The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

College campuses have resumed visits amidst COVID-19 pandemic

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Alex Thorne
Fountain at Texas Christian University during a visit in February

COVID-19 pandemic caused chaos all across the United States. One of those things was the shutdown of college campuses during the last half of the 2019-2020 school year. Now that campuses have reopened across the country, college visits have resumed as well.

When campuses shut down in March, college visits came to a halt. This put many juniors and seniors in a hard situation. College visits are a common way for students to find out if a college is the right fit for them.

There is significant controversy about whether or not it is a good idea to invite high school students to college campuses. Common concerns include the chance a high school student may catch the virus and bring it back to their school or expose the campus to it if they’re already infected.

Senior Alex Thorne believes resuming college visits is beneficial to both universities  . “I think as long as the tours are socially distanced and the crowds are smaller than they have been in the past it should work,” he expressed. This should minimize the danger surrounding COVID-19.

Due to COVID-19, colleges have had to adjust how they handle visits to campus.. Senior Jacob Townsend recently went on a visit and described the precautions that are taken. “Everyone had to be masked up, there was no contact allowed between us and the students on campus and we had to get multiple temperature screenings throughout the day,” Townsend explained. 

These new precautions are the standard for most colleges around the country as more and more begin allowing on site visits. These visits are still not the same as before. Students can not go into areas that have a high flow of students, such as classrooms, dining halls and dorms.

A handful of students took visits before the chaos ensued in March, but many had not had the opportunity when it came time to apply to colleges. Senior Joey Borbeck found it hard to talk to and visit schools, especially for sports. “It was really difficult to find the right college when I couldn’t visit any schools. All meetings with coaches happened online and we couldn’t ever meet in person,” he commented.

Although the visits are different, they are still more beneficial than the virtual visits provided in the past few months. However the visits look, they can still provide benefits for students to find the right fit for them.

The

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About the Contributors
Michael VanDerSchaaf, Sports Editor
Michael VanDerSchaaf is currently a senior at Pleasant Valley High School where he is a big part of Spartan pride. Michael is a big fan of sports, being a fan of the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Cubs. He also enjoys fishing, going out on fishing trips frequently with his friends and family. He has a younger brother in the 11th grade at Pleasant Valley high School and younger sister in the 7th grade at Pleasant Valley Junior High. In school, Michael is part of the Pleasant Valley Football team, in which he plays the position of offensive linemen. In regards to his future, Michael wishes to attend either University of Wisconsin or University of Illinois in order to pursue a career in finance. This summer, Michael traveled to Wisconsin and Colorado for vacation, where he went fishing and hung out with family. Through football, Michael hopes to spread positivity and energy for the PV Spartans.   
Alex Thorne, Business Manager
Alex Thorne is currently a senior at Pleasant Valley and will serve as the Business Manager for the Spartan Shield. Alex has a twin sister, Anna, who is currently the Arts and Entertainment Editor for the Shield. Outside of journalism, Alex is also involved in Model United Nations and the Frisbee Club. When he is not at school he loves skiing, fly fishing, working out and spending time with his friends. In hopes of getting his hands on some extra cash, Alex has been working at Hy-Vee on Devils Glen in the Aisles Online department. If you ever see the Hy-Vee delivery van driving around town there is a good chance it is him, so feel free to give him a wave. After graduation Alex plans to study Finance and Economics at Texas Christian University, with hopes of making more money than Elon Musk. Alex is very proud to be representing Spartan Nation this semester and is looking forward to working with local businesses.
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College campuses have resumed visits amidst COVID-19 pandemic