We can all agree that the pandemic was completely unexpected. We went from spending our days constantly surrounded by friends and adventuring out in the world, to sitting in our homes isolated, anxiously biting our nails and trying to make sense of our new situation.
The abruptness with which our lives changed created a brand-new common ground, especially for college students. The phenomenon “Zoom University” was born. For the first time in history, it didn’t necessarily matter what college you were attending. We all belonged to Zoom University. We were all at home, reaching for our laptops five minutes before our class times. Of course, most of us had just rolled out of bed and were only presentable from the neck up. But still, we showed up. Every day we woke up in time to attend class virtually and were forced to stare at each other’s faces, something we never do in person.
Within the awkwardness and confusion of Zoom University, all college students became part of a shared community. We had memes to wake up to and breakout rooms to figure each other out. In hindsight, timed interactions may not be the best way to get to know others, especially freshmen who are just entering the world of college. It is no surprise that the return to campus was very bittersweet. It meant parting from this unexpected community. We were no longer just Zoom University, but suddenly there were conversations of dorms, roommates and move-in. We had to say goodbye and we all anticipated it, some more eagerly than others.
The return to campus and classrooms meant being surrounded by a confusing amount of people, something we hadn’t experienced in a long time. After over a year of isolation, it feels a little scary but exciting. It feels good to be in what most of us expected college to be like. So many of us have no prior experiences to compare campus life to. All we know is Zoom University, the virtual community the pandemic forced us into. Returning to campus has meant that we readjust. It means getting up, making yourself presentable and heading to class, and getting comfortable with people in our physical space. It means getting back into having spontaneous conversations and getting to share a room with our friends and colleagues.
However, there is an undeniable wave of nostalgia as Zoom University slowly fades into the past. That is particularly potent as the New England winter creeps up on us. The trees are leafless, the temperatures are plummeting, and the wind is bone-chilling. We have the holiday season and the joy of enjoying it with our friends to keep us going. But it is difficult not to miss the days when the weather forecasts were irrelevant and we could sit behind our computers with our entire education at our fingertips. Now there’s only Northeastern University and it’s starting to grow on me.