Ever since the Coronavirus pandemic began at the start of this year and colleges all across the country shut down mid-March, it was pretty clear to everyone that nothing was going to be normal again for a long time. As a sophomore, I was obviously frustrated and saddened when I found out that we couldn’t return to campus after Spring break, and I wasn’t alone. However, my college, UNH, decided to bring us back in-person for Fall 2020. I knew things would be very different, but I was honestly just happy to come back. I hadn’t seen my friends practically all year and I was itching to continue my college experience. This semester, there’s definitely been a few things that I’ve come to appreciate more after attending in-person college in the middle of a global pandemic:
1. My close friends
After not being able to see my college best friends for months, reuniting with them again this fall was so refreshing and made me realize just how much they mean to me. We talked a lot over quarantine, but it’s just not the same as being able to see them in real life. I don’t know how I went months without seeing them – they’re my people. I appreciate them now more than ever and am so grateful for them every single day. They make college that much better for me and I already miss them as we all get ready to leave again for winter break.
2. Calling family
Luckily, no one in my family has been diagnosed with Coronavirus, but the millions of people whose families have been affected by the virus really put things into perspective for me and made me want to reach out to members of my family more frequently while at college because you really never know what’s going to happen. I also limited the trips I took home this semester due to the pandemic so calling my family was a good alternative.
3. Zoom classes
I never thought I would say this, but Zoom classes are growing on me. If there’s one thing I don’t miss about the “normal” college experience, it would definitely be having to get ready and walk all the way to an in-person class early in the morning when it’s cold outside. Call me lazy, but with all my classes moved to Zoom this semester, I’ve found myself appreciating them more since I can simply attend from the comfort of my own bedroom (in pajamas, of course).
4. Face masks
At the start of the pandemic, wearing face masks felt a little weird for everyone since it was so new and foreign to all of us. But now, as I’ve gotten used to wearing one every day, I’ve found myself appreciating them for a couple different reasons. Obviously, the main reason is that wearing a face mask helps prevent the spread of germs and I’m doing my part to be safe and healthy and not potentially infecting anyone around me. But, I have also grown to enjoy wearing face masks for smaller reasons such as: not feeling like I have to wear makeup every day since no one can really see me anyways, face masks will keep my face warm as winter approaches, and there’s so many cute masks to choose from.
Of course, the entire reason I’m even able to write this right now is because my college decided to bring us back in-person for Fall 2020, and I think it’s proved to be a success. We had a surprisingly low number of cases throughout the semester compared to other colleges and I think UNH did a great job of keeping Coronavirus under control by having us test ourselves twice a week and by providing quarantine dorms for anyone who was infected. They also kept us updated frequently as new information was revealed. I’m so appreciative that we were all able to come back and finally feel some sort of normalcy again, even if it was still very different than what we’re used to. Here’s to Spring 2021 (hopefully!).
