Many students are dealing with university applications. This important moment has a very different taste for prospective students entering university in 2021. It used to be exciting, maybe stressful, but this generation has to deal with uncertainty. How will university be in 2021? What differences will the pandemic bring to the whole experience?

Covid-19 has changed many things. This doesn’t mean they are all for the worse. Many positive things may come from this situation. Institutions are going through major challenges. They are forced to become creative in order to offer appealing though safe options.

In fact, even if it may seem the best idea to have a gap year and wait for the situation to “go back to normal”, you should carefully think about It. Now is not the time to plan a career-boosting gap year.  The job market is very unstable, and there are still many travel restriction.

Deciding to go to university, instead, puts you ahead of time. Though all students expect that “university experience” they have heard about from their siblings, friends and relatives, they now have to focus on the bigger picture. This situation is a call to maturity and responsibility. Students should look beyond. Find out more about how the universities they would like to apply to are organising themselves. 

Since the start of the pandemic, universities have done a great job in finding efficient and different ways to provide blended learning resources and proper support to all students. Online activities, live online sessions, smaller classes and group-based tasks are a few examples, as well as flexibility of study and the enhanced use of technology.

The previous lockdown experience has forced universities to move from an in presence mode to an online one. Now institutes have transformed this necessity in an occasion to change and improve the overall experience. 

Universities often have dedicated sections on their websites to answer to all the Covid related questions and the consequent teaching-learning mode. Moreover, by the time 2021 arrives, all these measures will be more refined and efficient.

Of course the social aspect is still very important. There might be still some restrictions going on by 2021, but small size classes will allow the necessary interactions. Students will still be able to have a coffee together after lesson, maybe using a mask or in small groups. The focus should be on the quality of contact rather than on the quantity.

I think dramatic situation bring drastic changes. Throughout history these have been the times where men have come up with the greater ideas. Though Covid-19 has brought a lot of bad, I think there is a great deal of good we can expect to come from it too. Students applying for university in 2021 will start benefit from it. So my advice is to don’t hold back from applying and go for it. Live the change!

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