of the engineering studies program. While we believe that the long period under study is an advantage of this work, its limitation is the fact that it focuses only on the students of Computer Science. We based our research on the data comprising the performance of students in only two courses. Moreover, only the exam scores from the 1 st and 3 rd semesters were included in the study. The courses of other semesters were not assessed because they did not meet the required assumptions regarding the course selection. Another limitation of our study was that students could share information about the content of the exam. However, we randomly assigned students to subcategory sets to avoid sharing information. In the future it is worth considering extending the analysis to students of other fields, as well as take into account student performance in more courses.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mr Jack Dunster for linguistic improvement of the text.

View Article
PubMed/NCBI
Google Scholar
4. Salguero A, Alvarado C, Griswold WG, Porter L. Understanding Sources of Student Struggle in Early Computer Science Courses. In: Proceedings of the 17th ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research. 2021;319–333.
8. Poland, Ordinance of the Council of Ministers on establishing certain limitations, orders and prohibitions with respect to the occurrence of the state of epidemic, 31 March 2020, § 14–15.
9. Poland, Ordinance of the Council of Ministers on establishing certain limitations, orders and prohibitions with respect to the occurrence of the state of epidemic, 7 August 2020, version as of 29 August 2020, § 25.
12. European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Coronavirus pandemic in the EU–Fundamental rights implications. Bulletin #2, 21 March-30 April 2020, Publications Office, 2020. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2811/441998 .
13. Charytanowicz M. E-learning technologies in lifelong learning: opportunities and challenges. In ICERI’2019 Proceedings: 12th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation. 2019;43,9414–9421.
14. Charytanowicz M, Miłosz E, Suszyński W, Stęgierski R, Łukasik E. Internet of things as a challenge for higher education. In INTED 2021: 15th International Technology, Education and Development Conference. 2021;5120–5129.
16. Miłosz M, Charytanowicz M, Skublewska-Paszkowska M. Analysis of trends in ICT and its implication in higher education curricula. In INTED 2020: 14th International Technology, Education and Development Conference, 2020;500–509.
18. Suszyński W, Stęgierski R, Charytanowicz M. Remote access to networking laboratory, secure and scalable solutions. In The 2020 International Conference on Computational Intelligence, Information Technology and Systems Research. 2020;22–23.
19. Makarova E. Effectiveness of traditional and online learning: comparative analysis from the student perspective. In: SHS Web of Conferences 2021;99, 01019.
31. Amarneh BM, Alshurideh MT, Al Kurdi BH, Obeidat Z. The Impact of COVID-19 on E-learning: Advantages and Challenges. In The international conference on artificial intelligence and computer vision, 2021;75–89. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
38. Singh AK, Yusoff MA, Oo N. A comparative study between traditional learning and e-learning. In Proceedings of Teaching and Learning Open Forum 2009. 2009:1–7. CSM, Sarawak.
55. docs.moodle.org [Internet]. Moodle Documentation; c2023 [cited 2023 Sep 26]. https://docs.moodle.org/ .
56. Boddy R, Smith G. Statistical methods in practice: For scientists and Technologists. Chichester, U.K: Wiley 2009.
57. Doncaster CP, Davey AJH. Analysis of variance and covariance: How to choose and construct models for the Life Sciences. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2007.
58. Freund RJ, Wilson WJ, Mohr DL. Statistical methods. London, United Kingdom: Academic Press, Amsterdam, Elsevier 2022.
59. Sprent P, Smeeton NC. Applied Nonparametric Statistical Methods. Boca Raton: Chapman et Hall/CRC 2007.
62. Charytanowicz M. E-learning technologies in lifelong learning: opportunities and challenges. ICERI2019 Proceedings. 2019:9414–21.

Managing COVID and Other Respiratory Illnesses

Respiratory illness basics

Respiratory illnesses including flu, COVID-19, and RSV impact millions each year. Protect yourself and others by wearing a high-quality face mask in crowded indoor settings; remaining at home if unwell; and staying up to date on vaccines. WPI is following CDC guidance to manage all respiratory illnesses including COVID-19, also summarized in the graphic below.

