High school seniors on college choices: One Zooms with coaches, other watches YouTubes of campuses

Welcome to a new class for high school students looking toward college: It's called Pandemic Decision-Making 101.

Here are two stories of high school seniors working to choose their educational futures.

Marcus Skeete

Some of his scheduled visits and court sessions at the schools where Marcus Skeete is considering playing basketball and studying business were canceled, so the Waubonsie Valley High School senior turned to Zoom calls with coaches.

He's considering Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota; Saginaw Valley State University in Saginaw, Michigan; Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa; and John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio.

His deadline to decide hasn't been extended past the typical May 1, but he feels he's getting closer to making up his mind on a place where he will "fit and feel comfortable." Virtual tours have helped, too.

"They walk around the campus give me a sense of the campus life, and they'd also walk around the gyms and locker rooms," Skeete said. "They talk about how they run their program and what I could do in the program. It was real cool."

Rachael Walsh

Visits last summer helped Rachael Walsh of Streamwood narrow her college options to two: the University of Louisville and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. But she wasn't able to go back over spring break as planned.

"They say when you choose a college, it should feel like home," Walsh said. "And I feel like I'm not going to get that because I'm not able to go visit them."

In the absence of a return tour before decision day of May 1, she's watching YouTube videos about the schools and looking up pros and cons. She plans to study speech pathology and wants a career helping people.

The school where she has a personal connection might have gained an advantage. She learned from a friend at Louisville that the campus is safe and the freshman dorms "aren't as bad as you hear they are."

"I feel better about committing," she said, "if I do commit there."