How the Pandemic May Have Just Devoured the Future of Generation Z
Let’s face it; sitting in front of a computer all day and attending zoom meetings isn’t fun. The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically impacted the education of a plethora of adolescents across the globe. From unreliable Internet connections to virtual pep rallies, students have had to make a myriad of adjustments.
In fact, in an article written by The New York Times, “In a World ‘So Upside Down,’ the Virus Is Taking a Toll on Young People’s Mental Health”, Levin elaborates on how “the shuttering of the American education system severed students from more than just classrooms, friends and extracurricular activities…[and how]mental health experts worry about the psychological toll on a younger generation that was already experiencing soaring rates of depression, anxiety and suicide before the pandemic” (The New York Times). Furthermore, the results of a study conducted on 195 university students by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health reveals implications on how the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the mental health of students across the globe: “138 (71%) indicated increased stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 outbreak” (NCBI).
Not only has the pandemic deprived the mental health of many, but it has also proposed barriers in education. According to the U.S. News, an American media company, “difficulty accessing the ACT and SAT were common in the early months of the pandemic, with numerous testing sessions canceled due to safety concerns [and] limited access to these exams led colleges to suspend and rethink testing requirements” (U.S. News). By impacting ACT and SAT testing dates and stirring chaos, “many elite schools [had resorted to] temporarily [suspending] SAT/ACT testing requirements, [which lead] to jumps in both early admission applicants and first-year applicants as a whole. As a result, “early decisions rose 49% at Columbia University and 57% at Harvard University” (Best Colleges).
“With COVID-19, many schools [proposed] lower rates of acceptance, especially from students who [were] struggling financially.” As a result, “colleges and universities [had pushed] back acceptance deadlines and [admitted] larger numbers of students” (The Best Schools).
The pandemic has unleashed a chain of effects on the economy. From devouring educational opportunities to stimulating depression and isolation amongst students, the pandemic has also obstructed undergraduates and graduates from obtaining employment — a growing concern, especially given that the pandemic has economically deprived millions of families across the globe and that “the United States has the highest [college] tuition fees in the world” (Statista).
Nevertheless, according to critics who strongly believe the pandemic has yielded a myriad of positive benefits for the education system, “doing without testing and grading [is preferable]” and “standardized testing was never necessary for assessing learning, given the availability of better strategies: tracking students’ progress on real learning tasks over time” (Education Week). To add on, given the economical and social disparities that exist in society today and have greatly impacted the educational opportunities for many, one may view the ensuing effects of the pandemic on the educational system as auspicious. In a way, “this is an actionable as well as a teachable moment — a chance to turn an epidemiological crisis into an educational opportunity” (EducationWeek).
All in all, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of students, coupled with the fact that thousands of adolescents have been economically, socially, and politically impacted raises concerns on whether or not young leaders truly have the opportunities and resources required to be successful at their disposal. With prestigious universities in the Europe dwindling tuition fees and offering financial aid and universities in the United States increasing intuition fees during the pandemic, it is important to stand up and initiate a change; after all, students deserve the resources and opportunities to not only pursue their passions and be successful, but to stay physically and mentally healthy!
Works Cited:
Kohn, Alfie. “The Accidental Education Benefits of COVID-19 (Opinion).” Education Week, 19 Aug. 2020, www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-the-accidental-education-benefits-of-covid-19/2020/08.
“2020 AP Program Results — The College Board.” College Board Program Results, 25 Feb. 2021, reports.collegeboard.org/ap-program-results.
Maurer, Roy. “The Class of 2020 Enters Worst Jobs Market in Decades.”
SHRM, 11 June 2020, www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/class-of-2020-enters-worst-jobs-market-in-decades.aspx.
Staff, Tbs. “How Is COVID-19 Affecting College Admissions?” TheBestSchools.Org, 15 Mar. 2021, thebestschools.org/magazine/covid-19-and-college-admissions.
“The Best Schools.” The Best Schools, 2021, thebestschools.org.
“How Recent Events Reshaped College Admissions.” U.S. News, 18 Aug. 2021, www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/how-recent-events-reshaped-college-admissions.
Levin, Dan. “In a World ‘So Upside Down,’ the Virus Is Taking a Toll on Young People’s Mental Health.” The New York Times, 20 May 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/05/20/us/coronavirus-young-people-emotional-toll.html.