A Respiratory Virus Guidance Snapshot by the CDC. CDC's respiratory virus guidance consists of 5 core and 3 additional prevention strategies. 1.Core prevention strategies 2.Immunizations 3.Hygiene 4.Steps for cleaner air 5.Treatment 6.Stay home and prevent spread *Stay home and away from others until, for 24 hours BOTH: Your symptoms are getting better and You are fever-free (without meds). Then take added precaution for the next 5 days. Some Additional Strategies are: Masks, Distancing, and Tests

Vaccination

All WPI community members are strongly encouraged but not required to remain up to date on all recommended COVID-19 and flu immunizations. COVID-19 and seasonal influenza (flu) vaccines are available at many local pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens. You can often schedule appointments online for vaccines. WPI also offers several on-campus vaccine clinics in September and October for easy access to vaccines. Please use the link to sign up , appointments are required.

WPI is a mask-respectful campus: People may choose to wear masks for many health reasons, and we ask that you respect their choices. And while masking is not required in most on-campus spaces, we strongly encourage you to protect those around you when you are ill by wearing a high-quality face mask . Students sick with respiratory symptoms are asked to mask when visiting Student Health Services.

Testing is an important strategy for protecting yourself and others from COVID-19.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19, test immediately. Keep in mind that a positive result on an antigen test is reliable, but a negative test is not always accurate. If you have symptoms and your antigen test is negative, take another antigen test after 48 hours. Students experiencing respiratory symptoms may contact Student Health Services for an appointment to be evaluated and tested for respiratory illnesses if indicated.

If you do not have symptoms but have been exposed to COVID-19, wait at least five full days after your exposure before taking a test. Antigen COVID-19 tests are readily available at local pharmacies and are Health Savings Account (HSA) eligible. You are required to wear a mask when entering Student Health Services if you have respiratory illness symptoms, a known COVID-19 exposure, or have tested positive for COVID-19.

How to manage a respiratory illness, including COVID-19, on campus:

Stay home and away from others (including people you live with who are not sick) if you have respiratory virus symptoms. Symptoms can include fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose, and headache, among others.
Test yourself for COVID-19.
Wear a mask when around others.
Manage your symptoms with over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen, rest, and fluids. Students with more severe symptoms should call Student Health Services at 508-831-5520 to schedule an appointment.
Wash your hands often with soap and warm water. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Use a tissue or your inner elbow, not your hands.
Clean high-touch surfaces (such as countertops, handrails, and doorknobs) often.
You have not had a fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicines, AND
Your other symptoms are improving.

Having symptoms and fever? Duration varies but stay home and away from others When Fever ends and symptoms are getting better in 24hrs? Go about normal activities, taking added precautions for 5 days.

Take added precautions for five additional days after resuming normal activity . This includes:

Wearing a high-quality face mask when around others
Practicing appropriate hygiene by diligently washing your hands, covering coughs and sneezes, and cleaning high-touch surfaces
Increasing air ventilation in shared spaces
Avoiding crowded areas
Testing for COVID-19 when you will be around others

If your fever comes back or any other symptoms start to get worse, you should stay home and repeat the isolation process, waiting until you are fever-free and other symptoms are improving for at least 24 hours.

If you tested positive for a respiratory virus but do not have any symptoms, you may still be contagious and should take the additional precautions listed above for 5 days.

It’s important that students and roommates have conversations and make plans for what to do if one tests positive for a respiratory illness, as there is no reserved space on campus for moving the positive student or their roommate(s). Students who test positive are encouraged to isolate at their permanent residence or family home if within a reasonable distance to campus. Alternatively, students can isolate in place in their current housing assignment.

Students should work with their professors to make alternative arrangements for course requirements that may be missed during an isolation period. Students do not need to report a positive test result to Student Health Services, but for any questions please call 508-831-5520.

You're not alone. WPI is a community of caring students, faculty, and staff who are here to support each other. Here are some of the many resources available , particularly for undergraduate and graduate students.

