The transition from high school to college is an important experience for a student.Those going to college can learn independence on top of new material. As students leave home, some may be filled with a sense of nervousness on the journey ahead. 

     However, with the constant increase of Covid-19 cases, colleges across the United States are taking action by restricting students’ “college experience” during the 2020-2021 school year to prevent the spread on their campuses. 

     The University of Connecticut, UConn, implemented new rules. Those include: no roommates, limited housing capacity, no sports, and only out of state students within in person classes. Students had the choice to go to campus or stay online. The purpose of this was to limit the number of cases on campus. 

     Due to these guidelines, UConn was able to remain open going into the end of the in person semester on November 21. According to the UConn Covid-19 dashboard, as of November 23, 2020, the school has 67 current positive cases, with 381 positive tests recovered throughout the semester. 

     With such restrictions, the freshman college experience has been far from normal. According to Corina Massey, freshman at Uconn states, “Being in the middle of a pandemic most of these normalities were taken away and having online classes has made it harder to make connections with teachers and peers. Clubs are online. Not to mention having to quarantine for a month.”

     Some colleges remained online this semester and students weren’t allowed to go on campus. At American University in Washington, D.C., freshman Lucas Burgard states, “ Now, as a freshman in college, I am taking courses online at my own home. I would have never imagined that I would be spending the first semester of college this way. I also recently found out that my school is going online for the full year.”

     Parents are more stressed, as their children are being taken out of the college campus. Rich Ross, father of John Ross, a freshman at Springfield, acknowledges the difficulties of colleges being shut down in the midst of the pandemic, and how it worsens the college experience. Ross says, “It takes away from the experience of being at home, not being able to go to your classes or make new friends.”

     Covid-19 also affected student athletes. Many schools in the nation did not get to have their season, leaving them to only practices and intrasquad scrimmages. At Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, freshman baseball player, Tyler Griffin states, “Although it was hard to gather in large groups from a social aspect, the pandemic helped me build a strong relationship with the coaches because they were at most of the practices, which would not happen during a normal fall season.”

     Despite the pandemic, college has still allowed for students to gain new skills and experiences. According to Lauren Nieman, a freshman at The University of Tampa., “In college I have met many new people that I know will be lifelong friends. I have also grown much more independent especially since I am going to school far away in Florida. I have learned a lot of time management skills and how to be in charge of creating my own schedule and balancing my time.”

     For the remainder of the college year, these students will have to persevere through the disappointment of being stripped of the traditional first impression of college, and hope that the Covid-19 pandemic will disappear before next year starts. According to Massey, “At first being at college was a lot different than my expectations. Everyone always talks about orientations and tailgates and being able to meet new people. I am really happy to have gone to campus this fall and it was definitely worth it. I have learned a lot about myself and am enjoying every moment.”