I have come to realize that my college experience has been and will continue to be anything but ordinary. This semester has been exhausting but rewarding as it comes to an end. I have many thoughts as I reflect on the past four months and look forward to next semester. Rather than focusing on the negatives, I want to pull the positives out of this semester.
This semester I maintained my position as President/Campus Correspondent of Her Campus Lafayette, took five courses, and continued to work at Marshalls three days a week. Looking back I realize that this rigorous seven days a week stems back to my high school years. I attended a boarding school that had school and sports six days a week and as a day student, I worked on the seventh day. Though my schedule was relentless and exhausting, it kept me so busy that I had no time to wallow in the fact that I am a nineteen-year-old college student living and attending classes in her childhood bedroom. Working three days a week in Connecticut, with a minimum wage of 12.00, has allowed me to save up way more money than working in Pennsylvania whose minimum wage is 7.25. Working also allowed me to get out of the house and interact with people outside of my family members.
Despite many students despising online learning, Hannah Stewart-Gambino’s IA 200 class was amazing. Every Tuesday and Thursday I looked forward to attending my Zoom meetings with HSG and my nine classmates. Our conversations in the class were engaging, fun, and refreshing to discuss our personal feelings and experiences. Our class even made a group chat that was used not only for classwork but also to just chat. I feel like this was the only class where I made genuine connections with the professor and my classmates and I am left with ten people that I would now call my friends. We are already planning a class reunion in HSG’s backyard and/or at CHT.
Living at home also meant that I got to enjoy the company of my parents and my pets. I have a dog, Shadow, and two cats, Rudolph (Rudy) and Tilly. I got to take Shadow for walks between classes and was greeted by her wagging tail every time I came home from work. During my class, Tilly would lay on the white shag rug behind me as she quietly snored. At the end of the school day, I could look forward to a home-cooked meal that either of my parents prepared. I was able to cook in a fully furnished kitchen (something I missed doing at college) and I was able to test out new recipes.
This semester I also repainted and decorated my bedroom. The addition of twinkle lights, shelves, a record player, and some candles has made my bedroom comfortable for classes, relaxing, and sleeping.
Next semester, with all of my classes remaining online, I have decided it makes the most sense for me to study from home again. While it is freaky thinking about how I left Lafayette campus as a Freshman and will return as a Junior, I know this is the right decision for me. I will continue to focus on the good aspects of this truly unique college experience and I am excited to see what new surprises next semester will bring.