Prompt 2
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Lucy Panfil
Junior
I would say that the most difficult parts of school today are staying focused and engaged. It is hard for me to stay focused in online classes, especially when the class is asynchronous. My college experience has changed quite a bit because of the pandemic. First of all, I only have one in person class and don't live on campus, so I do not go to campus very much anymore. Also, it is much harder to hang out with friends while wanting to be safe. I am lucky that my closest friends are also my roommates, so I still get to see them all the time. Before the pandemic, my friends and I would go out and do things pretty regularly. I miss being able to go out to eat or shopping at the mall. I realize that I can still do these things, but I don't want to put myself in an unnecessary situation where I might get sick. The pandemic has changed my social life, but not as much as some people. I am in introvert so I am not as social as I know some people are. Still, it is hard not being able to go to events on campus with my friends.
Kylee Macke
Senior
I think the most difficult parts of school today, especially being online and the engagement aspect that in person classes normally have. A lot of the times (if not most) I find myself sitting on a zoom lecture with my camera and microphone turned off and, on my phone, not paying attention or not truly engaged. However, if I am paying attention or taking notes, it is hard to participate especially with the hybrid classes. With zoom and the professors sharing screens and having their microphones on you never know if another student is talking. So, there's a bit of anxiety that comes with that especially if you want to participate, but don't want to blurt out an answer for the whole class to hear if another student is talking.
My college experience has truly drastically changed. I am a senior here at Drake, so knowing what campus can really be like and having experienced three years here already is almost like a slap in the face. Especially, since we don't know if we will be able to return to "normal" anytime soon. However, I am a student athlete, so this semester has been quite different for me. Volleyball season is always during the fall. We play from August to November and are travelling every other weekend usually. So, one huge change for me is having so much free time and having more time to simply focus on schoolwork. Currently, we are restricted to only 8 hours a week of practice time where in a typical fall we have around 20 hours of practice. So, it feels as if there is more of an emphasis on school right now rather than school AND volleyball. Typically, the schedule we have now is what our schedule is like in the spring when we are considered to be in our "off season". So, it is a strange feeling to me and honestly feels like we are in the spring and that summer is coming soon which is completely false. This really ties in to the normal vs. not normal question. Honestly, nothing about this school year or this experience is normal to me based on my previous semesters.
In regard to my social life, it has but has not changed much. I am grateful that I still do get to see my teammates, coaches, and even faculty within the athletics family every day. However, the biggest change is how separated the teams are and the lack of engagement that we get to have with each other. This goes as small as simple interactions in passing in the hallways, or the training room. It is also weird, like usually on the weekends when we are home we do get to go out and have fun on Saturday nights and see other athletes, but it's weird because now we literally just have to stick to roommates or at home on the weekends.
Madeline Kedrowski
Sophomore
The most difficult part of school today is staying focused. I have a very hard time focusing in online classes and find it easy to get discouraged. My “college experience” has changed due to the pandemic because I cant go out and meet new people. I really would like to get closer to some people, but right now I am not able to. I think one thing that was “normal” for me pre-pandemic was going to the grocery store, being from a smallish midwest city theres not much to do. When I hung out with my friends, we would drive around, eat and go to the grocery store. Now thats not something we can do for fun, since we should only be making essential trips. Like I said before the pandemic had made it hard to meet new people, which effects my social life on campus!
Charleigh Reinardy
Sophomore
What are the most difficult parts of school today and why? How has your “college experience” changed due to the pandemic?
The most difficult part of school today is having total responsibility for my success/failure. Without being physically in class every other day, students no longer have their professors reminders to rely on. Most classes feel very unorganized and it is hard to be sure what assignments you may have due the next class period. I feel very frazzled most of the time and I am almost unable to sit down on a friday or sunday and complete all of my homework for the next week because I am unaware of what is and is not due.
