I appreciated last week’s article about college in the age of COVID-19. I was glad the author included several different student experiences. However, I would like to correct one point. The article stated that Wellesley College has canceled all exams. I also attend Wellesley, and this is definitely not the case. Some professors have chosen to cancel exams or final papers, but the college’s only official statement was that all classes are now pass/fail, as the article mentioned.
It is important to recognize that in these incredibly scary, stressful times, many students are still facing high academic expectations. The workload in some of my classes has been lightened, but my friends report increased assignments in other classes, presumably to make up for the lack of in-person instruction. I understand professors’ commitment to providing the education we are paying for, but in my opinion this is an unfair burden for students who are coping with potentially unstable living situations and a global pandemic.
I would like to add that this crisis has been especially hard on college seniors. Like other students, we had to say goodbye to friends within a few days, but for us, the goodbyes were permanent. Abruptly leaving the place I came to think of as home and the best friends I’ve ever had with no idea when or if I would see them again was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. This situation has also been particularly difficult for people who were studying abroad this semester. These students had to arrange major travel plans at the drop of a hat, and some abroad programs are not continuing instruction online, so they had to scramble to find credits. This was also especially hard on freshmen, who were just becoming comfortable in their college lives when it was harshly interrupted.
The current crisis is obviously affecting everyone in myriad ways, some more devastating than others, but I wanted to draw attention to just how significantly college life has been disrupted.
Eleanor Willard
Still River Road
