This Is My First Semester On Campus As A Sophomore

As a sophomore spending this semester taking all of my classes on campus for the first time, I feel like both a newbie and a Hofstra veteran at the same time. It’s strange but cool.

I spent my freshman year at Hofstra taking classes mostly online. I only went to campus twice a week for the fall semester. When I was on campus then, I would sometimes have online classes that I would take in the lobbies of the halls where my in-person classes were held. In the spring, I took all my classes online and from home. Now, I’m taking all of my classes in person but I still commute. I really feel like once you’re on campus, even if you don’t dorm, it becomes your second home.

The first thing I came to realize after being on campus for these few weeks is that Hofstra’s campus is a lot bigger than I ever thought it was. I’ve been to some of the buildings and to the Student Center before becoming a full-time, on-campus student. However, I greatly underestimated the sizes of both the north and south campuses.

I sometimes still find myself getting turned around on my way to my classes or clubs. Yet, at the same time, getting to know my way around was relatively easy for me. After only three or four days of being on campus, I knew where all my classes were and the most practical way to get to them on time. The campus is organized in a way that makes it easy to get from one place to another. The main unispan connecting the Student Center to the Axinn Library is especially convenient, as it’s a direct way to get from the residential and recreational north campus to the academically focused south campus quickly. 

Being in person for the first time has improved my overall college experience. I really feel more like I’m part of a community. It’s been much easier to make friends since there are more opportunities for me to socialize now that I’m able to communicate face-to-face. I’ve met a considerable number of other sophomores like myself who are also spending their semesters on-campus for the first time and we’ve been able to bond over sharing our experiences. I also greatly prefer taking all of my classes in person. I can focus better, and it’s a lot more productive and less awkward when we’re not separated by computer screens. 

The transition to being on-campus, as opposed to being mostly online, has been smooth and easy for me. I’ve grown to love the campus and all the resources and benefits that it offers, for both those who live there and commuting students such as myself.