This Was My Last Semester, and I Made It My Favorite

I came to Boston University my freshman year with lots of AP credits from high school, so many of my foundation requirements were automatically fulfilled, putting me ahead of the game. Flash forward to now, I’m graduating a semester early, in January 2021, rather than my original May 2021 plan. I’m about to take my last finals of undergrad. I’m about to get a Bachelor’s degree!

Needless to say, finishing my college career in the middle of a pandemic was not what I expected or planned for. I pictured my senior year full of weekend hockey games, Thursday nights spent waiting in line to get into TITS, gathering with my sorority sisters to sell pancakes to benefit St. Jude, and performing with the marching band in front of stadiums full of people.

I also miss the smaller experiences that the coronavirus made impossible, like all the casual meet-ups with friends in the GSU in between classes and weekly Sunday chapter meetings in lecture halls. I looked forward to having my sorority family lineage over to my apartment in the Student Village, but even that couldn’t happen because of BU’s new, albeit necessary, housing rules.

I even thought that maybe I could have joined my friends on their senior year spring break trips although I would have already graduated. But spring break and traveling, in general, are canceled until further notice. 

Especially with only one semester’s worth of senior year, I was excited to make the most of it.

The thing is, although my weekly routine didn’t include hockey game crowds or large sorority meetings and instead had the addition of twice-a-week COVID tests, I still made the most of the situation. I was extremely grateful to have the ability to come back to campus and live at school in the first place. As I discussed in an article I wrote earlier in the semester, “Don’t Wait Until Senior Year to Fall In Love With College,” the circumstances of this semester made me value my college experience more, even if it was drastically different from what it used to be.

I was committed to making the semester my own and giving myself a sense of familiarity. For example, I’m very grateful that I was still able to participate in the BU Marching Band, especially since 2020 marked the 100th anniversary of the band. We may not have been able to do conventional performances, but I still got to spin a flag alongside my friends and that’s what really mattered.

As a vice president of my sorority, Delta Delta Delta, I stepped up and planned a variety of fun sisterhood events to bond us together through these tumultuous times. Sisters would come pick up supplies from me, like gingerbread houses and self-care kits, and we joined each other on Zoom. Remote sisters were involved too! I’m proud that even during a pandemic I was able to unite my sisters and provide them with a bit of sisterly fun during their semester schedule.

I was also able to find my way to the ice this semester by taking a beginner ice skating elective! It was such an incredible experience and something that I always wanted to do while at BU, and the pandemic couldn’t stop me! I can also officially say that my chances of falling while on the ice are slim. I can even (kind of) skate backward now!

Because my life lacked the convenient social interactions of semesters past, such as run-ins with friends in the dining hall, I had to put in the effort to still see my friends who also came back to campus which meant getting creative with where to meet and what to do. Like I said, I was determined to still have fun this semester (COVID safe, of course) and make senior year memories.

In previous years, I usually waited until the weekend and then I would scrounge up some plans. Of course, there were some plans I made in advance, but for the most part, my weekend itinerary was decided on Friday and was always pretty flexible.

A key component of making this semester so enjoyable was always making sure I had something fun planned for the weekend. Sometimes, it was something as simple as ordering food and watching a movie with my friends in the building, and other times I had more complex, thought-out plans, like going apple picking with my sorority little and grandlittle.

As the winter months crept in, making sure I saw my friends became a little more complicated since nearly all of our meet-ups had to be outside. We were lucky that so far we’ve had a mild winter. I don’t know if it’s global warming or the work of the COVID gods, but I’m thankful that even in December, I could grab food with friends and find a place to eat outside without getting frostbite.

I was also very lucky to have a car available to me nearby since my sister goes to BU Law and lives a few blocks away from me. During a normal semester, I would hop on the T every other weekend and venture around Boston with friends. But this semester, my COVID comfort level with transportation limited me to my walking shoes, the BU Shuttle, and my sedan.

A few times during the semester, I chauffeured my friends around (masks on) so we could still do some fun activities. That’s how I was able to go apple picking! I also went to Build-A-Bear and the Institute of Contemporary Art with friends. I was able to make some of the best senior year memories by having access to my car.

Aside from getting creative and putting in effort into seeing some of the people I love most, I also believe that this year caused everyone to value their relationships and in-person interactions on a level we’ve never experienced before. COVID-19 taught us all the immense importance of friendships and being there for one another. This made every moment spent with my friends, classmates, and professors, whether in-person or virtual, that much sweeter.

The circumstances of this semester certainly made me cherish every second I was able to spend with my close friends. The pandemic also made me value my educational experience more, especially since I had few classes with an in-person option and, with all of my classes, these would be the last college courses I’d ever take.

The pandemic has taken a toll on everyone’s mental health, but still, this semester, I was focused on being happy and living in the moment. This positive outlook translated to multiple facets of my life, whether it was finding the simple joys of sitting in a three-hour online class or looking forward to Tuesday night just because it meant watching The Bachelorette with my roommate.

Every second of this semester felt important, and I really feel like I made the most out of it. Looking back on all the memories I made this semester and how happy I felt throughout these past few months, I wouldn’t want to change a thing. My senior year is coming to a close, and I think I’m ending on a high note.

Thank you to everyone who made this semester the best one I’ve ever had. Thanks, BU, for giving me the opportunity to have some form of an in-person senior year. And thank you to all my readers, whether you’ve been reading my articles since my freshman year or this is the first one you’ve ever read, for giving me an outlet to share my thoughts in the best way I know possible.

Signing off,

Ally

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