As a new freshman on campus, how do you think social interactions have been impacted during the pandemic?
Priya Sigamani, (freshman, speech-pathology) from Alabama, started off by saying that overall there is a lot of fear surrounding initiating conversations and meeting new people. She says, “There are people that want to meet new people but because of the virus they are scared to branch out. This fear has made things kind of cliquey—which is understandable.”
Drusilla Apola, (freshman, speech-pathology) from Maryland, noted the importance of orientation week and how the modified structure this year set the foundation for the weeks following. “I feel like we’re not as involved as other classes have been, especially during orientation week where we get to learn more about the school, tour, and meet new people. Everything was on Zoom, so we didn’t get to meet people one-on-one and now that school has started, we’re too busy to really meet new people. Even in classes, we are all separated and so we don’t get to interact with our classmates. A lot of interactions are prohibited unless you make plans to meet outside somewhere.”
Do you feel as though you are still getting the “true” college experience in light of having limited social events and other such opportunities for socialization?
Sarah Coleman, (freshman, biology pre-med) from New York, says, “I don’t know if it’s the true college experience, but given the circumstances it’s not as bad as I expected it to be and we make the most of what we have. One advantage is that you get to make deeper and more meaningful bonds with fewer people.”
Apola: “No, because even when we do have events, they are socially distanced so you only really talk to the people you came with or the people you know. Trying to talk to people outside of that is harder, which makes it difficult to make new friends. Because we didn’t meet many people at the beginning, we are limited to the friends we have now; we pretty much stay in our same groups.”
What are some ways you have been able to socialize despite the COVID-19 guidelines?
Sigamani: “If you care enough you'll make it work—even if it means testing the guidelines a little bit. Some things I do personally are sitting outside to eat in a group or hanging out in our dorm rooms together.”
Apola: “I have met some people at the club fair and at church, when they do the ice breakers.
A big one is Pulse groups; it’s a consistent event so you know you'll see the same people regularly and will potentially be able to form deeper bonds with those people.”
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.