
Cassidy Anderegg lives 1,500 miles from her school, Boston University. This fall, the junior political science major decided not to make the cross-country trek from South Dakota to the East coast, even though BU is offering some in-person classes.
“The possibility of getting sick or having to isolate and be all alone was scary,” Anderegg said.
BU’s reopening plan is known as, “Learn From Anywhere,” so Anderegg said she will be taking her classes online.
“There’s no way to replicate in-person learning and other aspects that come with campus life,” Anderegg said. “However, I do feel like I made the right decision based on other colleges that initially opened and are now closing after COVID-19 outbreaks on campus.”
Anderegg is far from a trendsetter. Even among students living much closer to college campuses that opted to reopen, many decided to stay home and take online classes for a variety of reasons.
At the University of Connecticut, 7,500 undergraduates enrolled at the Storrs campus opted to stay home, as did an additional 2,700 across the regional campuses. Across the country, 21% of current college students say they will not be attending college this fall at all, many opting to work full time instead.
“The only in-person class I had was not required by my major, and I could take it next semester so I didn’t think it was worth the money to go in person for that one class,” said Yang Li, a junior actuarial science major.
While at home, Li is able to work remotely for the UConn Library, where she would have worked had she been on campus. While she thinks the decision was safe and financially savvy, she still wishes it hadn’t come to this.
“I am kind of nervous on what to expect,” Li said. “I will miss seeing people.”
At Southern Connecticut State University, the university gave students the option to live on campus, but single dorm rooms were not guaranteed. If a student did not feel comfortable in the housing arrangement, they had the option to get their housing deposit back.
Lindsey Seo decided to stay at home for her sophomore year because she felt it was safer and it would save money on housing. At SCSU, 10% of students will be taking online classes only.
“I was upset at first because I really liked the people I met at school and I got along really well with my roommate and floormates and I wanted to go out with them more and enjoy college,” Seo said. “I do feel that I made the right decision because online learning was more beneficial for me because I was under less stress and I saved a lot of money by not living on campus.”
Seo said all of her classes will be pre-recorded so she feels that she will be able to get the in-person learning experience but on her own time.
“Since I am a nursing major, bio lectures and labs were very tough,” Seo said. “Now that everything will be pre-recorded, I can do it at my own time and take my time learning the subject and re-watch the lectures as many times as I need to.”
Reagan Woitowitz, a sophomore at UConn, never even had the option to move in. Since UConn cut the number of students living on campus in half to allow for social distancing, she wasn’t offered housing. Luckily, all of her classes were offered online anyway.
Support authentic, locally owned and operated public service journalism!
“There officially wasn’t much of a reason for me to be there — I didn’t have to go to class,” Woitowitz said. “I was a little sad that I’m not going to be able to see my friends as much and I think it’s going to be a lot harder for me to focus at home. But it’s okay.”
With a lot of free time on her hands, Woitowitz will be working at her local farmstand four days a week to stay occupied.
“And maybe just some online movie watching with my friends and more video calls,” Woitowitz said.
