Tomorrow is my official one week mark of living on campus. All through high school, I fantasized about what it would be like to start college. I imagined all the people I would be meeting clubs I'd be joining and experiences that I would be having. Instead of what I expected, I have been greeted with masks, limited capacities, and many other unforeseen regulations.
The biggest shift from expectation to reality has been the illusion that immediately upon arrival at school I would find my most perfect group of friends. Especially because of current regulations, the outlets for which freshmen are able to meet others are very limited. We can't smile at neighbors as we walk through our dorm halls because masks are required when not in our rooms. There are no freshman events going on right now because schools are trying to limit students congregating in large groups. So many fundamental points of socialization and introduction have had to be limited for our safety, which makes meeting people all the more difficult.
When normally freshmen could sit together at the dining hall to start chatting with friends, now dining halls are take-out only. There would normally be common areas where students could meet and connect to others, but now all chairs are stacked up and dorms are only to be a place of sleeping.
To clarify, this article is not to look down upon the school imposed Covid regulations. In fact, I am a very strong proponent for all the rules that Florida State has put into place. By requiring students to follow these rules, schools are making it so that we can still live on campus and have even the limited opportunities to meet others that are available.
Because of how unique these situations are, students now have to be more unique and resourceful when it comes to socializing. Since there aren't as many natural ways to introduce ourselves to people, we need to be even bolder when making introductions. Everyone at school is looking for the same thing. We want to have a positive college experience where we meet people who make us feel at home.
Over the past week, I have definitely been guilty of sitting in my room and complaining about not having met as many people as I had wanted to. However, when I began the planning of writing this article I had a realization for myself. Sitting around and complaining about something not happening is not the way to make it happen. I see that the only way to make the most of your college experience is to go out and create the experience for yourself. So starting college during a pandemic is definitely not what I planned for when I envisioned the start of my freshman year. But moving forward, I'm going to work to make it the best it possibly can be.
