As most of us are aware, the coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted almost all of our lives. College students across the nation have received the brunt of this pandemic. All of our classes have abruptly changed to being online, meaning that you must have reliable internet access in order to comfortably complete your coursework. Simply put, some students are not familiar with how online classes work, not only this but we are also having issues with things such as tutoring, as social distancing is a must during this pandemic. It is known that college students thrive in study groups, being able to discuss with their peers about their coursework in class, etc. Unfortunately during this time, we are unable to do so. We are currently only limited to online resources. Not only this, but we are experiencing other stresses such as no longer being able to have a graduation.

Community college students are also known to hold a job, as of right now a vast majority of the nation is unemployed; including students. Some of us do not have the luxury of paid leave, and community college students do not have room and board as they commute to their school, worrying about money and paying rent for these students could impact how well they are doing in school drastically. GPAs are very important when it comes to transferring, internships, grad school, obtaining a job, and so on. Needless to say, this pandemic could potentially negatively effect the grades of students worldwide due to the feelings of being overwhelmed while trying to suddenly figure out how to teach their courses to themselves. 

I believe all colleges and universities should consider the pass/fail grades for these reasons. There have been other universities that have already considered the pass/fail grades, and I believe others should look into it as well, as this might help relieve some of our minds and not dramatically affect how hard we’ve been working towards our success. 

Here is an article explaining why the pass/fail grades are beneficial to not only students, but professors as well. Click here for more information: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/18/opinions/coronavirus-makes-college-and-life-pass-fail-perry/index.html