Last week, I got an email from my college explaining that classes would be held online for the rest of the semester, and that students were to move out of the dorms by the end of the week. Schools around the country have followed suit, some even canceling their graduation ceremonies. While my college hasn’t canceled our commencement ceremony yet, I’m fearful that it’s only a matter of time.
Senior year feels like it's over too soon
Two weeks ago, I had finished up classes and was eagerly awaiting my spring break vacation. I didn’t expect those classes to be the last ones I ever had on my school’s campus, nor did I expect that week to be the last I might spend with my sorority sisters, classmates, coworkers and friends. I didn’t even realize how much those experiences and people meant to me until they were gone.
I understand why schools are taking these preventative measures, and to be honest I’m glad they’re taking the COVID-19 situation so seriously. The news that my senior year would finish online, however, still devastated me. Yes, we've been preparing to leave campus in the near future, but summoning the mental and emotional capacity for that in less than a week was difficult. I thought I had more time to take everything in.
I know so many seniors are feeling the same way right now — spiteful because there is less time to say goodbye to the past four years of our lives, and envious that other classes have gotten or will get to experience moments that we never will. For us, the spring semester was supposed to be our reward, a time to relax and cherish the last few weeks we have before entering the real world.
But there's still so much more to look forward to
The emotions are overwhelming, becoming more so with every news notification or email I get. I’m scared of what the economy and job market will be like when I graduate. It’s so easy to become anxious with all of the uncertainty looming about. But here’s what we need to remember: There’s nothing we can do to change what’s happened or what the future holds. While this makes me feel anxious and so out of control, it’s a fact. All that’s left now is for us to make the most of what we have, whether that’s hosting a Zoom party for you and your friends, or making as many senior events online as you can. Try to bring some sense of normalcy to your life. Reach out to those who have impacted you over your past four years of college, whether it be a professor, a roommate, or a cute classmate.
While it might seem that final experiences have been taken away from us, we still have time to figure this out. Together, we have to stay positive and be grateful for what we’ve had the past few years, and being able to attend college at all. Senior year isn’t over yet — let’s make the most of what we have left.