DOI: 10.1080/23727810.2024.2359617
Corpus ID: 271549064

Addressing K-12 Student’s Academic, Mental Health, and Career Development Needs During COVID-19

Dodie Limberg , Shelby K. Gonzales , +3 authors Esther McCartney
Published in Journal of Child and… 3 May 2024
Education, Psychology

2 Citations

Youth-centered qualitative research: strategies and recommendations, qualitative special issue editorial, 11 references, the experiences of school counselors providing virtual services during covid-19: a phenomenological investigation, exploring school counseling during the first wave of covid‐19, stress and resilience among professional counselors during the covid‐19 pandemic, covid-19: are school counseling services ready students' psychological symptoms, school counselors' views, and solutions, when the kids are not alright: school counseling in the time of covid-19, covid-19’s effect on students: how school counselors rise to the rescue, considerations for educators in supporting student learning in the midst of covid‐19, infusing qualitative traditions in counseling research designs, consensual qualitative research: an update, a guide to conducting consensual qualitative research, related papers.

Showing 1 through 3 of 0 Related Papers

Fact Check: Vermont Supreme Court did not rule that schools can force-vaccinate students

Medium Text

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that a family cannot sue a school district after a mix-up led to their child being given the COVID-19 vaccine without their consent, contrary to posts online saying the ruling allows schools to forcibly vaccinate children without parental consent.

Kentucky Derby
Entertainment
Videos/Photos
Advertise With Us
Connect With Us
Newsletters
Give Feedback
For Subscribers
Contributor Content

As COVID-19 cases rise, what are the guidelines for returning to school, work post-virus?

Family vacations are over, which means students are back in school and many adults are back to work — and COVID-19 cases are rising across the country.

Some adults may wonder how long they have to wait before heading back to the office once they've tested positive for COVID-19 and how many days they should keep coronavirus-positive kids at home.

Federal officials once recommended that people isolate at home for 10 days after a positive test. But those guidelines have changed dramatically.

Four years after the virus upended lives across the world, COVID-19 has become a lot less deadly, doctors say. That has prompted many people to treat the virus like any other infectious respiratory diseases, such as a cold or influenza. But there are still some risks and uncertainties around the disease, specifically the bouts of long-term symptoms that plague some patients for months or even years.

Others are reading: CDC says COVID is at 'very high' activity levels in some US states: See latest data

So what does that mean for those who get sick? How should they handle their return to normal life?

How many COVID-19 cases are in Kentucky?

According to the Kentucky Respiratory Disease Dashboard , emergency departments have had 762 visits by patients with COVID-19 in August of the 2023-2024 season. The dashboard was last updated on Thursday, Aug. 8.

In July, there were 1,726 visits to the emergency room, according to the dashboard.

In August of the 2023-2024 season, 171 people with COVID-19 were admitted to the hospital in Kentucky, according to the dashboard, which was last updated on Thursday. In July, 459 people were admitted to the hospital with COVID-19.

When can students return to school at JCPS?

Jefferson County Public Schools spokesperson Carolyn Callahan said students can return to school when their symptoms have improved and if they have not have a fever for the past 24 without medicine.

She said students must mask for five days when they return to school.

Can I go to work if I have COVID?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this year dropped its recommendation that adults stay at home for five days after a positive test, a controversial decision that elicited opposition from some doctors and public health experts.

Since March, the CDC has recommended people stay at home until their symptoms are improving and they have been fever-free for at least a day.

However, local doctors say it's best to stay at home for five days if possible, especially for those who may come into contact with people at higher risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms.

Older adults and those with chronic health issues and compromised immune systems are at risk for severe COVID that could lead to hospitalization and or symptoms that last months. So those who take care of older parents or who work in health care facilities may want to be more cautious by staying at home and mask when they see vulnerable people.

Regardless of which virus a person has, COVID-19 has taught everyone that respiratory diseases like COVID and the flu spread through droplets when people are talking or coughing, said Dr. Robin Ledyard, an administrator at Community Health Network. So, no matter the virus, masks can reduce transmission.

Should people still test for COVID-19?

Those at risk of developing severe and long COVID-19 symptoms should get tested and treated, said Carlos.

Long COVID-19 symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, joint aches and even a fast heart rate that comes out of nowhere, he said.

What are the COVID-19 symptoms?

