This year has not been kind to the Class of 2020. For people that graduated high school around the country, they have missed their proms, graduations, college orientations, and now they are very likely to miss their first fall semester/quarter of college. College is where a lot of growth occurs. You learn who you are as a person, outside of your familiar family structure. You start to come into your own. It doesn’t matter if you go to school across the country and only see your family on holidays or go home every weekend . . . college is usually time for great change. (Sidenote: I cannot speak for commuters. That was not my experience.) I am here to offer advice to those of you starting college soon. My last semester of law school was online, so I am able to provide a little insight to what your next few months may look like.
If you think that your first semester/quarter is going to involve merely attending class and then logging off . . . you are wrong. Schools are trying the best that they can to maintain some kind of normalcy during this time. Usually it would be up to your Residential Assistants to plan fun events that acclimate you to your new surroundings, give you college survival tips, and help you bond with your peers. All these things are going to be pretty hard to do virtually. However, I am certain that schools will still try to establish a sense of community for their incoming students. There are probably going to be a lot of virtual calls and zoom meetings. A word of advice, attend them. My school did many virtual happy hours, pet showings, game nights etc. At first, my sadness and fear about the pandemic prevented me from attending. The efforts of my classmates to interact virtually just reminded me of the dangerous time we are in with no end in sight. My lack of participation only made me sadder and further isolated me. I felt alone. And while there are millions of people who are experiencing what I am going through, I did not think anyone understood what I felt like. But they do. It may be sad and annoying, but attending those virtual link-ups will connect you in many ways with people who are in the same or similar predicaments as you. Community is important. Do not forget that.
Another piece of advice I want to give is to honestly weigh your options. Take them seriously. If you have the resources and ability to defer your first year of college, you should at least consider it. I would not recommend this for everyone. Some people need structure in order to thrive. For those people, I recommend still attending school and taking it seriously. Don’t slack off or try to finesse just because doing work virtually seems easy. However, for those who are stressed and think that it may be the best option for you, seriously consider it. Weigh your options. Ask for advice. Sometimes the simple answer is not to push through but to consider another route.
Your first semester/quarter of college is not going to be like anything you have experienced. No one can offer you truly amazing advice because this is new for all of us. My heart goes out to you all, and I wish you the best.
