Due to the coronavirus outbreak, schools and universities alike cut their spring semesters short and transitioned to online learning. Though this was for the best and an effective way of preventing the spread of COVID-19, many students and professors found themselves upset. High school seniors missed out on prom and college seniors didn't get to experience graduation. All of their accomplishments leading up to their moment of glory were cast aside and celebrated over the phone or through a window. In the grand scheme of things, online classes were definitely not the worst thing to happen due to the pandemic, but a great deal of people found it to be an unpleasant experience.

Personally, before the world began to spiral out of control, when I heard that spring break was getting extended for a couple weeks, I was somewhat relieved. I was dealing with a lot of stress because of assignments, club meetings, working out, and everything in general. I tried my best to stay positive and forced myself to believe that we would return to campus to finish out the school year.

But we didn't. And I hated it.

One of my favorite aspects of college is face-to-face interaction. Even something as little as saying hi to someone in passing or thanking the barista when I ordered my coffee. I loved every second of seeing people and talking to them. I also loved learning in a classroom setting and getting help from professors and TAs in office hours. Doing it over Zoom just wasn't the same.

In a way, the screens made me feel less connected.

It was hard for me to get out of bed every day and log on to Canvas. I didn't feel like I had real purpose anymore, I was just doing work to get it out of the way. Sometimes I even came close to forgetting to do assignments because I simply did not care. My professors were always kind enough to remind us when due dates were approaching, and I honored them on campus. There's just something that didn't sit right with me when it came to writing final papers in the kitchen of my childhood home. I craved the low murmur of the library and wanted to cry about how much I missed my friends. I felt like I was perpetually in sleep mode.

But I got through it and pulled the highest GPA I've ever had during college, but it still felt like something was missing.

I seriously commend people who do online school normally. It's so hard to bring yourself to study for tests or complete online assignments without physically showing up to a class or having study groups in-person. I know the world is on hold right now, but I really hope we can return to college in the fall. I miss it too much.