Your normal college experience is now a distant memory.  This coronavirus has uprooted your foundation by stripping you of housing, your food plan, your employment, and the environment where you tackle your syllabus course load.   Whether you welcome the change or not, the fact is that you will be part of a new breed of college trained students.   The COVID-19 crisis will be the great disruptor of your time.  

Do you know what happens when there is disruption?   The status quo gets challenged, the population is open to new ways of thinking, and when old order falls opportunities happen.  The people who are ready to take advantage of the disruption are the ones that fair best.  I want you to be ready to be one of those people.

The first thing you need to do is focus your energy.  You may be facing immediate survival challenges.  You need to craft a plan to tackle your essential needs by concentrating in what you can control.  You are out of housing?  Then the first thing to tackle is making a list of potential living arrangements.  Go ahead and set a five minute timer and just write ideas that come to mind, don’t censure your thoughts, you can edit the list after the five minutes are up.  

Some things that came to my mind in that exercise where the obvious: go back home, find roommates, seek temporary housing in shelters, and living in a car.   However, some less conventional thoughts were to ask to borrow an RV, seek a job as a live-in nanny for people who lost their daycare, find a job that provides housing, ask the college financial aid if there are any alumni providing housing, set up a tent in a park.  

The thing about these thoughts is that not all of them are worth seeking as a first recourse, so I advice that once you prioritize them you pursue only the top 20%.  I learned about a powerful law called Pareto’s Principle from reading The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan.  The principle says that we get 80% of our results from 20% of our effort, so if we get the effort on the right 20% then the other 80% becomes easier to tackle.  They claim you can get a domino effect with each piece tumbling the rest quickly if you achieve momentum on the right 20% of your goals.  

Let’s call housing and food your 20%, so you need to first focus your energy in the most viable options.   If you had 10 ideas, then pursue the first two with all you got, and by that I mean be relentless.  If those two don’t pan out, then move to the next two, focusing on only 20% at a time, until you secure your housing.  This might take hours, or days, or weeks depending on how broadly you have to cast your net, but remain positive and focused on getting a handle on these so you may move on to targeting the responsibilities of college life this semester.  

In terms of your college coursework make sure to communicate your current circumstances to your professors.   You might be surprised to realize how many assumptions come with the college experience.   Be honest, make your explanation concise and clear, and ask if there are any accommodations they could provide for your circumstances.  

Once you get control of your housing and accommodations for your coursework, be intent in scheduling two plans, the ideal day broken into time segments and the plan that has buffers for the unexpected.   This way you will be able to adjust to unexpected bumps and you will keep your mental space from shifting into other modes – panic, fear, anxiety, stress, etc.

Be aware that evolution is about to happen to old college structures, only the adaptable schools will survive, so being part of the right school needs to be a part of your plan.   This is the time to hone in your critical thinking skills.  You must be resourceful, adaptable, and keep a calm head to advance the way chess great masters do and evolve.  

Start making a plan for the following school year and really think where you want to invest your money.  The reality is that most schools will transition to distance learning.  Think about your experience this last part of the semester. Consider if continuing on this path of distance learning will be the right move for you.   Do you have what it takes to succeed in this new environment?  Dig deep and be honest about whether you are willing to rise to the challenge and put in the time to navigate the unknowns of distance learning.  Will you be motivated enough to complete the work? Really invest some quality time evaluating the pros and cons.   

The most important thing to consider is money.   Financial aid packages will change.  If you had to take on debt to attend college this year, then consider how to maximize returns on the investment.   Research the ease of transferring your courses and look for cheaper options at colleges that offer associate degrees with good paying careers.   This is the time to be smart about career paths and preparation.  Really do your research about entry salaries and the degrees needed to achieve those.   Remember to prepare for the jobs that will need new employees in the following decade.  Some professions that come to mind are nursing, truck drivers, cyber security, logistics, tech jobs.

On the flip side, if you have an amazing scholarship and manage to keep it, then stay and commit to working out the hiccups of distance learning.  However, preparing for a good paying career should still be at the forefront of your college coursework.  Perhaps you had a decent scholarship but your parents lost their jobs and now cannot afford to come up with their contribution, so now you are thinking of taking a year-off, stop and put in an appeal for financial aid.  Do not make a decision until you have received a notice from them.   Appeals are not widely advertised, but they are available.   Please use the website https://formswift.com/ for free help in appealing your financial aid package.  This website was created specifically to help students during this COVID-19 times, so make sure to check it out.

The last point I want to make concerns mental health.  The uncertainty of these times, the added stress of leaving your college environment, and the social distancing aspect are more than enough to tax your overall sense of well-being.   Please talk to a professional if you are feeling overwhelmed.  Most colleges require health insurance upon registration.  This health insurance usually allows you 10 visits per semester or quarter with a psychologist.    These services are still being provided through telehealth.  Furthermore, college campuses that host chapters of Active Minds have some great resources.  Make sure to check the website out https://www.activeminds.org/about-mental-health/be-there/coronavirus/

Remember that you are not alone.  30 million Americans are suffering from income lost, facing housing insecurity, and afraid.  You are used to adversity, this will be your toughest test, but you can get through this. We are all in this together but at different degrees of latitude.  Stay strong and know you will have more grit once we get through this.  Work on your 20%, whatever that is, and keep a plan for the following months to keep you moving ahead.

Your life coach,

Kim

Financial aid appeal food insecurity housing insecurity