As a nation, the U.S. has entered, what I like to call, purgatory-quarantine. Seven and a half months into a global pandemic and society seems to be stuck in an in-between state where our lives are resuming with restrictions, schedule cuts, and lots of precautions. However, this uncertain time looks different for everyone, especially college students. Some students are participating in remote-learning from their dorms, others are going to classes, and many have had to stay home for yet another semester.
Personally, I fall into the final group. With health issues and a paranoid family, I knew there was little to no hope for me going back to school this semester long before September rolled around. Still, I assumed many of my friends were in a similar situation. It wouldn’t be fun, but we’d all rough through the terrors of online classes in our own homes, making sure to pop into group Facetime calls as often as possible, just like last semester.
By the time September rolled around, I was hit with the shock that most of my friends had decided to go back to school, abandoning me to the confines of my hometown.
At first, it started out fine. I’d sit through endless Zoom classes all day and look forward to discussing the latest Tik-Tok trends with my friends at night. But as time would have it, schedules started getting switched and crammed and our line of contact pittered down to a few strangling messages a week. On lonely weekends, I found myself clicking through Snapchat stories. Always, I was hit with an endless stream of my friends and acquaintances back at college, laughing in big groups, exploring the town, and screaming along to songs at parties.
As if to add insult to isolation, influencers have started operating as if there’s a cure for covid. Their Instagram feeds have returned to normal, featuring travel picks and LA parties. Their obviously fake concern for the pandemic continues to make those of us still in isolation feel even more like the odd ones out.
Without a doubt, I was jealous. I still am jealous. It feels like everyone I know is back at college and having the time of their lives while I’m stuck at home, forced to watch from behind a screen. With each passing week, more things seem to open back up, the world moving forward from the pandemic while I alone have been left back in March. Still, I have to remember that I am not the only one in this situation by any means.
And if you’re reading this and thinking to yourself, finally, someone gets it, then I want you to walk away from this article knowing that you’re not alone. There are thousands, if not millions, of students of all ages across the world that are in the exact same position as us. As difficult as it is to sit back and watch the world reopen around us, we have to remind ourselves that this is not permanent. It is more important to keep ourselves safe now than to risk our health and safety. Soon enough, COVID-FOMO will be a thing of the past, and we will be back with our friends, going out and having fun without fear.