Morgan Perry planned to visit Syracuse University’s campus for the first time during her high school’s spring break.

Weeks before the planned visit, SU canceled on-campus classes and transitioned to virtual learning for the remainder of the semester due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Perry, who is from Evans, Georgia, plans to attend SU in the fall as a first-year musical theater student. After the university moved classes online, she soon realized she’d have to make her college decision based solely on pictures and videos of the campus that she found online.

“Starting out this experience online has been really weird simply because when you get accepted to a college, you’re (supposed) to be able to go and visit, you’re going to be able to see everything up close and personal,” Perry said.

Incoming freshmen told The Daily Orange that the pandemic has affected their college selection process. While they understand the need for health and safety precautions, they are also nervous about what their first semester at SU will look like.

SU has suspended campus visits, student-led tours and admissions programming through at least May 1, instead hosting online programs and a virtual campus tour for admitted students. Faculty and current students have also held virtual information sessions for incoming freshmen admitted to their respective school or college.

While Shakira Santos knew she would attend SU if admitted, her family worried about paying her $500 enrollment deposit.

Santos, who is from Syracuse and plans to major in music industry, decided to attend SU around the same time both of her parents lost their jobs due to the virus. Although her parents were able to pay the deposit, Santos said it was the worst part of the enrollment process.

“I’m glad we did come up with money in the middle of all of this, (but) my parents still aren’t working right now, so that’s the difficult part,” she said.

Some students who live further from SU said they worry about how the distance from home will affect their college experience.

Giana DiTolla, from Irvine, California, plans to enroll undecided in the College of Arts and Sciences. She was unable to visit any of the schools for which she applied.

“It’s really nerve-wracking because one of the things my counselor told me is you really have to set foot on campus if you actually are a good fit there,” DiTolla said. “You get a whole different feeling if you’re actually there versus the tours that you watch.”

DiTolla ultimately decided to attend SU after researching the university on websites like College Confidential and watching online videos from current students. She also watched the university’s virtual tours.

Taking a plane to Syracuse in the fall if the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing is a concern for Mariana Peréz, an incoming nutrition studies major from Puerto Rico.

“We need to keep in mind from now on that I might not be able to come back,” Peréz said. “I will be moving across an ocean. It’ll be really, really hard.”

Many incoming freshmen said they’re uncertain of whether they’ll begin their first year of college on campus.

SU intends to resume on-campus classes in the fall, but the decision will be based on guidance from local, state and federal health officials, Chancellor Kent Syverud said April 16. Administrators, faculty and staff are developing multiple scenarios for beginning the fall semester, he said.

Ryan Hodges, an incoming mechanical engineering major from Spencer, New York, is nervous about how well his courses would translate to online learning.

The virtual information sessions the College of Engineering and Computer Science hosted were just as helpful as they would’ve been if offered in-person, Hodges said. He’s concerned about being in a virtual academic setting, though.

Since Hope Fischer’s high school in Lebanon, Pennsylvania transitioned to online learning amid the pandemic, she’s been worried about the possibility of taking her first college courses online.

“Not knowing the people, not knowing the professor, will be kind of off for me,” said Fischer, who plans to study inclusive elementary and special education.

Students also said they’re nervous about adjusting socially if they can’t meet their future classmates in person.

While he has been connecting with other incoming freshmen through a Facebook group for the Class of 2024, Jeremy Shinder is still nervous about not being able to meet his classmates on campus, he said. Shinder, from Bergen County, New Jersey, intends to study film in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

“Even the simplest things such as orientation or a club fair — I’ve heard from so many people, and I really do believe it — that you make your closest friends during your first two weeks freshman year,” Shinder said. “Facebook’s great, but there’s nothing like meeting up with people.”

SU’s fall classes are set to begin Aug. 31. Despite uncertainty about their first year of college, many incoming freshmen said the online admissions programs have been helpful. They are still excited to begin their four years at SU, they said.

“Even though it is a very stressful time, once all of this is over, we will have a fresh start, something new,” Pérez said. “I’m excited for college so I want to have that view.”

Published on April 26, 2020 at 8:52 pm

Contact Maggie: mehicks@syr.edu | @maggie_hickss