I remember how hard it was to be a high school senior in 2020, having my senior trip canceled and my graduation be over Zoom, all during a global pandemic. Seniors who graduated in 2020 had to then face a whole new challenge: college during Covid. Instead of attending events and making friends, new students saw events canceled and on hiatus.  

“People were really naive about it in the beginning. They thought it would be over sooner than it was, and made plans they had to cancel,” fourth-year professional writing major Chandler McGuire said. 

Many college first-years in 2020, like myself, found it difficult to find normalcy at the start of their Elizabethtown College experience. Some found it difficult to make friends, since many activities were canceled and many clubs and classes were held over Zoom. Even when groups would meet in person, students would find it difficult to connect with others and conform to social distancing at the same time. 

“It’s finally been feeling like college for the last two years. I’ve always called my freshman year ‘Covid-college’ because it really wasn’t truly college. It was Zoom classes and distancing and sitting four hours away from everyone I’ve ever known,”  Fourth-year multicultural human services major Judas Foster said. “I’m surprised I made friends at all my first year. But every year since, I’ve met more people and made more connections and found out what college was supposed to be like all along.”

Students have also expressed difficulty fitting into the routine of college with some classes being held in zoom while others remained in person. Fourth-year professional writing major Kyle McLaughlin discussed his unique experience as someone who has done virtual schooling before. 

“The transition was pretty easy for me, but it was obviously jarring for faculty and students due to how finicky Zoom calls were, how classes were usually managed due to the free-trial limits that some teachers had to work around,” McLaughlin said.

Fourth-year professional writing major Mahli Rupp found the mesh of in-person classes with masks and Zoom classes difficult to adjust to. 

“As a first year student, it was honestly super confusing and stressful just because of all the new things,” Rupp said. “New school, new Covid everything, new people.” 

Rupp also touched on how campus has changed since Covid initially hit.

“Now there’s almost no Covid things unless you get sick, and even then it’s much more relaxed. I still carry a mask on me just in case and for respect for some, but I haven’t used it in forever,” Rupp said. “Also, now there are less Zoom classes, even if we have a bad weather day, most people seem to prefer just canceling class as opposed to having it on Zoom.” 

While Etown implemented several policies in order to keep the number of Covid cases to a minimum, such as the Health Monitoring Survey and encouraging social distancing and mask-wearing, some students feel that these actions were not enough. Some students were able to be exempt from getting the vaccine due to religious and/or personal beliefs, as well as social distancing and mask-wearing being treated more like a suggestion, rather than policy. 

“There were no consequences if you didn’t [wear a mask or social distance,]” said a fourth-year student. 

Despite most establishments, businesses and campuses going back to “normal,” Covid is still considered a threat to public health by the CDC, and Boston University claims that there have been nearly as many hospitalizations in January 2024 as in January 2023. 

Perhaps this is just the new normal for upcoming and current college students; the new challenges that come with making connections behind a mask or behind a screen.