An Open Letter to College Students Affected by COVID-19 by heidi wong
Dear College Student, For you, the last month has been a flurry of chaos, frantic packing, and unanswered questions. Futures that at one point seemed so crystal clear are now a foggy abyss. That previous satisfaction to begin your mornings whenever you wanted to is no longer as gratifying. The lack of structure, which at first was novel, has become quite stressful. You miss your friends. You miss the ability to walk across the hallway in your PJs and talk for hours about the most random things with some of your favorite people. You miss eating late-night food. You miss pulling “all-nighters;” they were often far more fun than studious. The sudden transition to once again living at home has been jarring. Maybe being away at college was a welcome escape to your normal home life. But now that you’re back in your bedroom, the not-so-welcome memories start flooding back. All the “progress” you thought you made as a person vanishes as old habits return. Impatience, flashes of anger, perhaps even coldness towards your family.
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Or maybe you’re on the other end of the spectrum and so relieved to be back home. The semester had been weighing on you, and to be back home with the comfort of your family was just what you needed to get through another week. On top of all this, a new grading system, one that does not incentivize you to study very hard, has either been the best or worst news you’ve heard in a while. For some, it may feel like the rug has been ripped right out from under you. For those from the Asian International or Asian American community, studyingv was a way of life. To have the institution that you worked so hard to get into tell you that the only letters of significance this semester will be “P” and “F” is offensive. It is disturbing to realize that the great sacrifice your parents made for your education, is, at least for the time being, being poured into a Zoom meeting. For others, the release of academic pressure has been a great relief and blessing. You feel like you finally breathe again. Is what I’m feeling normal? How should I feel? What do I do?
