R&I. – TXPAT ***
EW HAVEN, Conn. – A few weeks ago, ahead of a nor’easter that unleashed biting winds and snow across New England, Alyssa Washington, a high school senior who wants to be a nurse, made her big college decision: not to go next fall.
There was no single reason. Rather, mounting obstacles led Washington, a senior at Metropolitan Business Academy, a public school in New Haven, to hit pause. She had not finished the Common App, a shared application form used by more than 900 colleges and universities; had struggled to write her application essay; had lost her password for Naviance, which collects transcripts, recommendation letters and other forms needed to apply; and – like many students in low-income districts this year – had not filled out the FAFSA, the federal financial aid application form.
It didn’t help that a favorite aunt got COVID-19. (She recovered.) Or that class was remote, amplifying the isolation and monotony that have defined this school year. Washington, who would be the first in her family to go to college, had always planned to attend. But applying suddenly felt overwhelming.
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Article URL : https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2021/03/04/apply-college-financial-aid-amid-covid-pandemic-stress/6905591002/