College classes are beginning for many students in the next few weeks. This means students are beginning their new journey with the new socially distanced classes. This means different things for different students. Some will participate in complete online zoom classes. Other students will fight for a way to keep their university experience normal with in-person classes. For a vast majority, though, students will be trying a new form of a class called a blended classroom. There are many positives and negatives for each of these class forms.

Students are opting now to do all their university classes online amidst this pandemic. These are the students who have medical conditions who do not wish to come to campus and expose themselves to the virus. It also accommodates those students who are foreigners who cannot enter the United States during this time. This option is the safest option for students. The risk of virus exposure is at its lowest with this option. Yet, there are drawbacks. The academic experience is less hands-on and interactive in a zoom setting. It draws back from the educational experience. Educators are doing their best to make this zoom experience as beneficial as possible to support their students during this economic low.

Some universities are allowing students to come in entirely in person. These colleges still have to abide by strict CDC regulations. They are spacing their students out six feet and sanitizing between classes. They even require masks during class. This is not a perfect solution. Yet, they are trying their best to keep students and staff safe without losing the educational value.

Blended classes are the new and most popular class option this fall. Students will balance between in-person classes and zoom classes. This keeps exposure down while not losing the value of meeting with a professor in class. It is not a perfect option. Students are still frustrated at not being able to obtain the same interaction as before, and others are still concerned about the pandemic spread on campus. In this trying time, universities cannot find a perfect option to please all students and staff members.

Students are learning to deal with changes in their environment. They are now faced with new choices in education. They will have to balance their education along with their physical safety. Luckily most universities are helping their students achieve their educational goals while following CDC guidelines to help during this excruciating time of uncertainty.