My First College Semester Online: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
By: Michael D'Angelo
Tags: Life Lessons, College, Education, Students, Millennials

Many look back at their first semesters in college with fondness. You know them right? The talk of college parties, hanging with friends, stories of crazy roommates, all-nighters, and the like. For many, it was a new and exciting time — their first taste of freedom as adults, and a period of exploration without judgment. A right of passage almost.

Almost.

After being accepted to the University of Virginia in late 2019, I couldn’t wait for the last semester of my senior year in high school to be over. Thoughts of who I would meet, where I would go, and what would happen once I arrived in Charlottesville was all that I could think about. In just a few short months, I would finally experience the mystical unknown world of college and gladly embrace it with open arms.

But, as you could probably guess, my long-desired wishes were stolen. It was as if an armed robber had barged in, and taken everything that I had been longing for since the start of my academic career. Not only was my first-college semester experience stolen, but so was my prom, and eventually even my high school graduation.

The thief’s name? COVID-19.

It was a devastating time, and the months that I wished would end, droned on for even longer it seemed. After a tough discussion with my parents, I decided to stay home for the semester. Thus, I began my online learning endeavors. By far, the worst learning experience of my life. By a long shot.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Let me begin by saying online learning isn’t my cup of tea. I will admit, there were a few pros to the online learning experience. Flexibility in class schedules, I didn’t have to leave the comfort of my room, and best of all, I could have homecooked meals with my family and I even got to socialize with my high school friends. Life was great — for about a week.

Things started to get stale really quickly, and by the first month of this routine, I had grown really exhausted from it. I took classes in my room from the morning well into the evening time. Through my window, while sitting at my desk, I watched as the Sun rose in the morning and set in the evening.

While in class, I heard as my parents and older sister came in and out of the house frequently, getting to see the world, and living their lives. I felt as if I was a corpse frozen in time, while everyone else was moving forward. There was no change in scenery, my eyes were absolutely strained, and my schedule was incredibly tedious.

My mother would constantly ask, “Hey, Michael, your father, sister, and I are going out for lunch. Want to come?” and I would always respond, “Sorry Ma, I’ve got classes. Maybe next time.”

Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

Coursework and grades were even worse. I couldn’t learn as effectively online. In high school, I would always sit in front and ask the most questions (weird flex, but okay). I always appreciated the close relationships I had with my professors and peers, as well as the smaller class sizes, and it made the learning process much more enjoyable for me.

However, with the switch to online classes, that was all thrown out the window. Classes contained over a hundred people crammed into one Zoom meeting. All of the students' microphones and cameras were turned off, and it was a very daunting learning environment. All that littered the screen were blank profile images, and the professor droning on and on, just as tired as we were.

It became harder to focus, and by the end of the semester, I had absorbed almost nothing from the classes, even despite being present and taking notes all throughout the lectures. I hadn’t asked nearly enough questions, and my grades dropped significantly. I scored my first-ever failing grade. It was a really tough experience, to say the least.

I didn’t go out much during that four-month period or learn much for that matter, but in reality, what really bothered me was the college experience that I missed out on. Sure, being imprisoned in your room is less than ideal, but missing that first-semester on campus never sat right with me.

Photo by Mikael Kristenson on Unsplash

During those long months of quarantine and throughout my college semester, I couldn’t stop asking myself why this had happened to me. I understood that no one could have anticipated a global-wide pandemic wreaking havoc on our world, but why couldn’t it have happened in any other year?

I couldn’t help but be disappointed. The grand welcomings, college initiations, the meeting of new friends and acquaintances, conversing with my professors, experiencing that first bit of freedom. All the traditional perks of that first semester of college life were lost, and I doubt they’ll truly return by the time I end my college career at UVA.

However, what I learned by the end of this ordeal is that the experiences you have are what you make of them. Sure, this semester was kind of a dumpster fire in terms of the learning and prison-like class schedules, but I learned to take things one step at a time. Of course, I could never get my first-semester back, or erase that D from my transcript (sadly) but it serves as a reminder that even in the worst of times, it is okay to take a breather and appreciate the finer things in life.

One quote that I’ll leave you with is this one:

“Never be defined by your past. It was a life lesson, not a life sentence.” — Anonymous

Yes, bad things happen all the time, but life will always go on, and gosh darn it, so should you!