Was It What You Expected? The Impact of COVID-19 on First-Year College Students

Fall 2020, COVID-19 restrictions in place on most college campuses may have resulted in the reality of college life not aligning with student expectations. This survey study, conducted at a university in the Midwest, sought to determine the perceptions of first-year college students regarding whether there was a misalignment with their prior expectations and in which areas these misalignments existed, if they did exist. At this university, the COVID-19 restrictions resulted in changes in the delivery formats of courses, and restrictions of social gatherings and on-campus activities. In addition, academic resources such as tutoring, writing center assistance, and study groups were unavailable or curtailed in scope and operating times. This study focused on student perceptions of the impact of course delivery, academics, and social opportunities. The majority of the first-year students in this study reported they were unsure if the restrictions impacted their expectations of what college would be like academically but did report their belief that blended/hybrid courses better supported their learning than either synchronous or asynchronous courses. The largest factor impacting the misalignment of prior student expectations and the Fall 2020 college campus reality was linked to social activities and interactions with 60% of participants listing this as an area where the Fall 2020 college experiences did not meet their expectations.