My college experience along with everyones has changed dramatically. It is hard to hangout with friends without feeling at risk of COVID or falling victim to others who may not follow social distancing rules. I miss being able to study in different places around campus with friends, I miss campus activities, I simply miss campus and my friends, everything has changed.
What events were “normal” for you pre pandemic, and how have those changed or become “not normal” anymore?
As I stated above hanging out with groups of friends more than 2-4 friends is too many right now and it is hard because you can’t always include everyone anymore, along with making sure the people you are hanging out with are COVID free. Going to class and campus events used to be normal but now everything is done over zoom. Going out to get food or to do a fun activity like shop, see a movie, or anything inside is almost non existent because of everyone’s different comfort levels.
How has the pandemic affected your social life on campus and at home?
The pandemic has affected my social life on campus and at home in many ways like stated above. This summer I had to apply for a new job because my waitressing job was unavailable due to COVID. Again, hanging out in large groups, graduation parties, family gatherings have all been cancelled because of the pandemic. I believe our past lifes have been forever changed.
Gracie Geist
Sophomore
The most difficult part of school is definitely online learning. I am a hands-on learner so not being able to be in class working on projects with peers has taken a toll on me. Throughout high school, I took online classes at a local community college, and it just isn’t the same as learning in person. It has also been difficult because my majors have very active classes. I am a triple major in advertising, graphic design and public relations, and I am required to take core art courses for graphic design. It has been difficult because I have to work on those art projects by myself, not bounce ideas off of classmates and it is a lot harder to get feedback from my professors. I would say my “college experience” is very different. Not only can I not go hang out in my friend’s dorms as normal, but I can’t attend rowing practice normally or even visit my sorority house. Every day before practice I have to get screened for COVID symptoms and take my temperature. Our fall season got cancelled and our practice times are not at our normal 5:20 am. All of my team’s team bonding events are virtual, and we are not allowed to have any sorority events this semester. The biggest issue has been my education. Online learning is tough, but I struggle to my homework in the same place for every subject. Normally I would go to Starbucks, grab coffee and do some work, or go to the library for hours at a time. Now there are time limits and capacity limits. As much as I love my roommate, it is hard to study or do homework while she is screaming while playing Minecraft.
It has always been normal for me to find various places to study, and now I only really do homework at my desk. Now it is odd to do work anywhere else, but I prefer it that way. I hate studying in my room because I am tempted to nap. If I physically go somewhere to do homework, I don’t get distracted like I do in my room. These distractions include wanting to clean, doing laundry, talking to my roommate, napping, etc.
I would say it has definitely been difficult for me to communicate with some people because I can’t physically see them. I am a very busy person, so seeing people is often my form of communication. Now I am forced to use social media if I want a relationship at all, especially with my friends in Ames and Iowa City. Because of COVID breakouts, I have not been able to see my friends from home, so I use social media a lot more to keep in touch and stay updated on their lives. On campus, I feel like it is the same way. Occasionally I will go get lunch with some of my friends, but it isn’t as easy as seeing them in passing and just grabbing a coffee together. Now I have to focus more effort on these relationships if I want them to stay the same. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just always been easier to communicate in person rather than social media due to my busy schedule.
Cheyann Neades
Senior
The most difficult part of school today would have to be organizing my time. While it was never a problem for me in the past, being at home makes it difficult for me to space out my time appropriately. I’ve realized that Zoom fatigue is very, very real. It’s exhausting to hop off a call and immediately get started an assignment that’s due for another class.
I would say events that were normal for me would include attending organization meetings for the student-run publication Drake Mag, to now doing it all online has been an adjustment. While it seems like an easy transition, it’s been hard to keep staff members as interested and dedicated as they were in person.
The pandemic hasn’t affected my social life too much. Living with 4 other friends in a house has made this aspect of my life stay relatively the same. I would say that it’s been difficult not being able to see or spend time with my family as much. My family lives in Des Moines but due to my family members being high risk, I haven’t been able to see them unless we’re outside, spaced out, and wearing masks.
