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Birmingham, AL

My most impactful memory of the situation so far happened on the last day of classes before spring break. We were frantic, not because of the virus but because the last day before break is loaded with deadlines. I had fifteen minutes before my next class and ten of that needed to be spent cram-studying for that day’s quiz, but I was trying to fit in every last second with my friends from the class that had just ended. Pretty soon I was forced to run off to the next building but as I was jogging away it finally hit me that I wouldn’t be seeing these people again and that even though nothing was final, we most likely wouldn’t be coming back after break. I would have hung around longer or skipped class to have one last lunch together but there were too many grades on the line and I really didn’t have a choice but to move on to the next thing. I realize how uneventful this story really is, but it sticks in my head as the first moment I felt that things had spiraled out of control and the first time that I felt powerless amidst the pandemic. 

Notre Dame, IN

I miss the high stress of finals. I used to love how everyone would stress out together and we wouldn’t sleep at all. Now it’s just me, but at least I’m sleeping, mainly because all my finals are take home and spread out and I had 3 finals week and one due the week before and they’re all papers and due Mon, Wed, Fri evening/night. I miss my friends. I miss getting lunch with people. I miss my bed and room and school bc I have an amazing mattress topper and a really nice single. I miss parties with friends. I miss all the fun that used to happen and make school more of an enjoyable experience rather than just school y nada más. I miss having access to more clothes rather than just what I packed which are winter clothes and it is no longer winter. I miss bonding experiences with friends and the choir tour I would have gone on to Italy and Slovenia for which I still get STEP emails for. I miss campus food. Ya I miss like everything, but most of all, I miss social interaction.

Knoxville, TN

I am the younger of two siblings, and I was always the one who had the most trouble with education. During high school I found out I was struggling with depression and was constantly stressed and anxious. My first year of college was the worst. I had nowhere to go, and felt like I didn’t belong anywhere. I struggled to get through most days and even considered drastic measures. This continued into sophomore year, until I found my people. I began the process to be accepted into a small program at my school which was a grueling process. But I was accepted, and quickly became close with a small group in the program. These people pulled me up and helped me everyday. We told each other everything and lifted one another up. If one of us was going through something, someone was always there to help you through it. I was not one for big social gatherings, and survived off of close small groups of friends. And this is what I found. We spent every day together and learned the deepest parts of each other. They’re my best friends and will continue to be for years down the road. That’s the one thing I’m most thankful for from my experience.

Norwich, UK

All teaching has moved to digital formats and while I appreciate the effort from the staff, digital teaching is sloppy and insufficient for a visual degree. Like many art schools, our degree show has been cancelled, along with several competitions and residency opportunities, and our graduation is postponed. NUA is “looking into” a digital degree show but with the high prices students pay they feel entitled to a physical degree show. With the cancellation of nearly every aspect of my future university education, I am pushed further and further into the role of unhappy customer; a role I never wanted to take. Although we weren’t affected by the UK teaching strikes (though I know many who were), with a month off at Christmas, 3 weeks off in April, and an international pandemic halting normal life as well as education, my “University” experience this year is disappointing to say the least. It feels like I’ve been running a marathon and at mile 25 I’ve been told, “Don’t worry, that will do, you can stop now”.

Zagreb, Croatia

I miss lectures, being able to ask colleagues for advice and help, social support from peers, and being able to study outside of home. I want to be able to get out of my house to study in the library or in a cafe. 

New York, NY

I miss in person classes and feeling like I am on a schedule and on top of my assignments. I also miss living at college and being in an environment where everyone is doing the same things as me. It is more motivating being surrounded by students instead of being home where I’m the only kid still having a lot of school work. I also miss just being with my friends and having fun doing things that have nothing to do with class or grades. 

New York, NY

My independence is the biggest one. I miss my casual acquaintances that I’m not “friends” with but still enjoy chatting with occasionally. I miss my professors’ being able to read the room through our body language and understand if we are with them/understand the concept they’re explaining.  

Chicago, IL

I feel like I have been robbed of my first-year college experience. I was just getting into the college groove. The cost of school is a struggle and now I have enormous student loans for basically hanging out at home and randomly checking into my “classes” for a pass/fail grade: Not at all what I signed up for or agreed to pay thousands of dollars for. 

West Lafayette, IN

I miss the walks to class to clear my head, running into people on campus, the unexpected parts of the day that come from being in a crowd of people, e.g., who you might see or what you might experience, completing group or hands-on projects, conferences or meetings, the camaraderie of sporting events, sitting in a lecture to listen in on the info while last-minute completing another assignment and the adrenaline rush that comes with it, or just sitting to listen to get a break in your day when you don’t have to run to the next thing, talking to customers at my part-time coffeehouse job or meeting friends after class at a coffee shop, having a personal connection with professors whether working on a project or hearing about how their kids are doing. Basically, all the best parts of school and education are taken from us (collaboration, the challenge of learning, being amongst other learners on campus) and we have just been left to do the crappy parts.

South Bend, IN

I do not have a good home environment with very toxic parents and maybe verbal abuse but I don’t really know what counts as that. Therefore whenever I am at home for extended periods of time, it is just horrible for my mental health and I am in so much emotional pain. My older brother found a host family for me initially in Rhode Island, but then they found out they were pregnant and kicked me out. As everyone had already settled into their living situations and it was right after the first week of classes, there weren’t many options so I had to sublease an apartment to make sure I wouldn’t get kicked out again and traveled back to the Notre Dame area. So I’ve been there for the rest of the semester because there would be no way on earth I would be able to do school while living at home. Loneliness and isolation are already having an effect on my mental health, but it would be so much worse if I was at home.