The high school graduating class of 2023 represents a cohort that entered high school at the start of the pandemic and lived with its restrictions and upheavals for most of their time in school. A new report suggests that experience left some scars.
Nearly half of high school seniors whose high school careers unfolded against the backdrop of COVID-19 say it affected their college or career choices, according to the report by the ACT, the nonprofit that administers the ACT college admissions exam. The report builds on a random sample of 1,549 12th grade students at the start of the 2022-23 school year.
“These are the same students who faced numerous new challenges, including decreased access to school counselors, canceled extracurricular activities, and an overnight pivot to remote learning,” said ACT CEO Janet Godwin in a statement. “It’s important to recognize their unique journeys and how the pandemic’s disruption has affected them — emotionally, academically, and financially — as they make important decisions about the first steps of their lives beyond high school.”
More than 4 in 10 high school seniors reported the pandemic affected their thoughts on at least one choice related to college or career. A third of students changed their thoughts on two or more such choices. Those reconsiderations were driven largely by financial concerns.
The report states: “Some students questioned whether they could afford to pay for college after experiencing financial struggles during the pandemic. These financial difficulties, which stemmed from family job loss and the increased cost of living, led these students to reevaluate their schooling options.”
Students from lower-income families felt the greatest impact. About 4 in 10 students in the low-income group reported the pandemic influenced their thoughts about a future career. Race also played a role in impact. While 2 in 10 white students said the pandemic changed their thoughts about which school to attend, about a third of Black, Asian and Latino students did so.
The report quotes a Latino student: “Before the pandemic I always looked toward college and furthering my academics, but once the pandemic hit it altered the way I looked at college. It made me struggle in my high school years and made me doubt whether or not college was the best choice down the road.”
Students also felt their academics suffered and made them question the caliber of college to which they would apply. Among the comments from students:
“The pandemic really hit me badly, I listen to my family to stay home for school, which was the last thing I wanted to do, and online school isn't my thing. This choice made my grades go down in the worst way possible."
“I felt like I wasn't learning as much as I liked and my skills weren't really progressing/growing so the colleges I wanted to go to were getting replaced with colleges who had high acceptance rates."
“Although I still have decent grades, the pandemic took a toll on me academically. 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."
The pandemic also influenced student perceptions about viable careers, especially witnessing the toll COVID-19 took on health care workers and teachers. Among the student comments in the report:
“My dream job since I was a kid was to be a nurse. Seeing how health care workers were treated during the pandemic really broke my spirit."
“I was between education and pre-med and during the pandemic I saw the way that teachers are treated in today's society and I wouldn't want to go through that."
Students also reflected on the personal toll on their mental well-being from the pandemic. “I developed very strong depression to the point where I was not sure I would make it to college applications, much less worry about which colleges I could get into,” said one student.
The pandemic fueled new passions and interests in some students and helped others learn more about themselves and reordered their priorities. Among the student comments:
“Sitting in isolation, I found a passion for computer science and STEM related fields. Due to the free time, I would spend hours learning new ways to program something simple or challenge myself with problems."
“It gave me the time and isolation to reevaluate and further question what I would like my future to look like and what kind of career I would like to venture in."
“When the pandemic started, my mother began to work from home, and I want to pursue a career in the future with the option to do the same."
“The pandemic showed me that our life is not guaranteed and can be taken from us at any moment. With this mindset I not only wanted to get my foot in the door with college faster but I also wanted to be able to help others who are struggling with mental health after seeing the toll it took on our nation."
The report includes recommendations to colleges on what ought to be in place when these teens arrive on their campuses this fall as freshmen. It urges colleges to connect financially struggling students with scholarships, work-study options and financial aid.
Campuses also have to address the decline in academic performance that many students suffered as a result of interrupted learning and offer short courses, tutoring, summer bridge programs and other options to offset the gaps, according to the report.
As high school educators and counselors have noted, teen mental health was already in crisis and the pandemic worsened it. Colleges ought to provide mental health resources and support that reflect an understanding of pandemic-related health concerns. In addition, with the uncertainty of many of these high school seniors around career and jobs, the report advises colleges to encourage career planning programs and early internships to help them sort out their futures.
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