Lauren Igbanugo
Sophomore
The most difficult part of being in school during a time like this is definitely socialization. Since I chose to live in an apartment to lower my risks of covid exposure, people that I saw every single day last year, I only see less than once a week now. And this also makes it hard to meet new people in person. My college experience has ultimately changed because, due to the circumstances, I rarely have reasons to be on campus. And that affects how involved I feel. One event that changed for me amidst the pandemic was attending multicultural clubs and organizations. Since I am not on campus, I rarely hear about events that are going on, and some events such as Africa Night have been cancelled all together. Regardless of everything that's changed, I strive to find a positive way to adapt to everything new and “not normal.”
Antonio Melendes
Senior
The most difficult part of school today was adjusting to group work online rather than next to
each other in person. I will leave it at that because in reality we are blessed to be here and are
making the most out of it. I am an optimistic person so I like to think that we are blessed for this
opportunity. The college experience was changed due to the pandemic in every single aspect.
Soccer, school, social life. It all has been affected by covid unfortunately. Once again, I try to
stay positive for myself and others that need it, but some things do “suck” now such as social
life, school and soccer.
Events that were normal for me pre covid was hanging out with friends back home. Now they do
irresponsible things and due to that I can no longer hang out with them because they could have
covid. Soccer practice isn’t the same, and we also lost our season now too.
The pandemic has affected social life so much because I love meeting new people and talking
to people, but now I have to stay inside my little circle of people to make sure I don’t get covid or
anything that could affect me, my roommates, family, and team. Home right now is my
apartment with my roommates and they are in the same situation as me. Back where I am from
home, my parents are still working because they need to make money.
Jasmine Inthabounh
Junior
The most difficult part of school today is that everyday is unknown. One day I'm in class and the next I'm quarantined. My college experience has been everything but normal during the pandemic. I recently have been exposed to a positive case of Covid which has put any glimpse of normalcy on hold. I am back on online schooling and jumping between going to class and online has really taken a toll on my education. Should I just stay online? I ask myself this everyday.
What events were “normal” for you pre pandemic, and how have those changed or become “not normal” anymore?
Going to class. This was such a simple normal thing that I did and now it has completely changed. I like the option of having to go to class but why leave my home when I can participate online? Being in class, I am wearing a mask which I'm pretty used to but continuously repeating myself. I see my classmates on the projector.
How has the pandemic affected your social life on campus and at home?
The pandemic definitely makes my social life difficult between home and campus. When I go home, I need to be careful who I am around and who I was around when I was on campus. Going to get test for Covid is now a weekly routine thing for me. I would encourage everyone to do it also with how easy they make it. Life is not the same and will never be back to normal but I can't ignore this pandemic. I also can't complain about the position I am in to be able to go to school and have a job.
Sydney Clifton
Senior
I am completely online due to the pandemic this semester. I chose this option because many of my family members including myself are immunocompromised, and I felt this was the safest option to continue my schooling. Plus as an added bonus, I was able to stay home with my new husband!
Even though this situation is ideal, it does not lack challenges. With online schooling, the biggest challenge is managing assignments, Zoom meetings, and readings for every individual class. The kicker is the fact that every class does all of these things completely different. So, I may have a Zoom meeting in class one day, and then the next I won’t have a meeting in that same meeting, but I will have regular meetings in another class. Some assignments are due at the beginning of class, and some are due at the end.
What events were “normal” for you pre pandemic, and how have those changed or become “not normal” anymore?
My college experience has been dramatically altered in the social and music performance aspect. I am a music minor, therefore, attending and performing in concerts is the main event of the semester. I usually have at least 2 performances in every ensemble I am in, but this semester, we are only having one performance (if that) livestreamed. They are placed at the beginning of the semester, which is also unusual, as to give members time to quarantine if need be. This is very strange from the traditional stress and excitement of performance.
How has the pandemic affected your social life on campus and at home?
