For a lot of college students going back home for a brief spell can be peaceful, relieving and even exciting at times.
For a lot of students, college is the longest period of being away from their family.
Due to COVID-19, students were sent home nationwide in mid-March, which for most students was an adjustment considering they were probably used to not being under their parent or guardian's roof.
“I have mixed emotions about being at home. It has allowed me to work on my small business and I have been watching it flourish,” Nailah Humes, a recent graduate of Oakland University, said regarding being home for this extended period. “My family and I have always been close but this is also the longest time I have ever been around my family in my adult life and it is driving me crazy. I want to do things with my friends.”
Being under the roof of the parent or guardian some individuals grew up with is proving to be a struggle for students who are used to living in their single dorm or apartment in college.
“I am ready to get out [of the house], It is making me ready to buy a place of my own, Lauren Mitchell a rising senior at N.C. A&T said. “My family is close I think we just kind of getting on each others nerves right now."
With long-distance learning comes the struggle of trying to learn new college concepts in a less than preferred way.
“Being home hurt my grades because I am a hands-on learner,” Kennedy Johnson, a rising sophomore at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) said. “My grades that were consistently A’s across the board turned into C’s.”
Johnson has found some solace in quarantine. Johnson has become closer with her sister Jordan and was able to spend time with her grandmother before she passed in April.
“I got closer to Jordan just because we have to constantly entertain each other. It was also nice being able to be home and allow me to be with my grandma on her final days, so I guess I am grateful for quarantine.”
UNC and some Virginia School systems have announced they are planning for in-person instruction in the fall.