People with COVID-19 can start showing symptoms 2-14 days after they have been exposed to the virus, according to the CDC.

Although not all of them, since they can change with the new variants, here are some of the symptoms people can experience:

Congestion or runny nose
Fever or chills
Nausea or vomiting
New loss of taste or smell
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Sore throat
Muscle or body aches

Others are reading: What are CDC guidelines for summer COVID surge? Symptoms, long covid, free tests, vaccines

Chris Sims contributed to this article.

Queens middle school student’s essay honoring a veteran takes her on a trip to city hall

An essay written by Amanda Jaggernath, a prospective 7th grader at M.S. 137 America’s School of Heroes in Ozone Park , earned her more than just the admiration of City Councilwoman Joann Ariola last week.

Accompanied by her mother, Sharmillie Haymchand, and Councilwoman Ariola, Jaggernath talked with fellow members of the City Council, voted on the chamber floor, and went on a tour of the historic legislative building.

“I am honored to represent my school here at City Hall,” Jaggernath said while addressing the Council from the chamber floor. “I’m incredibly excited to be here and have the opportunity to meet with all of you.”

The student’s heartfelt paper about her physical education teacher at M.S. 137, Heather Avagnano, secured her victory in the neighborhood-wide contest and paved the way for her day of parliament.

Jaggernath’s essay on Ms. Avagnano recognizes her gym teacher as both an educator and a former member of the United States Navy. It shares how Avagnano pushed ahead in her pursuit of service to her country despite the difficulties of being away from her family.

The honorary council member for the day also highlighted her teacher’s most memorable moments in the Navy, sailing out to sea on the USS L. Y. SPEAR (AS-36) during the Persian Gulf War.

The Navy veteran kept a family tradition of serving the country in the United States Military. Further reporting by QNS found that Avagnano followed in her father’s footsteps, having served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. Her Grandfather served in the U.S. Army during WWI and Avagano’s family is on track to continue the military service tradition.

So honored and thankful how my school celebrates Veteran’s Day through various displays in the school! Very much appreciated!!! #VeteransDay2021 @Principal_Trin @MS137Heroes @mrbennici28 @District27NYC pic.twitter.com/3YTVdiUmuq — Heather Avagnano (@HAvagnano) November 10, 2021

“She has such a bright future ahead, is part of so many activities in her school and is active in her student government,” Ariola added. “I know that this will not be the last time I see Amanda, and I know she will do great in whatever journeys she embarks on in the years to come.”

However, after a long day in the legislative halls and chambers, the group settled on a more relaxed setting, Little Italy Pizza near City Hall, where Jaggernath, her mother, and Councilwoman Ariola enjoyed a slice of pizza.

In her remarks at City Hall, Jaggernath confidently highlighted the key lesson she took away from the experience.

“This just proves that despite the challenges my hardworking immigrant parent has faced to give me the best education, that I can achieve anything in life possible for me and my family,” Jaggernath added.

About the Author

Anthony Medina

Anthony Medina (he/him) is a reporter for QNS, the Ridgewood Times and Times Newsweekly Newspapers.

Jobs in New York

Add your job.

Variazioni Sales position
Robert Couturier Inc Design Manager
Workforce1 Healthcare Career Center We Staff Hiring Event

View all jobs…

Things to do in queens.

Post an Event

Eggo Coffee Cafe Eggo Coffee Cafe Pop Up

Cuando las temperaturas del verano se di

Acción climática: cocinar sin fuego

Grupo de conversación en inglés

HARDCORE SMACKDOWN at the Metropolis Literary Salon (TV Eye) Tv Eye

Hip to Hip Theatre Company presents: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Crocheron Park

A multimedia dance show featuring origin

Terms and Conditions: A Multimedia Dance Show Culture Lab LIC

View All Events…

Latest News

Get Queens in your inbox

Dining & nightlife.

Entertainment

Police & Fire

More from Around New York

Man who allegedly beat Manhattan pizzeria worker nearly to death says he is ‘very sorry’

Crowds hover around Ginger's Bar at Brooklyn Pride in 2023.