I was fairly introverted before the pandemic, but it has made it nearly impossible to enjoy the little social interaction I did have. I was able to see my friends on a daily basis in classes and music ensembles and now I don’t see them at all which is really strange.
Rachel Hartley
Junior
As a college student, the pandemic has changed my college experience tremendously. Knowing the risks, I made the decision to stay home for this semester which completely cut off my contact with the college version of myself. Now that we’re about a month in, I’m starting to feel really left out of campus life, programming, and my extracurricular activities. It seems that people have to constantly try to make accommodations for me so I am able to participate in group settings or even to receive stuff like executive board t-shirts for on campus organizations. It’s also starting to be a bit of an issue living at home with my parents. I love them, but it’s starting to get frustrating. Not only is it incredibly difficult from a social life aspect, but I don’t have a lot of opportunities to get away and be completely alone these days because of the pandemic. At Drake, when I got sick of my roommates, there were so many other buildings I could go to study or just get away, but every face to face interaction I have is with my family. Not to mention the loud TV volume downstairs drives me CRAZY!!! I want to be with people my own age again and not have to worry about connectivity issues between us, and I really would like to visit my friends, but that unfortunately is unsafe at the moment. For now, I am dreaming about a non-pandemic life when I can go on road trips, go shopping, actually BE at my University (what a concept…), and just interact with people in general. I think we really took for granted what social interactions looked like before the pandemic, and honestly, that’s all I want right now. I’m trying to be hopeful, but I guess this is just a bad day for it.
Sydney Skemp
Sophomore
The most difficult part about school this semester is motivation. I know that almost all my peers would agree with me on this. It is extremely hard to stay motivated to do your homework as it feels like you never get a break. You go to class on your computer and then have to do your assignments on your computer after that. There is almost no escape from the virtual world and no definitive line between “class time” and “work time.”
It is extremely hard to stay motivated to take care of yourself. Since I am on a meal plan, if I don’t need to leave me room for class, often I will forget to grab breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I find myself to be tired a lot and it is also extremely hard to stay motivated in your social life.
So many events that were my normal last year such as a gathering with friends on the weekends, dancing at a football or basketball game, date parties or formals for my sorority, or just going to a coffee place off campus have become not normal anymore. My fun events have gotten canceled all together and I notice I do not have much to look forward to, which again goes back to that lack of motivation. It seems to be a never-ending cycle this year. My friends and I have to go out of our way to plan a fun, mental health break. I know that doesn’t seem like a big deal, but as a college student, the last thing I would expect is to have to put in extreme efforts to have a good time or see something new.
The pandemic has affected my social life greatly. My sorority sisters that live in the house continue to be quarantined and I cannot see them. I have to be careful about who I hang out with, because you never know where someone has been or who they have been with and who those people have been with and so on, and so on. People our age rely on last minuet plans and quick ideas for spending time together and hanging out, and when there's a global pandemic going on, you can’t really just head over to someone's room or house to hangout, because there are too many unknowns. Safety over social life? Yes. Safety over mental health? Still yes, but with this, a few more questions are raised.
Everett Mullican
Senior
I never really had a college experience, I keep mentioning that I am a commute rbut it’s true, I have more of a college experience now than I did last year as a first-year student. Even that isn’t saying much. It’s not that I don’t want one it’s that I can afford to drive back and forth every day to socialize, though it would open up opportunities for many things, I’d still need to know people, and I only have a good relationship with a handful of people and most of them are staying home.The most difficult parts of school right now are finding not motivation, but attention for my online classes, it is so easy to get distracted when I have an online class, but I try my hardest to pay attention.When going back to the idea of “normal,” I feel that most people would say,“Seeing my besties at the frat,” or “Hanging out with the friends in the dorms.” I couldn’t relate to these. However, when talking about getting ready for class, I’d typically get up an hour early and get everything ready for the day, now I can get out of bed and turn on the screen and everything I need is there now. Not that I do that every day but there are times where I see the opportunity is there and I just feel like doing that.