By ABBE HAMILTON
Monadnock Ledger-Transcript

Spring is typically the time for high school juniors to visit colleges, and seniors to commit to one for the fall. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic is changing the process – and may continue to affect the college application process for years to come.

A recent survey conducted by Junior Achievement USA and Citizens Bank determined that more than two-thirds of teens are somewhat or very concerned about the pandemic’s impact on their families and day-to-day lives. The survey involved 1,000 teens ages 13 to 18 from across the country who aren’t currently attending college. 44 percent of the high school juniors and seniors surveyed say COVID-19 has impacted their plans to pay for college.

“More than 70 percent of the students who responded said they have been talking with parents and say they understand how this is affecting the family financially,” Christine Roberts, head of student lending for Citizens Bank, said of the survey.

At ConVal, Director of Student Counseling Kim Chandler said she hadn’t seen many seniors who had actually changed their original college plans yet, but they’d reconsider if their college opted to operate virtually this fall. Typically, incoming college freshmen must commit to their school of choice by May 1. Many colleges are pushing the date to June this year, Chandler said.

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These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.