On March 17, I officially moved out of my dorm and ended my junior year six weeks early. Emotionally, I am a bit scattered one could say, but I know I am lucky I had a place to go. I have friends still staying at school who can’t go home and I have friends who are struggling to go back home since home is an unsafe environment. The virus has progressed so quickly, it feels like us college students are just caught in the middle.
But, I know that the precautions my school has taken are necessary. Limiting contact with others and getting out of close-knit dorm environments will be essential to stop the spread of the virus. Just because I may “be fine” if I get sick, there are so many others who will not be. The mindset that those who are older or already sick or immunocompromised are “expendable” needs to stop. We are all human, we all deserve the right to live, and if sacrificing my college life means helping others, I would do it a million times.
That doesn’t mean I am any less sad. I am allowed to be sad and miss my friends; miss the life I thought I would be having for the next month and a half. This is new territory for everyone, which is what makes it so scary, but once we get into the new groove, things will get better and we will all be glad we did our part to flatten the curve.
1. Start Unpacking Early
It can be tempting to leave things all over the house and say you’ll unpack it “tomorrow”. It’s daunting, there’s a lot of stuff, but the longer it stays and waits, the harder it will be to start.
2. Sanitize Your Stuff
3. Go Through Your Stuff
This is the perfect time to see what you really need and what you don’t. Make bags to donate, throw out, recycle and keep, especially if you took discarded items from other people home with you.
4. Integrate Your School Stuff With Your At-Home Stuff
Did anyone else take all their college stuff and just throw it in the guest bedroom all summer? No? Just me? Cool. Since we are home for longer this time, we are not going to do that. I am going abroad to LA next semester and I am probably getting an apartment after that, so I decided to start taking my items from school and using them at home. It’ll also make the change less of a shock!
5. Spend a Lot of Time With Your Pets
You’ve spent months at school, you can make up for the lost time now.
6. Spend Time With Your Family
When you’re at college, you can pretend they don’t exist. When you’re all stuck in the house together… that’s a different story. Play games, watch movies, hang out, you are stuck together, so this is the time to let go of grudges (unless they are too big to be ignored) and bond.
7. Make Your Room Look Like Yours Again
I spent a lot of time making my dorm room look pretty cool, if I do say so myself, but my room at home became a trash room for things I didn’t know what to do with. I plan on taking things from my dorm room and using them in my room at home. After all, it will be my home for the next few months.
8. Make a Spot to Do Schoolwork and Homework
This is essential. I did online school in high school and as much as it would be nice to just do school in bed, you at least need a main hub to put your things and separate them from other belongings. I recommend a table or desk to put notebooks and reserve as your school, just to keep things organized.
9. Plan out Your Days
If you do have ZOOM classes, make a schedule of when they will be. Think of them like regular classes. Plan out when you will be doing homework as well. It can be easy to forget that you have to do school at all, since you are in a drastically different location.
10. FaceTime Friends From School
