This week, many colleges lift mask mandates, letters of recommendation come under scrutiny, UC Berkeley is ordered to reduce enrollment, UVM adds ED, U.S. colleges end academic programs in Russia, and college students across the country protest in support of Ukraine.
Multiple colleges and universities announced plans to drop mask mandates after the CDC stated that a majority of Americans do not need to wear them indoors because they live in areas with low-to-medium Covid risk. Some of the schools include Northeastern, Elon, and the University of Buffalo.
There is growing chatter among admissions officers, enrollment managers, and college counselors that letters of recommendation provide an unfair advantage to white, wealthy applicants in the college process. You can read more about the discussion here.
We reported a few weeks ago that UC Berkeley appealed a district court ruling that would freeze enrollment at pandemic-level numbers. This week, the California Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s decision. Berkeley is ordered to reduce enrollment by 3,050 students and must rescind 5,100 offers of admission to do so. The school is searching for alternatives, such as encouraging incoming students to defer enrollment.
Are you ready to commit to the University of Vermont? UVM announced recently that Early Decision will now be an option for students applying for Fall 2023.
In other news out of Vermont, Middlebury College announced a suspension of its study abroad program in Russia for the rest of the semester. There are a handful of students from Middlebury and other U.S. colleges taking part in the program, and they are being asked to return to the U.S. for their safety now, as international flights out of Russia are extremely limited.
MIT also announced it is ending its program in Russia with the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology.
Students at campuses across the country are protesting in support of Ukraine, raising awareness and funds to support Ukrainian soldiers. You can follow many student group accounts on social media.
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