Survey: Smaller share of Americans support LGBTQ equality; Gen-Z reports more discrimination

Project 2025 makes all of us Floridians

illustration of children on excursion in museum

Best Children’s Museums in New York City (that kids will love)

Queens’ job board.

Teen mental health improving, CDC reports. But the kids are far from all right.

Young people are faring better in their mental health in the past few years after a period of increased sadness and hopelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic, a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

The data released last week showed a 2% decrease from 2021 to 2023 in high school students reporting they felt sad or hopeless. The total dropped from 42% to 40% of students who reported having these feelings, marking the first time the annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey didn’t report an increase in over a decade.

But mental and behavioral health experts aren’t celebrating a victory just yet. This is because reported rates of kids feeling sad or hopeless remain high, especially teenage girls who showed a decrease, from 57% to 53% cases, over those two years.

“We’ve made some progress tackling these issues in recent years, which proves that they are not insurmountable,” said Kathleen Ethier, director of the CDC’s adolescent and school health division. “However, there’s still much work ahead.”

What’s getting better

The new report also found small but meaningful improvements among students in marginalized groups.

Four percent fewer Hispanic teens over those two years felt persistently sad or hopeless, experienced poor mental health and seriously considered attempting suicide, and 3% fewer made a suicide plan.

Black teens also saw a 4% decrease in students who reported they'd attempted suicide and a 2% decrease in people injured in a suicide attempt.

Ariana Hoet, a pediatric psychologist and executive clinical director of The Kids Mental Health Foundation, said increased awareness, government funding and school programs can partially explain why youth mental health has improved over the past few years.

“The pandemic opened our eyes (to the fact) that children’s mental health was a concern,” she said. “People are looking for resources and accessing resources more frequently.”

There has also been a concerted effort to highlight the causes of despair in young adults.

Last year, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a health advisory that highlighted the impact of social media on young people's mental health. The White House also awarded hundreds of millions of dollars to mental and behavioral health care programs in schools and at-risk communities.

Dr. Elizabeth Ortiz-Schwartz, a child psychiatrist at Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut, said the return to in-class learning and extracurricular activities may have also helped improve students' mental health.

“There’s more opportunities to integrate (and) socialize with peers,” she said. “The normalization of activities was probably very helpful.”

What’s getting worse

Returning to classrooms also meant going back to stressors like academic pressure, bullying and in-school violence, Ortiz-Schwartz said.

The CDC report found increases in students being threatened or injured with a weapon at school, being bullied at school or missing school due to safety concerns at school or en route to school.

The percentage of female students who missed school increased from 10% to 16% in those two years, and nearly 20% of females experienced sexual violence in 2023, according to the survey. Almost 30% of LGBTQ+ students said they were bullied and 20% missed school due to safety concerns.

The rise in violence may be a natural consequence of returning to in-person classes where there are more opportunities for physical encounters, experts said. But they said there may be more at play.

Ortiz-Schwartz has noticed that some of her patients after quarantine seemed developmentally stunted, exhibiting social-emotional behaviors she normally sees in younger kids.

The increase in violence and bullying in the data may also be a product of social media normalizing aggressive language and behaviors, leading to less self-censoring and more bullying when kids are together in person.

Another area that adults should note, said Hoet, from The Kids Mental Health Foundation, is how the behavior manifests itself so they can teach teens to cope.

“Children tend to show depression with irritability,” Hoet said. “We have to teach emotional regulation… being angry is okay, being angry is normal but we have to find a way to cope with that anger.”

Parents protecting mental health

Not all students were hard hit by COVID-19.

A report published by the Springtide Research Institute in July found that 13-year-olds had positive outcomes during the pandemic. Out of the 1,000 kids surveyed, nearly 50% said the COVID-19 pandemic had a positive impact on their family relationships.

While the results appear hopeful, researchers noted that the survey answers heavily varied based on a teen's household income. Among kids with an above-average household income, 64% said the pandemic had a positive impact on family relationships. However, only 34% of kids with a below-average household income experienced a positive impact on their family relations.

“Some kids probably loved (staying at home) and really thrived and then some kids didn’t and it’s because each environment is different,” Hoet said.

The report emphasizes that students have unique needs, said Dr. Laura Erickson-Schroth, chief medical officer at The Jed Foundation, a nonprofit focused on emotional health and suicide prevention for teens and young adults.

