Inside Higher Ed discusses a survey of 2,000 college students from over 100 schools, which highlights the losses of the past academic year. Around half of respondents reported the value of their education to be “poor” or “fair” and that they learned less this year than in others before. Some of students’ major challenges included needing to spend more time on online work and struggling more to concentrate during class though almost 60% of students felt that professors were “flexible and accommodating.” Thirty-eight percent also reported that cheating was more prevalent than in past years.
Inside Higher Ed explores how the pandemic disrupted the typical college admissions process, as campus closures this winter kept many students from visiting and applying. Regional state colleges in particular seem to be struggling to receive and admit as many applicants as usual, extending their admissions calendars through this summer as a result. The Wall Street Journal adds that, after colleges this fall dealt with some of the lowest enrollment in decades, many schools are trying to bring back those who left college during the pandemic and recruit recent high school graduates who never enrolled.
The Hechinger Report highlights a high school’s innovative efforts to prepare students for college and career readiness. Pathways in Technology Early College High School, also known as P-TECH, is now in its 10th year of serving low-income students from underserved demographics. P-TECH, now operating 266 schools across 12 U.S. states and 28 countries, was established in partnership with IBM, the New York City school system and City Tech to connect high school education with industry learning. What differentiates P-TECH from other programs is its integrated paid internship opportunities at corporations such as IBM and its free associates degree program after high school.