More COVID-19 Coverage

Connecticut To Get FEMA Funds for COVID Testing Sites
Connecticut will receive more than $2 million in federal emergency funding to pay for the operation of COVID-19 testing sites during a six-month period last year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Monday. The roughly $2.15 million will come from FEMA’s public assistance grant program and will be used to reimburse state funds used to…
Keep reading
COVID Transmission Increases in CT
As of Friday afternoon, Connecticut’s test positivity rate was 13.71% and there were 323 residents hospitalized with the virus. On Thursday, the Department of Public Health reported that 158 of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities qualified for the state’s “red alert” distinction for COVID-19, which is triggered when a community records at least 15 daily cases per…
Keep reading
Connecticut At High, Medium Risk of COVID Transmission
Connecticut’s COVID-19 test positivity rating was 10.35% on Thursday and all eight Connecticut counties were in the medium yellow or high orange categories on the CDC’s community spread map. Those community maps, created by the CDC in February, are supposed to tell people to take preventative steps such as masking and testing. Hartford, Middlesex and…
Keep reading
Advocates Make 11th Hour Pitch For Compassionate Release
Hartford, CT — Advocates seeking compassionate release from prison during public health emergencies like COVID rallied at the state Capitol hours before they saw their legislation die without action in either chamber. At the rally on Wednesday, protestors and advocates were demanding action from legislators to pass a bill that addresses COVID in prisons. The…
Keep reading
Legislating During COVID-19
The legislative session ends in three days now, that’s shorter than the amount of time someone should quarantine under CDC standards if they have COVID-19, so how are lawmakers coping? Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, started experiencing symptoms two weeks ago and tested positive for COVID-19. Luckily the session wasn’t scheduled until last Tuesday, but…
Keep reading
Study Shows Union Nursing Homes Had Lower Rates of COVID-19
A recent study published by Health Affairs found that unionized nursing homes had lower resident COVID-19 mortality rates. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing home residents have accounted for roughly one of every six COVID-19 deaths in the United States. Nursing homes have also been very dangerous places for workers, with more than…
Keep reading
Senator Murphy Tests Positive For COVID
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy announced on Twitter that he tested positive for COVID-19. “FYI after feeling mild symptoms overnight, I tested positive for COVID this morning. We’ve done the contact tracing and let people know. It’s a bummer, but I’m sure if I wasn’t fully vaccinated I would be feeling a lot worse. So remember…
Keep reading
COVID Cases Tick Back Up
Most of Gov. Ned Lamont’s executive orders, which were extended to April 15 by the legislature, have now expired just as Connecticut’s test positivity rate for COVID-19 is creeping back up and students at UConn are being asked to mask up again, starting today. According to the Department of Public Health, Connecticut recorded 3,939 positive…
Keep reading
House Green Lights Extension of COVID-19 Laws
The House gave final passage Wednesday to a package of four concepts that had been executive orders and are now law. Previously, the concepts were executive orders to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keep reading
Tong Tests Positive For COVID-19
Attorney General William Tong has tested positive for COVID-19. He is experiencing mild symptoms and quarantining at home.
Keep reading
Lieutenant Gov. Tests Positive For COVID-19, Days After Gov
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz tested positive for the COVID-19 virus during a routine rapid test over the weekend, her chief staff said in a Monday morning statement. Bysiewicz’s results follow Gov. Ned Lamont, who tested positive late last week. “I have tested positive for COVID-19,” Bysiewicz wrote on Twitter. “Thanks to the vaccine and booster…
Keep reading
Lamont Tests Positive for COVID-19
Gov. Ned Lamont tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday. The results from two rapid tests were positive and he’s awaiting the results of a PCR test, according to this staff. The 68-year-old governor received his second booster exactly a week ago, but has made it through the first two years of the pandemic without contracting the…
Keep reading
New Initiative Allows Same Day COVID Testing And Treatment
Hundreds of pharmacies and federally qualified community health centers across Connecticut are now offering COVID testing and treatments to patients at the same time and place. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, these test-to-treat sites provide antiviral medication to hundreds of locations across the U.S, who then distribute them to patients…
Keep reading
YNHH Top Doc Boosts 2nd Boosters
If you’re eligible to get a second Covid-19 booster shot, go get it. Especially if you’re over 50 and have an underlying medical condition like diabetes that puts you at “high risk” of contracting a severe case of COVID. Read more from the New Haven Independent.
Keep reading
Federal COVID Funds To Limit Tax Relief In An Election Year
Like all states, Connecticut accepted billions of dollars from the federal government for COVID-19 relief, but that money limits how much the state can now consider cutting taxes. It’s bubbling up as a point of contention as lawmakers race to adjust the two-year state budget, which is currently experiencing a record surplus. Connecticut is expected…
Keep reading