“We really need to pay attention to the reasons why young people are in the situations (and) the reasons why young people are having trouble seeking out help when they need it,” she said.

Educators should continue to improve on programs and curriculum at school, however, the best protector of mental health is child-adult relationships and that starts at home with parents and guardians, Hoet said.

The CDC also says increasing health education, connecting young people to health services and making school environments safer and more supportive are key to improving mental health.

“This work is far from complete,” said Dr. Debra Houry, CDC’s chief medical officer and deputy director for program and science “Every child should feel safe and supported, and CDC will continue its work to turn this data into action until we reach that goal.”

Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at [email protected].

IMAGES

Fourth Grader Pens Essay About Coronavirus Anger and Fears
≫ Nationalism and Covid-19 Pandemic Free Essay Sample on Samploon.com
Essay On Covid-19: 100, 200 and 300 Words
≫ Impact of Covid-19 on Education System in India Free Essay Sample on
📗 Essay Sample on Impact of COVID 19
Complete Essay on Coronavirus (COVID-19) (with latest statistics)

COMMENTS

How to Write About COVID-19 In Your College Essay & Application
This year, the Common App is including a special 250-word section allowing students to describe the impacts of COVID-19 on their lives. Here's the official word from the Common App website: . We want to provide colleges with the information they need, with the goal of having students answer COVID-19 questions only once while using the rest of the application as they would have before to ...
How to Write About Coronavirus in a College Essay
Writing About COVID-19 in College Essays. Experts say students should be honest and not limit themselves to merely their experiences with the pandemic. The global impact of COVID-19, the disease ...
Writing about COVID-19 in a college essay GreatSchools.org
Students working on college admission essays often struggle to figure out how to write about their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. For students applying to college using the CommonApp, there are several different places where students and counselors can address the pandemic's impact. The different sections have differing goals.
Essay On Covid-19: 100, 200 and 300 Words
Please find below a sample of a short essay on Covid-19 for school students: Also Read: Essay on Women's Day in 200 and 500 words. FAQs. How to write an essay on COVID-19? to write an essay on COVID-19, understand your word limit and make sure to cover all the stages and symptoms of this disease. You need to highlight all the challenges and ...
How to Write About the Impact of the Coronavirus in a College Essay
Writing About Coronavirus in Main and Supplemental Essays. Students can choose to write a full-length college essay on the coronavirus or summarize their experience in a shorter form. To help ...
'When Normal Life Stopped': College Essays Reflect a Turbulent Year
This year the Common App, the nation's most-used application, added a question inviting students to write about the impact of Covid-19 on their lives and educations.
Essay: COVID-19 and humanity's interconnectedness
Becoming a storyteller at WHYY, your local public media station, is easier than you might think. Text STORYTELLER to 267-494-9949 to learn more. WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.
Positive Impacts of COVID-19
Introduction. The global outbreak of COVID-19 has certainly taken an overwhelming toll on everyone. People have lost their jobs, their homes, and even their lives. There is no getting past the fact that the overall impact on the world has been negative, but it is important to realize that positive aspects of the pandemic have been overshadowed ...
Covid-19's Impact on Students' Academic and Mental Well-Being
For Black students, the number spikes to 25 percent. "There are many reasons to believe the Covid-19 impacts might be larger for children in poverty and children of color," Kuhfeld wrote in the study. Their families suffer higher rates of infection, and the economic burden disproportionately falls on Black and Hispanic parents, who are less ...
Covid 19 Essay in English
100 Words Essay on Covid 19. COVID-19 or Corona Virus is a novel coronavirus that was first identified in 2019. It is similar to other coronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, but it is more contagious and has caused more severe respiratory illness in people who have been infected. The novel coronavirus became a global pandemic in a very ...
Covid 19 Essays: Examples, Topics, & Outlines
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on individuals, societies, and economies worldwide. Its multifaceted nature presents a wealth of topics suitable for academic exploration. This essay provides guidance on developing engaging and insightful essay topics related to COVID-19, offering a comprehensive range of perspectives to choose from.
How is COVID-19 affecting student learning?
In almost all grades, the majority of students made some learning gains in both reading and math since the COVID-19 pandemic started, though gains were smaller in math in 2020 relative to the ...
PDF My COVID-19 Perspective
My COVID-19 Perspective Hi there, my name is Jack Gardner, a 5th year student at Purdue University. The COVID-19 pandemic is truly what we describe as a "Black Swan" event, meaning that no-one could have predicted it happening, but the impact it has on society is profound. ... change forever. Today, I am writing this short reflective essay ...
