The high school class of 2023 had an experience that was inevitably shaped by COVID-19. The pandemic hit when they were freshmen and many students endured over a year of remote learning, with limited access to school counseling services and extracurricular activities. Now, as the COVID cohort graduates and gets ready for higher education, a new report shows how the pandemic affected their college and career choices, both positively and negatively.
The report, released by ACT, the nonprofit behind the standardized test, is based on a survey given to a random sample of over 1500 high school seniors last September. It found clear impacts from the coronavirus: over two out of five students said that the pandemic affected their thoughts about at least one college or career-related choice, including whether to attend college, what type of school to go to, what to study, and what career to pursue. One third of students changed their thoughts about two or more choices.
Dr. Becky Bobek, a principal research scientist at ACT
Many of these changes were in response to COVID’s challenges, such as greater financial difficulties from family job losses and increased costs. These factors made students consider less expensive schools, two-year rather than four-year programs, and courses of study that offer quicker monetary gain.
Another challenge was changing academic circumstances, with less motivation and productivity resulting in worse test scores and grades.
“Although I still have decent grades, the pandemic took a toll on me academically,” said a student who was surveyed. “Once I got behind in one class it was almost impossible to catch up. If my grades from the 2020-21 school year turned out differently in just one class, I’d feel more open to applying to other schools.”
COVID’s mental health impacts also affected college choices.
