Early on last semester, we spent a lot of time thinking about how quarantine and remote learning has affected our college experiences and life in general. We reflected on the strengths that we had gained as well as the things we had learned. We thought about the pros and cons of staying remote as most of our peers returned to campus, and how to maintain friendships while doing that.
Now, as we start yet another half-remote, half-socially-distanced-in-person semester, two of our Her Campus Conn Coll members, Kassandra Olmedo and Kendall Foley, are once again sharing their honest reflections on what it’s been like for them during their remote semester in college. From them, we learn that while we may (unfortunately) be getting used to this remote or hybrid college experience, it’s still difficult and draining. But the way to get through it, as Kendall says, is to “focus on the good.” Because even though this has been a very long almost-year since COVID upended our lives, the light at the end of the tunnel is in the distance but visible. With two vaccines approved in the U.S. and a third on the horizon, leading the first rollouts, we know that while it’s difficult now, and it is likely to still remain difficult in the months to come, one day in the (hopefully near-ish) future, we will be able to put the things we have learned from quarantine to use in a more normal setting.
Here’s what Kassandra and Kendall had to say about their own experiences during their remote semester:
- Kassandra Olmedo, ‘23
-
When the COVID-19 outbreak occurred in March 2020, I had to consider several factors: was returning home the best option? Academically, it was not. Here, in the college, I would not have to worry about the time difference, and, most importantly, I had a designated area to focus and study. Regardless, the college would have been completely empty. My friends gone, buildings closed, and nowhere to go. Would I be able to handle the unspecified length of captivity and loneliness? What if a family member becomes ill? What if I become ill? I did not know what to do. My mother called agitated and said, “Kassandra, you need to get here as soon as possible. I want you here now.” Eventually, I chose to obey my mother and emotions over my academics and flew back. Before meeting my mother in the arrivals section, I went to the bathroom to think. I held my plum-colored carry-on on my left hand, observed myself in the mirror, and knew that this was not going to be easy.
- Kendall Foley, ’24
-
Focus on the good
Back in the fall, I advised that “it’s okay to feel everything”, as I left home, was making friends, and trying new subjects all with a global pandemic in the background. I remember feeling a multitude of emotions: all at once I was homesick, excited to experience different things, and had huge FOMO about what college could have been like without COVID. I found myself often longing for a normal college experience, overlooking all the great things I had going on at Conn.
Starting remote learning after Thanksgiving Break, I felt a similar hodge-podge of emotions. I was thankful to spend time with my family and hometown friends, but wanted back the independence and life I had at Conn.
While it is important to give time and space to your emotions, I found that the more I focused on things I didn’t have, like the typical college experience, the less energy I spent cherishing what I did have, like new friends. I let the negatives overshadow the positives. So, I would add to my Fall advice that its okay to feel everything, but to focus on the good and not dwell on what cannot be changed, to help the positives outshine the negatives.