Going back to college during a pandemic: Here’s what you need to know
Last school year, you might have spent weeknights in a study room with poor circulation, surrounded by friends as you crammed for exams. Weekends probably included an outing to a bar, house show or party. And you might have lived in the quintessential on-campus dorm, where you shared everything (sometimes begrudgingly) with a roommate or two. If you’re a rising freshman, you were probably looking forward to those experiences as you perfected your college essays and anxiously hoped for acceptance letters from your top schools.
Then COVID-19 made its way into our lives. Students had to leave campuses. Classes went online. Graduations too.
The 2020 fall semester is going to be very different for everyone. Here are some ways make the most out of it, whatever it looks like, and get a handle on some trickier issues and news updates.
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Can students safely return to campus during the coronavirus pandemic? Parents are anxious.
Aug. 7, 2020
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Looking at the numbers can give parents a sense of how the county is doing in containing the coronavirus and help them make a difficult decision.
Aug. 7, 2020
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Everyone has an opinion about the value of taking a gap year after high school or during college. For those who do so, it can be a chance for an adventure as well as an opportunity to grow and mature.
July 22, 2020
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Many parents feel uneasy about students returning to campus this fall. Here are some things to consider before they do.
July 17, 2020
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California university administrators discuss the on-campus experience that could await students this fall.
July 9, 2020
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It’ll be harder than usual to stay engaged on campus because of the coronavirus. Here are some tips for making connections and feeling like part of a campus community while reducing your risk.
July 9, 2020
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If you’re having second thoughts about a dorm room or off-campus apartment you signed up for, you may have options. Here are ways to potentially get out of your lease or cancel your contract.
July 9, 2020
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California colleges can reopen this fall with limited in-person classes and greatly reduced dorm life, state public health officials said Friday as they issued long-awaited guidance for how campuses can operate amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Aug. 7, 2020
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Just days before fall semester is set to begin, California colleges and universities are scrambling to finalize reopening plans, but top leaders say the state’s lack of guidance has frustrated efforts to bring back limited in-person learning and dorm living.
Aug. 6, 2020
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An outbreak of coronavirus infections tied to fraternity parties is imperiling the prospect of in-person classes at UC Berkeley this fall.
July 9, 2020
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College students are making fall housing decisions, including whether to sign and break leases, based on limited details of what campus life will look like.
June 12, 2020
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CSU plans to cancel most in-person classes this fall and rely mainly on virtual instruction amid the coronavirus crisis, the chancellor announced Tuesday.
May 12, 2020
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Only 10% to 20% of classes will be offered in person and on campus, reversing USC’s original decision to reopen for the fall semester.
July 2, 2020
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Stanford University will reopen to students and teachers in the fall with an earlier start date, less student housing and continuing online education.
June 3, 2020
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UCLA described some of its plans for classes in the Fall.
June 15, 2020