Amid an extended bout with online classes, many education experts and advocates were worried about the effects of online learning on high school graduates. With the freshman class of 2025, the effects are felt by students and professors alike. 

Going into college at USM, many freshmen felt that they were unprepared for college from high school. 

Among them is Zariyana Gordon, a freshman nursing major whose senior year was online. Her York, Alabama high school did not teach her algebra or chemistry. 

“The college professors told us that we were supposed to have learned that in high school, but we never did because of COVID and virtual learning,” Gordon said. 

Fellow nursing major Rhyan Jones graduated from a high school in Ruleville, Mississippi. The educational preparedness was minuscule at best for Jones. 

“I didn’t feel prepared at all, and I feel like it didn’t help me. We didn’t have very many resources, but I still feel like that’s not an excuse for a school,” Jones said. 

Professors have noted a marked lack of engagement from the current freshman class. 

Dr. Kenneth Swope is a history professor at USM that teaches World Civilizations I and II since starting at the university in 2012. His classes are filled with mostly freshmen. 

Though he noted a downward decline in student output and attentiveness over the last decade, this year has become especially frustrating. Even incentives have had little effect. 

“I offer extra credit to come see me and students still don’t show up. So, it’s just really frustrating,” Swope said.   

The English department resides in the same building on campus as the history department, and Anna Bagoly teaches an ENG 101 class this semester. Currently earning her master’s degree in creative writing and poetry, sympathy for students exists. 

However, a lack of motivation from students has dampened the dynamic of the classroom. 

“I can’t make anyone do anything, right? I can just offer the resources that I can,” Bagoly said. “They have to take it onto themselves to say ‘okay, I’m actually interested in investing myself here.’”

India Lewis is another freshman who had online classes during their senior year. 

The health science major went to Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg. Though she notes a difference in expectations in college versus high school, Lewis indicated a relatively seamless transition.

“It’s more information in a shorter period of time, so you kind of have to study to stay on top of all of it,” Lewis said. 

It appears that among schools that had online learning, schools that were ranked higher better prepared students for college than those that were ranked lower. 

Lewis went to an A-ranked high school, while Gordon and Jones went to D-ranked high schools.

The prognosis for incoming freshmen is not better for many at USM. Swope cites the decreasing quality of public education in part for this.

“The pandemic, as I mentioned, it kind of accelerated trends that I was already seeing,” Swope said. To utilize student resources on campus, visit https://www.usm.edu/student-success/campus-resources.php. The Center for Student Success is in the Cook Library and can be contacted at [email protected].