One thing my high school and its administrative staff tried to portray to its students was that they would instill in us the knowledge and necessary tools for college. Some of you may be thinking, “I mean yeah obviously, it wasn’t hard to get used to.” The rest of you, like me, may be sitting there reading this and trying not to burst into laughter. High school was obviously beneficial in the sense of certain academics, learning social skills, and developing character, however what I feel the first semester of college taught me that high school did not, is how to manage time efficiently, learn how to embrace independence, and think more consciously about the future as my second semester was ahead of me.

The first semester of college, although one possessing feelings of nervousness and stress, is what taught me what was necessary in terms of my effort and time moving forward on my collegiate path. As I went head on into my second semester of my college career, I felt more prepared in understanding the workload that would be placed on my shoulders, how to use my time wisely while staying organized, and engaging in the world around me as an independent adult. College has always been something I feared, because along with it came the crucial steps to planning my future and growing up. These are two things that I try to avoid thinking about most, but cannot. I fear of failing in the future, or looking back and wishing I did something different. Not that I did not have people to lean on before college started, because I thank my family, friends, and boyfriend more than anything for always being there, but I truly learned how to fall into the open arms of my new friends at school. Many of my friends come from within the same major as me, making it easier to relate to one another of course, but aside from that is their character. Between my roommate and everyone I have met along the way so far,  I am beyond lucky to have met the people I have. It is important to have a support system, and in times like the present, it is a necessity.

As my friends and every other student at University of Delaware, including myself, began to get in the swing of their routine and what they needed to improve on in the second semester, we were sent home for the remainder. The coronavirus has exceeded expectations in terms of destruction on the world population, the economy, and healthcare systems. As according to the White House and state governments, our current actions are what will flatten the curve of the pandemic and allow us to resume life as normal eventually. I have no opinion against these guidelines, in fact I agree with them, but one thing I am sure we can all agree on is this sucks.

I am well aware this sucks for everyone, and there are far more important, serious events occurring than the fact that we are currently enrolled in Zoom University. Especially when I first stepped foot back in my house, I felt as though all my confidence, power, and thoughts had been ripped away from me. I have struggled with levels of emotions that I never have, and I can say almost positively that we can all relate to some degree. My words are not to draw attention to my personal experiences or emotions, but rather to a valuable lesson I learned since the start of this semester.  Everything in life does not go as planned—we encounter obstacles and lose footing on our path, experience the highest highs and lowest lows, but we will be okay and everything will work out in the end. While college so far, the second semester especially, has taught me the ways to succeed academically and personally, this semester more than anything has taught me how to keep pushing forward. Despite any spontaneous event or emotion that is painted into the picture, we will continue to prosper and grow.

By: Toni Abdy