With new variants of the Covid virus surfacing, and the rate of cases rising again, it seems like there is possibility for virtual classes to occur again. New students may be wondering what college is like in an online format, and I’ll be honest about my experience.

In the fall of 2020 I was allowed to be on campus because I had a lab class where we needed to perform experiments in-person. There were not many students on campus this semester. Everyone mostly stayed in their dorms, and besides my lab, my other classes were fully remote. Classes weren’t hard, but it was certainly hard to find motivation or joy. I wish that I had made more of an effort to 1. Get out of my room: Ideally you should make a routine to go to the gym or go somewhere and get a change of scenery, and keep yourself from getting lazy. 2. Make social interactions: I would get a meal with a friend, but ideally you should plan remote activities to do or see what different campus programs are offering, so you don’t feel lonely. 3. Value learning: With the internet and ability to cheat right at your fingertips, it’s difficult to make the decision to actually study and try. But ideally you should remember that this education will be important for your future classes and for your career.

In the spring of 2021 I decided to stay home for the semester and take classes fully remote. Part of this decision was due to the fact that I was very lonely and bored in the fall on campus, so it was nice to be home afterwards where I could spend time with my family and hometown friends. However, being away from campus made me feel like school was usually on the back of my mind, behind everything else in life. I didn’t prioritize it or put in as much effort as I should have. That semester I took Spanish 312 which was a writing class and it was on Zoom. I felt that this was a particularly hard class to pay attention to on Zoom, because it’s not conversation-based. It’s mostly listening to grammar rules and writing independently. In these types of lecture classes it’s easy to get distracted by things going on in your home. I think it may be a good idea to take remote classes where you’re required to participate and interact with others, so you don’t lose focus.