Lauren Serge

Looking Onward to Fall 2021

In September 2020, I wrote an article for Her Campus titled “An Honest Look at This Semester,” where I reflected on beginning my sophomore year remotely due to the pandemic, after having to leave at the end of freshman year. Little did I know that I would not only spend that semester, but the entirety of my sophomore year at home taking online courses and missing a whole year of normal college experiences.

My sense of time, as I’m sure is the case for mostly everyone, has been extremely distorted since this all began. It feels so odd to say that I do not have any more classes left of my sophomore year and it does not feel as though my summer is about to begin. Most of that is due to the fact that every “ending” has felt extremely anti-climactic, as each one has concluded by the mundane closing of my laptop screen

And, while there seems to be hope on the horizon, there are still numerous fears onto which I am still clinging. I am extremely anxious about things opening up again and what classes and social settings will look like. I have spent over a year now with very minimal socialization, and it’s going to be a very difficult transition for me to grasp. But, I am trying to keep my head up about it all.

And while I am not overly certain what the next semester, or year, will bring, I am very hopeful that it will, at the very least, be better. In August, I will move into an apartment with three wonderful friends I met freshman year. I will enter new positions for all of my organizations. And, I will get to be on campus which, at least for the location purpose, will allow me to feel like I am actually going to college.

This year has been strange, to say the least. I have felt so disconnected from so many things and people in my life. But, there were also many positives that came about it for me.

For one, I got to spend a lot of time at home with my mom that I would never have normally had. It has been wonderful to have lovely dinners with her and for both of us to get better acquainted in our new home.

For another, I have been able to consistently work and save money ever since this pandemic began, for which I am immensely grateful. With my job, came new coworkers and friends with whom I now spend a great deal of time, and will continue to do so.

Lastly, I got vaccinated. While it seems small in the grand scheme, it is a large step toward overall health and hope for us all.

It feels odd to reflect so holistically about this time, as it conjures up these complicated feelings of nostalgia, paranoia, and ultimately, gratitude.

I am looking onward to the fall--for more positives, more experiences, and hopefully fewer articles about this.

See you in the fall Her Campus!

original article posted to her campus ohio university

cover image from her campus media