With universities switching to virtual learning this term, many current college students have voiced their discontent with being charged essentially the same fee — less room, board, and some other charges — to learn not on a college campus but rather from their bedrooms. Some students have even filed lawsuits against their universities in the hope of clawing back some of those tuition dollars. And, yes, New York University students have created a change.org petition in the hope of receiving a partial tuition refund. As they write in the petition, “The fact that school has transitioned to remote teaching means that we students are not gaining the same level of teaching from the university in addition to the fact that the school does not need as much money to run now that everything is remote. Thus, students should be discounted for whatever the non-profit university is saving on, and only pay for what we are getting!”

A College Education is an Immersive Experience

We don’t disagree with these students one bit. These students didn’t pay their NYU tuition dollars so they could learn economics from their bedrooms. The college experience is an immersive experience — one in which students very often learn more outside of the classroom from their fellow engaged, intellectually curious classmates than from within the classroom. But, in any case, what exactly are college students doing this term to keep intellectually engaged, to continue their studies? Well, let’s shine a spotlight on what Dartmouth College students are doing because we thought it was pretty interesting.

With the Immersive Experience Canceled, Many Students Are Increasing Their Courseload

At Dartmouth, a school under the quarter system, students typically take three classes each term. But during this virtual term, many Dartmouth students have instead opted to take four classes. As Andrew Sasser writes in a piece for The Dartmouth entitled “Nearly two-thirds of students enrolled in four courses,” “With the transition to remote learning and credit/no credit grading for the spring term, 63 percent of students are taking four courses rather than three this term, according to a survey conducted by The Dartmouth…By class year, just 33 percent of survey respondents in the Class of 2020 indicated that they were taking four classes this term, compared to an average of 72 percent across juniors, sophomores and freshmen.”

If you’re a current college student, are you taking more courses virtually this term than you would have if courses remained in-person? Let us know by posting a Comment below. We look forward to hearing from you!