All across the world, COVID-19 has resulted in an almost total shutdown of daily activities. Any facility deemed unessential has closed, and routines have come to a startling halt. For me, this means that my senior year of high school has been put on hiatus until further notice.
As the virus continues to spread despite the recommended practice of social distancing, my first year of college will undoubtedly be affected, which was a realization that consequently placed me in a state of anxiety and uncertainty.
Upon my acceptance to UNC-Chapel Hill in late January, I began to picture what my first year would look like. I imagined studying in Davis Library, rushing Franklin Street after a big win and spending quality time with my friends in Granville. However, as a result of the continued spread of the virus, I feel deprived of the chance to be prepared for my first-year experiences.
I am worried that move-in day will be less bittersweet as more meticulous and severe precautions are required to ensure that I am living in a safe environment. Iconic campus traditions, like drinking from the Old Well on the first day of classes, might be prohibited. In my large intro-level classes, preventative physical separation could prevent relationships from forming. The likely changes to rush week might result in a loss of initial closeness and bonds that Greek life communities are built on.
During this unprecedented time, I understand that extra provisions will be taken to ensure safety, but I can’t help but be jealous of the chance to be prepared for the conventional first-year experience. Because of COVID-19, Admitted Students Day was cancelled and the only 'campus visits' have been moved online. Now, my classmates and I will no longer have the opportunity to be as prepared as previous classes. We are unable to create in-person connections before we arrive for classes, and some students must even decide on their school without ever getting the chance to visit.
Before attending UNC for their first year, the students in grades above mine stressed about adjusting to life away from home and learning their way around campus. My peers and I are struggling with those same issues, but we're also wondering when we will be able to return to a physical classroom, or if we’ll be prepared to endure the rigor of classes after months of educational interruption. A “normal” first-year student would stress over upcoming deadlines and time management, but my peers and I might have to worry about the possibility of contracting the virus and wondering if it is safe to live in our dorms.
The potential changes to my first year at UNC have created massive anxieties. There is a continuous uncertainty felt by students and parents alike about not knowing when we will return to school and how to prepare for when we do. When we finally resume our education, I worry about the health of myself and my peers, as there is no way to completely guarantee protection from the virus at this point.
I fear that I will miss out on the significant milestones in this new chapter of my life. Living away from my family, experiencing the difficulty of college classes and making lifelong friends, for instance, will all be shadowed by the influence of this virus. And even more influential, I fear that my peers and I will lose the physical and emotional closeness that is traditionally shared by college first-years.
However, I believe this uncertainty could bring us closer together. Although physically separated, we have endured this pandemic together and have a significant shared experience that unites us. All students will be delighted to be back on campus, but my classmates and I will be starting a new chapter of our lives while recovering from months of turmoil. I can only hope that there will be a newfound excitement to go to class, to study, to go the extra mile in our academics. Once at UNC, I'm optimistic that our uncertainty and anxiety will manifest into something great as we embark on our unique first-year journey together as Tar Heels.