What We Learned About Ourselves During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Alex, a writer and fellow disabled parent, found the freedom to explore a fuller version of herself in the privacy the pandemic provided. "The way I dress, the way I love, and the way I carry ...
Students' Essays on Infectious Disease Prevention, COVID-19 Published
The students enjoyed seeing how this idea can drive both domestic and international health policies." A sampling of the published student essays are below: Alexander Giummo '22 and Mike Dunderdale's '23 op-ed titled "A National Testing Proposal: Let's Fight Back Against COVID-19" was published in the Journal Inquirer in Manchester ...
12 moving essays about life during coronavirus
Read these 12 moving essays about life during coronavirus. Artists, novelists, critics, and essayists are writing the first draft of history. A woman wearing a face mask in Miami. Alissa Wilkinson ...
The impact of COVID-19 on student experiences and expectations
Our findings on academic outcomes indicate that COVID-19 has led to a large number of students delaying graduation (13%), withdrawing from classes (11%), and intending to change majors (12%). Moreover, approximately 50% of our sample separately reported a decrease in study hours and in their academic performance.
What Life Was Like for Students in the Pandemic Year
In these short essays below, teacher Claire Marie Grogan's 11th grade students at Oceanside High School on Long Island, N.Y., describe their pandemic experiences. ... My mom had COVID-19 for ten ...
Persuasive Essay About Covid19
A Catalogue of 300 Best Persuasive Essay Topics for Students; Persuasive Essay Outline - A Complete Guide; 30+ Persuasive Essay Examples To Get You Started; ... Impact of COVID-19 Essay. Covid19, also known as Coronavirus, is an infectious disease that has had a major impact on the world. Since its emergence in late 2019, COVID-19 has infected ...
The pandemic has had devastating impacts on learning. What ...
A student wearing a protective mask, attends class on the first day of school, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, at St. Lawrence Catholic School in North Miami Beach, Florida, U.S ...
Impacts of COVID-19 on Students Life
A long-lasting impact has been created by the notorious COVID-19 from which it'll take many months to recover if not years. The education industry has not been ignored and therefore the impact of COVID-19 on student life is visible. Whether it's the non-public lifetime of students or the environment of college and colleges, the coronavirus ...
Essays reveal experiences during pandemic, unrest
The COVID-19 outbreak has had a huge impact on both physical and social well-being of a lot of Americans, including me. Stress has been governing the lives of so many civilians, in particular students and workers. In addition to causing a lack of motivation in my life, quarantine has also brought a wave of anxiety.
Going Back to School after Covid-19: Narrative Essay
The Covid 19 pandemic has affected many aspects of school life, all in order to prevent any further spread of the disease. Our school is working hard to go back to the normal school life we used to have before the global pandemic. Yet, parents are still worried about their kids, and teachers about their students.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education: Assessment of
The COVID-19 pandemic had radically changed higher education. The sudden transition to online teaching and learning exposed, however, some benefits by enhancing educational flexibility and digitization. The long-term effects of these changes are currently unknown, but a key question concerns their effect on student learning outcomes. This study aims to analyze the impact of the emergence of ...
Managing COVID and Other Respiratory Illnesses
Respiratory illness basics Respiratory illnesses including flu, COVID-19, and RSV impact millions each year. Protect yourself and others by wearing a high-quality face mask in crowded indoor settings; remaining at home if unwell; and staying up to date on vaccines. WPI is following CDC guidance to manage all respiratory illnesses including COVID-19, also summarized in the graphic below.
Addressing K-12 Student's Academic, Mental Health, and Career
DOI: 10.1080/23727810.2024.2359617 Corpus ID: 271549064; Addressing K-12 Student's Academic, Mental Health, and Career Development Needs During COVID-19 @article{Limberg2024AddressingKS, title={Addressing K-12 Student's Academic, Mental Health, and Career Development Needs During COVID-19}, author={Dodie Limberg and Shelby K. Gonzales and Alexander M. Fields and Cara M. Thompson and Rachel ...
Fact Check: Vermont Supreme Court did not rule that schools can force
The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that a family cannot sue a school district after a mix-up led to their child being given the COVID-19 vaccine without their consent, contrary to posts online saying ...
COVID-19: When can I return to school? When can I return to work?
In July, there were 1,726 visits to the emergency room, according to the dashboard. In August of the 2023-2024 season, 171 people with COVID-19 were admitted to the hospital in Kentucky, according ...
Middle school student's essay journey: From school halls to City Hall
An essay by Amanda Jaggernath, an incoming 7th grader at M.S. 137 America's School of Heroes in Ozone Park, earned the admiration of City Councilwoman Joann Ariola and broader recognition across ...
CDC teen mental health survey reveals slight improvement
Not all students were hard hit by COVID-19. A report published by the Springtide Research Institute in July found that 13-year-olds had positive outcomes during the pandemic. Out of the 1,000 kids ...

