While schools across the state and the country have moved to distance learning amid the coronavirus outbreak, one group is really doing things a little differently than they usually would.

High school seniors are learning differently, wondering if they'll have a prom, and this is the time those all-important college acceptance letters are rolling in. If they haven't toured already, they can't visit a campus open house and The College of Saint Rose says it's seeing an influx of more local students than usual, who are deciding to stay close to home this fall.

"We have seen the last couple of weeks lots of local students starting to commit to Saint Rose," said Katie Lesko, assistant vice president of Enrollment Management at The College of Saint Rose.

Although the future is uncertain, Lesko says, they've extended their deadline to enroll to June 1, to give students a little extra time to make a decision and hopefully get to see the campus, in-person when things hopefully open back up, if they haven't already.

"We love that local student who either lives on campus or gets to commute," Lesko said. "I think some of the options to commute, financially, weighing that is really important right now for a lot of families."

One student who is keeping her fingers crossed for an Aug. 19 move-in on campus is Maggie Owens, a senior at Scotia-Glenville, who says she knew she wanted to stay local and was lucky enough to see the campus before everything moved to distance learning.

"I really liked the campus when I went for the open house, it was just really home-y and that's what I liked," Owens said.

But not everyone is going to get that experience right now. Lesko says colleges, including Saint Rose, have had to get creative by offering online virtual tours and doing things like conducting financial aid and admissions meetings with prospective students and their families, virtually. Next week, they'll have current students start virtually hosting the campus tours, just like students would at an open house.

"And so for the students that are still trying to make those decisions, I would say there are three fits students will be looking at," Lesko said. "So there's an academic fit, a social fit and a financial fit."

But location is now part of the equation too, with many prospective students not wanting to be far from their families amid a global pandemic. Owens says, making your choice now, is more about living in the present and making your choice based on the people you'll surround yourself with no matter where you go.

"I know a lot of people want to go to their 'dream school,' and it may be your dream school or whatever, but I think the best way is to sit in on a class," Owens said. "I've sat in on a lot of classes, I even sat in on a business class virtually last Tuesday and that's the professor you're most likely going to have the next four or however many years you're going to go."

And while choosing a college is a little different this year, Lesko says, she thinks the class of 2024 is actually going to be more prepared for their freshman year than any other class who's made the transition.

"Because of their adaptability... they're not in that 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. schedule and they're really having to be more self-driven to do the work and that is the hardest transition to college," Lesko said. "I really thought about it the other day ... and I think these students are going to be more prepared for this."

Lesko says many other colleges have also extended their commitment dates and are offering virtual tours for students to get a feel. She says all campus services at Saint Rose are still open but just being done remotely, so students can still ask any questions or get help.

She says another good way to get a feel for the school you're looking at is by checking out its social media pages for previous years' event photo albums, so you can see some of the campus activities.