For those who are going to college during this pandemic, we all know how tough it can be. I don’t need to elaborate on that idea, so let’s just get right into this post! Thanks to all who sent in submissions.

“Social life at college during a pandemic shows who your real friends are! My friends and I have made a bubble and we spend time with the people we care about. Sometimes, the bubble gets bigger, but it hasn’t popped yet. Thankfully, my school has COVID under control, so there is rarely a feeling of isolation. We try and make the most boring activities eventful!”

I LOVE THIS. I think that as we get older, it has become less important to have a big group of friends and more important to have a handful that you trust and genuinely care about. We aren’t in high school anymore and we don’t have to worry about where to sit in the cafeteria. Now more than ever it’s important to just spend time with the people that make you feel good and make you happy. It’s a tense time we are living in and having supportive friends will definitely help us get through it. 

“I think for the longest time I had this expectation that once I was back at school, everything would be different but in reality, it’s not that different. Your daily tasks are most likely the same (if you are actually following guidelines) except for school work and classes. Everything feels the same just in a different location. It’s like lockdown at home except without the comforts and security of being at home. After my first week my “honeymoon phase” of finally being away from home after so long and being in my own space faded. Not necessarily a bad thing though, just reality setting back in that, ‘oh yeah, we are still in a future textbook unit.’ I will say, having a schedule again that isn’t just meals at a certain time, is very nice.” 

Okay so I totally agree with this. I feel like the only difference between where I am now and where I was four months ago is that I am in a new bedroom in a different state. I still wake up and do my ab workout. I still make pancakes way too often. BUT, I do have a few in person classes and it’s nice to have the option to attend AND I am around a lot more people and it’s nice to see everyone out and about, exercising and socializing (with their masks on.) It’s so weird to think that our kids will be learning about this time period in their history classes, economic classes and more. Look Mom, we made it! 

“As a transfer, I am definitely having a hard time meeting new people and making new friends during COVID. I’m already a biggg introvert and it’s usually hard for me to make friends because I’m so shy, so this pandemic is only making that harder for me...I was also really looking forward to going to a new school because I could sort of reinvent myself. A goal of mine for the new school year was to actually be a little more outgoing and make more of an effort to go out and meet people, but with COVID it is SO much more difficult to do that :/ With everyone wearing masks and having to sit 6 feet apart in classrooms, it doesn’t allow for any real social interactions. Zoom classes don’t make things any better because let’s face it...it’s clearly impossible to make friends in a Zoom breakout room lol.” 

This one hits a little closer to home being that I was a transfer last year. I can’t even imagine trying to acclimate to a brand new school during a time where you can’t even recognize people on the street. Anyone who is going through this right now, whether you are a freshman, a transfer or just someone looking to start new, know this: you are doing great. It’s the little things that are important. Go out and find a new favorite restaurant that you can take out from every once in a while to treat yourself or ask someone through a Zoom chat to study together or get coffee. I know it’s hard. It was hard before and it definitely is harder now, but it is totally doable and despite COVID, there are still ways for you to put yourself out there! There are also transfer programs at certain schools - I am a transfer student mentor this semester and it’s just nice to be there for someone who needs help getting started. I would say check in with your school and see if they offer similar programs!

“I know that many college students don’t care about getting COVID and think they will probably be asymptomatic, but I can assure you that is not the case! As someone who is healthy and active, I ended up getting almost every symptom and let me tell you, it is a horrible experience. I endured pain, shortness of breath, just about everything. I still can’t taste or smell and it stinks. Thankfully, I got it during Sylly week, but please know that it seriously is not worth it. People went to a large gathering one night and even though THEY were negative, they were ignorant to the fact that other individuals could bring it. No one is invincible. Wear a mask wherever you go and make sure to constantly wash your hands and be cautious of the environment you are in. The party can wait, I promise.” 

If you take anything from this submission, let it be that the party can most definitely wait. We were all stuck in our homes for months during quarantine and most of us are now back at school which is supposed to be fun and freeing. I know there are certain parties that you were probably looking forward to attending but guess what? There will be MORE EVENTUALLY. IT’S OKAY. So suck it up buttercup, wear a mask, wash your hands, WIPE DOWN YOUR PHONE, door knobs, keys, credit cards, computers, EVERYTHING. Just be smart. And if you do get sick, take care of yourself and those around you. 

“Okay so basically I’m doing a 5th year because of COVID - but as of right now, I’m fully remote and have no rowing practices. My friends all chose to go online as well so I don’t feel like I’m missing out or anything but it’s made the transition from summer to school so difficult lol. Like, I’ve gotten so used to my summer schedule and routine where all my free time was spent watching TikTok and Love Island, so having to log into class all of a sudden and spend my time in full school mode without actually being there has been rough and doesn’t feel legitimate. So, I have to remind myself daily that these Zoom calls are real and impact my GPA/future. It’s just so much harder to stay engaged and focused because my classes are recorded on a camera in the back of a lecture hall. It’s definitely not fun lol.” 

While I may not be into Love Island, I watched enough of those kinds of shows during quarantine to know how addicting they are and how much better they sound than Zoom. Married at First Sight, anyone? Highly recommend. I think that was definitely the hardest part for me while I was at home taking classes, the whole having to switch my school brain on while sitting in my pajamas and being two feet away from my couch thing. There is definitely a reason why school happens in one building and you live in another - separation is important. Sometimes, I throw my phone under my bed or put it in a drawer so I am not tempted to go on it during Zoom. It also helps me to wear real people clothes to make me feel more productive, so if that means putting on a pair of jeans, so be it. 

“I feel like I have so much more work than usual. One of my classes in particular is driving me nuts. It’s a class that’s supposed to meet twice a week for an hour. Instead of doing two hour-long lectures, my teacher records two that are an hour and has us all meet on Friday for a third hour-long session. We spend an hour more “in class” than we should. That’s on a good week. Sometimes, my professor assigns a two hour-long lecture for one class. We also have 30-50 pages of dense academic essays to read. It doesn’t sound like a lot but these are all really dense. It’s not like reading a book, or even a textbook. It’s dull, convoluted academic writing. I can have four to five hours of work due for one class period and half of it is just listening to my teacher regurgitate what I just read.”

I will say this: While we students complain a lot about Zoom or the adjustment to online classes, teachers are probably feeling it 10x more, but they can’t say anything about it. I give them a lot of credit for having to basically create a new syllabus and way to learn to accommodate all kinds of students. HOWEVER, that does sound like a frick ton of work. Just try to manage your time as best as you can! When I have a lot of reading for one class, I like to break it up. Maybe do one or two chapters for one class, then another assignment, come back to it and switch it up again. It helps!

“Coming back to field hockey has been a nice change to my routine since the pandemic began, and it’s good for my mental health to have a change of pace and exercise even, to get my mind off stressors...The new protocols are definitely an adjustment for all of us, and especially the freshman who only know this as their first year experience….we still had to run tests, but the times were not as tough due to our coach’s understanding of the pandemic.”

I feel for the freshman student athletes who have been thrown into this weird world that is college athletics during a pandemic. Coming from someone who used to play soccer, preseason was my favorite time of the year and was a time I have great memories from. Having a team is a great thing to have during a time like this and the fact that you are all going through this specific thing is very comforting, I can imagine. Just continue to work hard and prepare yourself for getting back on the field! Luckily, certain schools are now allowing practices while following the guidelines. Whether you are on a varsity team and have practice or aren’t an athlete, take the time for yourself to focus on something other than school. Can I suggest going on a walk while listening to a podcast?