No, I Can't 'Just Get Over' The Fact Senior Year Ended In Quarantine
Start writing a post
Student Life

No, I Can't 'Just Get Over' The Fact Senior Year Ended In Quarantine

School hasn't just been a part of my life-- it has been a key aspect of my identity for the past seventeen years.

272
No, I Can't 'Just Get Over' The Fact Senior Year Ended In Quarantine
Lauren Schugg

When I said goodbye to my college life for spring break, I didn't know that I would virtually be saying goodbye to my college career as I know it.

Starting Kindergarten around the age of 5 and continuing on to college directly after my senior year of high school, this means that I, like many others, have been in some type of educational system for seventeen years. This is 77% of my life that has been spent going through the educational system.

More so, gaining an education and making the most of it by taking advantage of every opportunity possible has always been important to me. I always have found myself consumed with homework, reading, extracurriculars, and other school-related things.

School hasn't just been a part of my life-- it has been a key aspect of my identity for as long as I can remember. For me, it was never a question of IF I wanted to go to college but the question was WHERE would I go to college.

Back in 2016 when I was accepted to The Pennsylvania State University, I never imagined that my final college days would be spent back in my hometown taking classes online over Zoom without any of my college friends by my side because of a pandemic. My time at the beautiful campus that was supposed to be my home for four years was cut a semester short and was replaced by quarantine and social distancing.

While I definitely understand the importance of quarantine and social distancing (and I am following the rules of these two things), it is still heartbreaking to me that this huge chapter of my life has been cut short. I know that things could be worse, but that doesn't mean that I don't have a right to feel the way I feel and recognize my disappointment and anger at a situation that no one anticipated or had the ability to prevent.

It was a hard enough decision for me to decide that after receiving my bachelor's degree, I would not go on to any further schooling and to have the last semester of seventeen years of education taken from me is absolutely devastating to me.

Every time someone asks me about what will happen for graduation, I get a little teary-eyed. They try to comfort me, saying that they're sure that the college will do something to recognize the accomplishments of all of the May 2020 graduates but I'm not sure that the recognition (or lack thereof) is what bothers me. I can't pinpoint where my sadness truly stems from, but I think it is a culmination of things.

It's the classes I won't get to attend. It's the assignments that had to be altered. It's the professors I never got to thank. It's the internship events I didn't get to go to. It's the shifts I never got to work and the pizzas I'll never get to make. It's the nights out I can never get back. It's the friends I may never see again.

It's all of the 'rites of passages' and 'best time of your life' moments before entering the real world that people talk about for the rest of their lives. It's the fact I never get to experience these things.

It's the fact that the world is never going to be the same for anyone and nothing prepared us for this.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

53241
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

34206
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

956795
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

181556
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments