by Ilana Drake, first-year student, Vanderbilt University
I like to joke with my college friends that I still feel like a high school junior. Why? Most of my time as an upperclassman in high school was spent on Zoom or in a virtual setting.
I lost socialization completely during my junior year of high school due to COVID. My entire senior year, except for graduation, occurred online as well. The experience of online learning in a New York City apartment was very isolating. I only saw a few friends, socially distanced, masked and was well-aware that my actions could directly impact the health of my parents, younger brother and grandparents.
College is a different world. Attending a college like Vanderbilt University has offered me freedom and social opportunities, but there are some things I wish I had known before I started — adjusting to the social life here was a bit bumpier than it might have been prior to the pandemic.
Shortly after arriving at Vanderbilt, I participated in a pre-orientation program that invited us to explore our new home, and I was all smiles while touring the Country Music Hall of Fame and downtown Nashville. But I was also shocked by the bustle of Nashville, full of crowded shops and restaurants. And in those first few days I often felt like a deer caught in the headlights meeting so many new people during orientation.
After having lived my so-called life on Zoom for so long, this felt like a 180-degree change, especially with the added pressure of making friends during every waking moment. During orientation, we were told by upperclassmen to “just say yes” in terms of being social. At our dorm floor meeting, we were instructed to make five new friends a day, and, as I shifted back into being more extroverted, I felt exhausted!
During orientation, we were told by upperclassmen to “just say yes” in terms of being social. At our dorm floor meeting, we were instructed to make five new friends a day, and, as I shifted back into being more extroverted, I felt exhausted!
I’ve learned that it is extremely important to take time to care for myself, both during orientation and in each semester of college. There are many opportunities to make new friends and meet new people, but new college students need to take the time to make sure that they are feeling grounded, especially if coming from a place of greater isolation.
Every college campus is different, and some campuses enforce stricter COVID measures than others. My NYC friends cannot believe that we had no routine COVID testing, no online activities and that we were able to dine inside throughout the fall semester.
Nashville isn’t an isolated bubble, either, as some cities are, but a city full of concerts, one where every weekend dozens of visitors arrive for wild bachelorette parties. During a Zac Brown Band concert, I counted the number of masks around me in sight on a single finger. This, too, took some adjustment for me, having lived through the worst of the pandemic in NYC. But even in this relatively open campus, there are reassuring precautions, such as vaccination mandates for those on campus.
While Vanderbilt moved its spring semester start date back a week due to omicron, and our first week consisted of only in-person classes, I am hopeful that we can continue in-person learning and also try to hunker down to protect our community while case counts are high.
I know that my generation has felt that we have “lost time,” in terms of missing out on social events and experiences due to the pandemic, and, to me, it seemed that the beginning of college was trying to get those moments back.
I know that my generation has felt that we have “lost time,” in terms of missing out on social events and experiences due to the pandemic, and, to me, it seemed that the beginning of college was trying to get those moments back.
Still, I also recognize that I, just like every other college student, am human, and I only have so much social battery every day which can be used. It is crucial to know when you are tired or drained, and, honestly, a night spent alone inside the dorm watching a favorite tv show (maybe one that got you through the early days of the pandemic) does not seem so bad.
Ilana Drake is a first-year student at Vanderbilt University. She is a student activist and writer. She has written for The 74 , YR Media and other national publications. Her work can be found here.
