Coming to Northwestern, I didn’t expect to find such amazing friends right off the bat. Already within my freshman year, I found people with the same weird sense of humor and the same love of late nights antics. However, in March, my friends, classmates and I had to depart school due to concerns about the Coronavirus.
With the widespread COVID-19 hysteria and social distancing, I wonder when exactly I will see my friends again. Our spring quarter was changed to remote learning, but it is still possible that we may not go back to campus in the fall. I’ve always been told college is the best years of one’s life, so I can’t help but wondering: what’s going to happen to all this lost time?
However, my experiences in quarantine have shown me just how strong my freshman year bonds are. My friends and I have put in the extra effort to stay in touch through group chats, Zoom calls and Netflix parties. Whenever I’m annoyed with my family, they are just one FaceTime call away.
It may be hard to be positive during these trying times. However, I’d like to think that this will bring us all closer together. We have never experienced anything like this before, but we can bond over the uncertainty, talk out our concerns and be stronger together. Once we’re back on campus, we will appreciate our time together even more.
Looking back now on my freshman year, it will be weird not waking up to my hilarious roommate every day. It will be weird not inviting myself to my friends’ dorms when I’m bored. It will be weird not running into my friends in the dining hall and making weird food creations. (Yes, we still act like we’re little kids.) I will definitely miss being on Northwestern’s beautiful campus.
It will be weird, but it won’t be the worst. It may feel like we’re living in a crazy apocalypse. There are many unknowns and what ifs. But what I hope is that we are all going through this together.