Day 10 is here! Today I’m getting ready to move back home from college for Christmas break, and I figured I’d take this opportunity to think/talk about what life’s been like this year as a college student during Covid-19.
What I’m Packing
I went home (only half an hour or so away) the past couple weeks, and have been gradually bringing home about a week’s worth of clothes, plus nicer attire for Sunday mornings. Since my new job’s dress code includes school T-shirts, I’ll bring some of those home as well.
I packed my church bag full of craft supplies and my church Bible (ESV pocket size) and left it at home this past weekend.
I’ll probably bring home another batch of clothes and craft supplies this weekend, plus a few books and my computer of course. I haven’t quite decided yet if I’m going to bring home all the ESV Illuminated Scripture journals or not, but I guess we’ll see how much other stuff I’m bringing 😆
I do have a few Christmas presents that I’ll also bring home with me. Hiding them will be an interesting challenge, but I’ve managed it so far 😎
What I’m Not Packing
I tried my very best not to bring home *all* the things this year. In the past year or so, I’ve started to consider campus as more of a home to me than my family’s house, which I think is a normal part of growing up. As a result, I don’t want to bring home a bunch of stuff that I probably won’t use, only to have to haul it all back up to campus at the end of winter break. The fear of forgetting something important is sooo real though 😅😹
Covid Thoughts: Spring 2020
I think the Covid situation kind of snuck up on my university, but they handled it relatively well. As I recall, they started notifying us that things might change the week before spring break. We ended up with an extended Spring Break, followed by all-virtual classes through the end of the semester.
Since I live on campus, the transition we went through was especially chaotic for me. I went through about two weeks of limbo, as the Housing department had informed me that I would be moved to a different building with better ventilation systems, but gave me no updates on when or where I would be moving.
I ended up in an apartment-style living space, which I didn’t have to share, for about a month. This was during the full lockdown period. Other students at my university were given the option to move out completely and receive a refund.
During the lockdown period at the end of last semester, the only option for on-campus dining was the school cafeteria, which only offered takeout options. Their hours were extremely inconsistent (at least it seemed that way to me), and they only offered a few things, which tended to run out very quickly. A very dissatisfying experience considering how much we paid for a meal plan, but at the end of the day, I was just glad to have something to eat.
I greatly enjoyed the upgrade from a single, shared, communal-bathroom arrangement to a larger apartment with a private bath, living area, and kitchenette. It gave me a taste of what living in an actual apartment will be like. And I didn’t have to pay for it! What I didn’t enjoy though was the stress of not knowing where I would be living for the next month, in addition to the transition from in-person to virtual classes.
Covid Thoughts: Fall 2020
The fall semester was much smoother than I expected it to be. Although we did skip fall break (I did NOT support this decision 😤), the university didn’t have to close at all throughout the semester. We were asked to Wear Masks and Practice Social Distancing everywhere but in our rooms, which I think is pretty standard at this point. I did notice that not everyone observed these guidelines, and they didn’t seem to be enforced, but oh well.
I also appreciated the efforts made on the part of the dining services on campus. Most of them stayed open at relatively normal hours, although the hours were shortened halfway through at some locations due to lack of business. As an employee of one of the dining options, I was given allotments of time to sanitize the area and was asked to limit the number of people in the store at a time. Employees were also given daily health checks to make sure nobody had a fever or experienced symptoms.
I did get tested once this semester. As it turns out, what I thought might be Covid symptoms were actually strep. Both my supervisors were super understanding of my need to stay home for a couple of days, which I think was expanded by the situation.
Looking back, I am grateful for the way this year has panned out for me academically. Although it could have been better, it also could have been much worse. I am immensely glad that I haven’t had to deal with inconsistent schedules, virtual graduations, or abrupt closings like others I know, and I have the utmost of sympathy for those who have.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you enjoyed hearing my story about college life during Covid, please do me a solid and share with all your peeps using the graphic below. And if you’re a fellow college student, I’d love to know what life’s been like during You Know What 🤐😜🥰
Happy Home for the Holidays!
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