College During COVID by Katie Kasperson ’17

Grace Kim ’17 is a senior at New York University studying international relations. Although her classes are all online, she decided to continue living in the city. She’s able to see friends safely while utilizing New York’s outdoor spaces, such as Central and Washington Square Parks. “Rather than continuously moping around, I’m making the best of my senior year,” Grace said.

During the fall semester, Grace applied to graduate schools and completed an online internship. “I had hoped the pandemic would be over before I graduate, but I realize that’s not realistic,” she said. While her senior year hasn’t been what she imagined, she continues to plan for and look forward to her future.

Hunter Harris ‘17, another New York University student, decided not to return to school this past fall; instead, he took a gap semester. “I decided to take a semester off because I didn’t think online classes would give me the full value of in-person learning,” said Hunter. During his time off, he worked for his parents’ business as well as the Board of Elections. “I was able to find a job processing ballots at the Board of Elections in October and November,” he said. According to Hunter, this experience helped him to “discern the lies from the facts about mail-in ballots,” a hot topic from this past presidential election.

As a student at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, Hunter designed his own major in “Business of World Building and Immersive Storytelling.” This program gives him full agency over his college curriculum. Taking the semester off gave Hunter “a new perspective” and helped him refine his major. Hunter returned to NYU for the spring semester. As he wraps up his time there, he is deciding between finding a job and applying to graduate school.

While remote learning isn’t everyone’s first choice, it’s undoubtedly more flexible than in-person attendance. Students can log on and go to class from anywhere there’s wifi. For some, this means staying at home rather than returning to campus. For others, it means road-tripping and logging on to classes from various locations. For international students, other issues – like travel restrictions and time zone differences – have affected their education.

John Barton ’17 took a gap year before beginning his undergrad at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. He spent his time in Moldova studying Russian, and now he studies both Russian and Persian at St Andrews.

John spent some of his time in Scotland during the pandemic. Though he is used to being away from home for extended periods, he said it has “been nice to spend more time at home than I normally would.” He plans to finish his degree at St Andrews on time with the help of those around him. “Studying during the pandemic has been difficult, but I have been fortunate that my professors and peers have been very supportive,” John said. “I appreciate that they are all trying to make the best of the current situation.”

Some students, who had the credits to do so, opted to graduate early rather than take time off. Katie Schuyler ’17, a recent Tulane graduate, is using the extra time she would have spent in school to gain valuable work experience. “With this new-found time during the spring semester, I was fortunate enough to get the chance to return as an intern to Tabula Rasa Healthcare; this time as a Legal, Regulatory, & Compliance Intern,” she said. “This opportunity allows me to obtain real-world corporate law experience prior to law school this coming fall.” She has yet to decide where she will attend.

Katie took advantage of the opportunities that the pandemic presented to her. “I was able to find real silver linings in the way that the Coronavirus technologically integrated the world,” she said. “As the global community united to mourn the damages COVID-19 presented to the world, we were forced as societies to simultaneously innovate and pivot at a rapid pace despite the tragedies surrounding us.” Rather than dwelling on her losses, Katie has extended effort to “better adapt, cope, and celebrate change.”

No one understands the importance and benefits of technology more than technology students themselves. Jackson Blanchard ’17 is currently studying computer science at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. “I’m extremely fortunate to be minimally affected by the pandemic,” he said. “Most students and, more importantly, most professors in my major are very technically inclined, so the transition to online learning has been very smooth.” In order to communicate and collaborate, he and his professors have used programs like Slack (for instant messaging), Discord (for meeting in teams), Trello (for working on projects), and GitHub (for coding). Jackson has fortunately gained skills that will prove valuable once he enters the workforce.

More than anything, attending college during COVID-19 has been a learning experience for all. Joe Nyzio ’17, a business student at Saint Joseph’s University, has reflected on the challenges and rewards that have accompanied COVID. “This experience has taught me to hold myself more accountable than in past years because we don’t have professors to add that applied pressure,” he said. He’s had the chance to become a better communicator by “writing many more emails and attending meetings virtually.” While his senior year hasn’t been exactly what he’d hoped for, he acknowledges the significance of his personal growth.

The overarching theme for most college students is this: their current situations are not optimal, but there’s been plenty of room for small victories and self-improvement. “I came to terms with my college experience not being what I was expecting,” said Grace Kim. Despite unmet expectations, MFS college students have remained resilient, adaptive, and hopeful that the future will be brighter than both the present and the past.

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