Starting my freshman year last fall, never would I have expected what's to come. I made some good friends whom I always tried to see outside of class, however, it's not that easy when we are all in opposite directions. But at least having class time two to three days a week on campus allowed me to see them as well as meet new people. Spring semester started and all was well then too. Throughout the six and a half months I spent every day on campus with new and old friends. Sometimes we accidentally missed a class to grab lunch, and other days we spent endless hours in a study room cramming work. I never would have thought being surrounded by friends would actually motivate me.
Spring semester went downhill fast when we went to spring break. Some say it was just an extremely early start to summer, and to others like me, well I couldn't have been more bored.
This semester I'm a sophomore, with a completely online class schedule. It is an extreme transition to say the least. I got a slight taste of what it will be like these upcoming months last semester, however professors gave us students more of a break considering no one really knew what they were doing. This time it's different.
We are jumping into full remote classes whether it's web based or on Zoom. Being used to seeing faces and hearing voices in person, this is terrifying. It's harder to build connections and to feel comfortable enough to ask questions.
My classes have always been completed with the best of my abilities and this semester is no different. However, not having friends to study with in cramped rooms where we all push each other so we can leave to grab food is going to be hard. Not being able to fully bond with professors and other students will take toll on my social skills as it would anyone.
Learning through a screen is ten times harder than in person, and towards the end of last spring I had to teach myself all of the new material. My brain cannot just process information given to me when in my bedroom through my laptop. I'm going to need time to do this right, as anyone would.
This is difficult to everyone and I hope you can understand that.