September 1st, 2020 was my first time ever stepping on Northeastern University’s campus. I applied in the spring, right in the heart of the pandemic, as a transfer student for the Fall 2020 semester without ever seeing the campus.
I wasn’t able to tour the campus before the university closed. I didn’t get to see what student life was like before everyone was sent home. I wasn’t able to speak to a student or a teacher about classes because everyone was preoccupied with learning how to navigate the sudden change to online school.
There were very limited direct resources for me to contact. Nonetheless, I applied to the university solely based on what I had learned off of the Internet and was accepted.
Now that it’s been a month since the fall semester began, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised—shocked even, with what my experience has been like as a transfer student in the middle of a pandemic.
To give some context, I left my previous college at the end of the fall 2019 semester. I was half-way through my sophomore year, and instead of transferring directly into a new school at the beginning of the spring semester, I ended up going home with the plan to apply to universities during my semester off. This all changed, of course, when COVID-19 hit in early March.
Suddenly all of my friends who were away at college were back home within a matter of days. All of their classes went online and thus began their months of melancholy. Each day was the same: wake up, log onto Zoom for class, do homework, and when the sun set, go to bed only to repeat it the next day.
My friends were very vocal about their misery and it made me unsure on whether now was the right time to be going back to school. Being a college student during a pandemic is one thing. But being a transfer student—it’s a whole other challenge.
It differs from college to college, but transfer students are generally left to their own devices after being accepted. Sure, there may be an introductory meeting over the summer, but after that it’s “good luck” with a kiss and a quick “good-bye”.
We aren’t treated like first-year students. We don’t receive a map or guidelines to help us gain our footing. Because of our previous experience of being in college, we’re expected to already know everything in regards to navigating campus life. So the thought of transferring with that pre-existing lack of help on top of adapting to getting a college degree during a pandemic was concerning to say the least.
When I received my admissions decision, I was hesitant to accept. There was a lot of uncertainty with how colleges were going to operate with the threat of COVID-19. I knew that if campuses didn’t re-open and all classes were remote, it would make my ability to acclimate to the school much harder than normal. I wouldn’t be able to engage in campus events or meet other students. All I would know are the faces of strangers on my computer screen.
But after a few weeks of thinking over the possibilities and weighing the pros and cons, I took the risk — I’m grateful that I did.
I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I arrived. I was nervous, without a doubt. I was worried I wouldn’t make any friends, that I would struggle getting used to my classes, and that with all of the changes due to the pandemic it would be difficult for me to feel like I was truly a part of the school. But I was pleasantly surprised.
This version of Northeastern University is new to everyone. No one in history has experienced going to college during a time like this. We’re all learning how to navigate this new way of being, and that’s helped me immensely with my transition because I’m not alone in this.
I don’t know what Northeastern is normally like. I don’t know what it’s like to start the semester off with the games and events of Fall Fest. I don’t know how it feels to be at a hockey game in a stadium packed with students wearing red and black, singing Fountains of Wayne’s “Stacey’s Mom,” or the thrill of dancing and singing with friends at SpringFest. I probably won’t for another year, maybe even two.
But that’s okay because I’ve been able to experience the beauty of a community coming together to support each other during a difficult time. I’ve been welcomed with open arms into so many wonderful organizations. Professors have reached out to make sure that everyone, including upperclassmen, knows that they can always contact them if they’re struggling. And behind the masks, I’ve received smiles in passing from students I have never met.
We’re all finding our footing. We’re all meeting new people. We’re all figuring out how we can be the best versions of ourselves during this time, and we will get through it as a pack.
It is because of this that I am immensely proud to be a Husky.