Author: ISIAH FRANK

 

Isiah frank

Script.

8/4/20

 

Host intro:  The COVID-19 pandemic has left many college students and recent graduates feeling uncertain about their futures. For those interested in continuing their education at the graduate level, the GRE has always been an in-person exam. But that has recently changed to allow for online testing. Isiah Frank has the story.

 

Ambi: Natural sounds of an online class being taught and natural noises of loud family members

 

Track- I am here in Queens with Dennise Celleri, a college student at St john’s University. Dennise has been living at home during this pandemic but now it’s affecting her future. She is going into her senior year and has been prepping to take the GRE exam. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed how she’s preparing for it.

 

Act- in 2018 I knew I was going to take the GRE; I knew I was going to grad school for speech pathology. I went to St johns because I would be going to school for free and just paying my dorm fees. Since March, the school sent us home and my house for the most part isn’t a normal place ill categorize it as a zoo.

 

Track- She’s been trying to deal with the zoo as best she can while forced to study at home.

 

 

Act Dennise- I signed up for online classes to study the GRE material. I am taking a course at Manhattan College. Learning online has it benefits and majors’ disadvantages.  The only benefit I can think of this far into my studies is that I can learn on my own time. Other than that, everything bothers me, especially being home when my family is here too.

 

Track- the things that goes on the household prevents Dennise from focusing on her studies.

 

Ambi: Dog barking sounds

 

Act Dennise- I dorm because I know how my home may get and because of the coronavirus I am stuck in a house where there are Babies crying, dog barking, and people yelling etc. How am I supposed to focus on a test that 1. Cost a lot of money just to take 2. Can decided my future.

 

Track- with her future in sight, the coronavirus pandemic still affecting the city. Dennise looks for ways to pay for GRE testing and studying.

 

Act Dennise- Like I said before the coronavirus benefited me in some way and that way is the unemployment money. With the extra $600 I was able to pay for the online class and still help out at home. Other than that, I feel like this has been the worst couple months I’ve had in some time.

 

Track- This test isn’t a cheap nor is it something you play with

 

Act- To take the test you have to pay $200 per time you take it. The class in Manhattan Prep online is FULL price as to in class tutoring. A whopping $1200. That is the same price if you have a teacher present and I think that is total nonsense it is still full price. We are learning different so it should be cheaper.

 

Track- Dennise feels like this is the perfect time to take the exam.

 

Act- I am going into my senior year and this was what I planned as a freshman when I decided this major. I decided that I was going to prep after I finished my junior year and take the test before the school year and if I do not like my score take it after the semester. This was my original plan. That’s all ruined. I may have to take the test after my semester or before my tutoring classes are still going.

 

Track- Dennise has methods for how she plans on doing her best no matter the situation.

 

Act Dennise- I honestly think people should look at this year specialized test different because it is not the same as kids before or after is going to be. Speech Pathology is my career choice and I need my masters but Covid-19 made it more difficult not impossible. I can listen to my class during the time I have it and study it when I have some online time. (she meant alone)

 

Track- Not only are the GRE prep classes online now, so is the test itself. Denisse, like the other test takers, will need to take the exam over Zoom using a whiteboard to show her answers. For Baruch College, this is Isiah Frank in Queens.

 

 

 

 

is after seeing a really great friend of mine prepare for grad school during the pandemic. Having to study GRE through online classes. The struggles of learning the content and not having the teacher during prep present and working with you in person 

My idea is to see how Covid-19 affected public sports. I had an idea of going park to park to see what sport is being played and how it is being played. Are people avoiding contact?  How has Covid-19 effecting public sports in New York City