Covid-19 has impacted all sections of students, whether they were already enrolled, in their final years, or students who are aspiring to study abroad. Along with the covid-19 spread, the tension between China and the US is also on the rise. China being on the top for sending the most number of students to the US for higher studies is turning to be discouraging. For about a year, mobility between countries was the lowest anyone has ever seen since transportation inception. All these factors negatively affected the students, and if you are wondering, “How Has COVID-19 Impacted Students with Abroad Scholarship in the US?" stick with us.
Cutting Down on the Grants and Scholarships
Many Universities after Covid hit have been reducing the expense. Some are paying less to the faculties because classes are going online, and some reduce scholarship grants. The students' research grants are also being reduced, arguing most of the processes have transferred online.
The budget cuts are somewhat justified, but the decision-making cannot be generalized when it comes to scholarship. On the other hand, some institutions are running more scholarship programs to attract students from abroad. The intention is to have a stable flow when things revert to normal. Many institutions abroad have removed the GMAT and GRE as the necessary eligibility criteria.
Less Efficient Use of Opportunity
The students who got the scholarship for their course are also not able to make the most of it. While there are online classes, some also have classes on alternate days with half capacity. It still cannot make up for the benefits of having an outgoing environment.
Most people haven't met their families, friends in a year. The learning is efficient when the environment is healthy. Many people do not have access to flawless Wi-Fi connections at home. Some get discouraged by the monotony of online classes that are somewhat less engaging. Even the students who were good at their studies and eager to learn are losing that streak.
One more problem comes with remote learning, which is access to resources and positioning. The people who are in direct contact or at the same location as the university has an advantage of access. They also get seen by teachers more and comes to light. There might be few better learners, but do not come to the radar because of remote learning. The same goes for students who need extra attention. It is hard to help them.
Zero to Less Mobility
When Covid hit that most students were either on winter break or returning from winter break. They stayed wherever they were. They cannot return because even now, most transportation is closed off since the risk is still there. These things are making people anxious, which affects their progress negatively.
If you are not close to your college, it could mean lesser accessibility of resources. It may not hurt in the short term as the universities understand that they are lenient with their grading system. But in the long run, this will hurt the accumulation of knowledge for many students.
Running out of Money at Hand
This mostly concerns the students who were already enrolled in the scholarship programs abroad. Many lost their part-time jobs because even employers were trying to save money. Both do not know who to blame since everyone is suffering. When it comes to layoffs, the part-timers are the first ones that are considered.
For the students aspiring to apply for scholarships abroad, this is discouraging as they will need more money than otherwise required, even with the scholarship.
Reduced or Alternate Working Hours/Days
When the world is slowly opening, the students are suffering because they do not have a stable job. Some companies have alternate working days, and for that, students get paid according to their working hours a week.
Scholarships do help with the tuition fees, but part-time or weekend jobs cover other expenses of students. If the payment is reduced, how will students pay for their rent or other expenses since they are far from the family? These situations also discourage new students from applying for scholarships abroad as they will be facing some issues.
Conclusion
If I had to tell you, "How Has COVID-19 Impacted Students with Abroad Scholarship in the US?” I would say it has affected us badly more than positively. The people are fearful of leaving their homes, letting alone countries. Even after a few positive initiatives, the enrolment numbers are not high for the US universities. Most people think that one year gap is better than being reckless since it could cost more than a year. These are unprecedented times, and everyone's survival skills are kicking in, guiding their judgment in certain situations.
