As the Hurricane Sandy is slowly loosening its grip over the East coast, many students who were stuck in New York City and surrounding areas are breathing a sigh of relief. But, with death toll hitting 50 and millions without power, the path to recovery isn't going to be easy.

Almost all colleges of the Mid-Atlantic States have been shutdown and they are not expected to open until the end of this week. According to CNN's Chandler Friedman, an estimated 1.2 million college students have been affected by Sandy.

The superstorm has brought the whole life of the east coast to a halt; no planes are flying, NY stock exchange is shut down, no schools or colleges are functioning.

New York City has been so severely hit from the storm that the projected estimate says $10 to $20 billion dollars have been lost due to the storm.

Marquette University students and alumna have been experiencing power cuts. Marquette Tribune, the student newspaper of the university based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin says though the damage has not been as worse as New York and New Jersey, the weather might pose a problem to students who wish to return to Milwaukee.

Ivy League schools like Harvard, which has a reputation of refusing to declare holiday even on a worst weather day, did cancel classes for the first time since 1978 blizzard.

As Huffington Post reports, several other institutions chose the 'safety first' policy as well and closed down their respective campuses:

"The University of Virginia, Georgetown, New York, Syracuse and Penn State Universities will all remain closed Tuesday after canceling classes Monday because of Sandy. Boston University canceled classes through 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Universities in Maryland and Virginia shut down, as did most colleges in New Jersey. All of the City University of New York campuses, Columbia University and New York University canceled classes for Monday and Tuesday."

Colleges in and around D.C. area along with all the institutions in Vermont chose to stay closed.

Though many Red Cross Volunteers along with several other non-profits are leading the rescue works on the east-coast, it may take few weeks for the Mid-Atlantic States to get back on their feet.