“Distance does for love what the wind does for a flame. It extinguishes the weak and feeds the strong.”

I wonder what distance, specifically that caused by COVID-19, does for the connection between a college student and their school. If everything is on-line, it seems inevitable that there is a weakening of the bond associated with being on campus – the interactions with classmates or professors or campus clubs or activities, the networking opportunities.

For a rising freshman or sophomore in the turbulent year of 2020, does the intellectual distance from daily academic stimulus and information tend to weaken the expected commitment to a particular major. Here there is a bit of good news; it is typically not until the end of the second year that the choice must be made.

The rising junior fortunately may have the opportunity to change their major quickly if their original thinking has been blown away by a reflection exercise occasioned by being locked down at home. In addition, they may luck out in terms of an improved job market by the time they graduate in 2022.

The rising senior is most affected by the lockdown, despite all the technological and social media tools for eliminating physical distance. Internships, quite often the steppingstone to a job offer, have become scarce. The employment environment when they graduate in May of 2021 probably will be better, but not necessarily robust. Economists debate whether the recovery from the lows of 2020 will be V-shaped or U-shaped or even W-shaped.

Regardless of their level of angst, the collegians I know are determined to achieve their four-year Bachelor’s degrees as rapidly as possible. They have demonstrated strength throughout their lives and are not about to let the wind extinguish their plan.