My first year of college was not at all what I expected like all other freshmen this year. If we are being completely honest, I made 3 friends and met the same number of professors in person. I learned how to navigate online schooling, make meals in a microwave, and avoid those not conscious of the pandemic. I also learned to hate my dorm and even resent college at times. The pandemic has kept us trapped in our dorms for days on end, unable to meet our classmates and professors, keeping personal interaction to a minimum. We’ve all been deprived of the things we were looking forward to in our big step of attending college for the first time- making lifelong friends, meeting influential professors, and taking on new things. Rather than stepping out of our comfort zones we’ve been confined to them, encouraged to retreat. So, moving out of the dorms can’t come soon enough. Going home to my family is a step towards the next semester, one that looks much more promising than these last two. Going home also means I can be surrounded by my family, no longer isolated to my dorm and restricted to frozen dinners and dining hall food. The fall semester won’t be perfect, but it sure will be better than 2020. As more vaccines are distributed, we can start to step out of our comfort zones a little more each day. Of course, it’s still important for everyone’s safety that we continue to wear masks, but classes can resume in person, college activities can start up, and we can all be around each other again.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at IUP chapter.