Raechal Davis and Kamaria Jones were excited about starting college last fall. But both 2020 grads decided that being freshmen in college during the pandemic wasn’t the best move, so they’re taking breaks.
“I was looking forward to meeting new people and making friends," Davis said. "I wasn’t able to actually meet and get to know people because of the whole social distancing and stuff."
Jones agreed and added that learning was more difficult under COVID-19 than what she expected.
“In-person classes are the best for me," Jones said. "I prefer hands-on learning."
All but one of Jones’ classes at Eastern Michigan University was online while Davis had hybrid classes at Indiana University.
And although they were able to live on campus, both students said they didn’t enjoy campus life like they thought a college student should.
Jones lived in a dorm at EMU and said the staff hosted Zoom meetings where the students would play games together to make friends.
“Like our school hosts meetings, and when 'Among Us' became popular, we did like a dormitory wide 'Among Us' game,” Jones said. “They had us doing an 'Among Us' scavenger hunt to find stuff.”
Davis attended a campus of Indiana University that doesn’t have dormitories, so she lived in an apartment with a roommate. She said that even though the schools are trying to follow government orders to keep the students healthy, there are still students who are throwing parties to get the normal college experience.
“You could definitely sense a difference," Davis said. "It is kind of weird to be in a party with a mask on, but it did not really hinder us that much. We stayed distanced as best as we could."
Both students said they will continue their education after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Jones will return to EMU, but Davis said she’s applying to other schools. She said she found it difficult to connect with the people she met at Indiana.