Writing about COVID-19 in a college admission essay

The CommonApp COVID-19 question

Counselor recommendations and school profiles

Writing about COVID-19 in your main essay

Homes Nearby

What should I write my college essay about?

45,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Essay On Covid-19: 100, 200 and 300 Words

Essay On COVID-19 in English 100 Words

Essay On COVID-19 in 200 Words

Essay On COVID-19 in 300 Words

Short Essay on Covid-19

Simran Popli

Connect With Us

Need help with?

Country Preference

Which English test are you planning to take?

When are you planning to take the exam?

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

What is your budget to study abroad?

Make your study abroad dream a reality in January 2022 with

Essex Direct Admission Day

Entertainment

New on Yahoo

How to Write About the Impact of the Coronavirus in a College Essay

‘When Normal Life Stopped’: College Essays Reflect a Turbulent Year

BBC World Service

Morning Edition

Coronavirus: The world has come together to flatten the curve. Can we stay united to tackle other crises?

Related Content

Part of the series

Coronavirus Pandemic

Introduction

Connection to STS Theory

Personal Growth

Change in Workforce

Environmental Improvements

Reflection Questions

Share This Book

Covid-19’s Impact on Students’ Academic and Mental Well-Being

The Achievement Gap Is Likely to Widen

Disproportionate Impact on Students Living in Poverty and Students of Color

Impacts on Students’ Mental Health

3 Ways Teachers Can Prepare

I Thought We’d Learned Nothing From the Pandemic. I Wasn’t Seeing the Full Picture

More from TIME

More Must-Reads from TIME

Students’ Essays on Infectious Disease Prevention, COVID-19 Published Nationwide

Related Articles

Jacobsen Maps Out Legal Landscape of College Campuses in New Book

Read these 12 moving essays about life during coronavirus

Most Popular

Today, Explained

This is the title for the native ad

More in Culture

The impact of COVID-19 on student experiences and expectations: Evidence from a survey ☆

Jacob French

Maria Paola Ugalde Araya

1. Introduction

2.1. Survey

2.2. Sample

3. Analytic framework

4. Empirical analysis

4.2. Heterogeneous effects

5. Understanding the heterogeneous effects

5.1. Economic and health mediating factors

5.2. The role of economic and health shocks on explaining the COVID-19 effects

6. Conclusions

Declaration of competing interest

What Life Was Like for Students in the Pandemic Year

“Hours Staring at Tiny Boxes on the Screen”

“My Only Parent Essentially on Her Death Bed”

“The Way of Staying Sane”

“In History Class, Reports of Heightening Cases”

“One Day Every Day Won’t Be As Terrible”

Sign Up for The Savvy Principal

Sign Up & Sign In

How to Write a Persuasive Essay About Covid19 | Examples & Tips

Steps to Write a Persuasive Essay About Covid-19

Step 1: Choose a Specific Thesis Statement