- Sakal India Foundation
- January 15, 2021
So, the pandemonium that the pandemic has caused is palpable! Except for many Ps, there is a lot of truth in the earlier statement, as we are seeing sports events, political conventions, travel plans being suspended, worldwide. Academics have not been left untouched by this phenomenon, as the health crisis has upended every assumption admission officials have long held about the admit, reject and waitlist cycle. A new term has cropped up, what you might call the COVID-19 Admissions Round, as traditional Round 2 or Round 3 take a backseat and more schools extend their existing deadlines to add new admission rounds.
What’s also interesting to watch is that several forward-looking schools are seeking to attract candidates who originally had no intention of applying this year or even next year; a sort of in-between the post-2019-2020 admissions cycle and pre-2020-2021 cycle. Suddenly, with the economy falling into what will be a deep recession, candidates may find themselves either unemployed or with substantially different career prospects than assumed only a month or two ago.
In India, the mood is no different as our fellow students have gone through their share of similar heartbreaks and disappointments. There are students with acceptance letters from various foreign universities but are now glued to their TV sets, keeping a tab on the news updates from across the globe, as uncertainty surrounds their dreams to study abroad. Students who had plans to go to USA, UK, Germany, China and Australia etc for the current sessions beginning in September, the recent developments are demotivating but wouldn’t be a factor to change their entire life plan. The youthful optimism is still running high and now they believe is the time to look for a plan B: apply for colleges in India.
Several students who strongly wished to study abroad, their plans have either been shattered or delayed due to lockdown restrictions imposed in various countries, leading to suspension of classes and visa processes. While there are many students who have already secured admission but are now reconsidering because the classes have moved online and there is no clarity as to when the situation will improve. So, for students who actually want to live abroad, paying fees just to attend classes online does not seem to be a lucrative option.
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