Moving into College During COVID
Colleges and universities’ COVID-19 plans, or lack thereof, have dominated headlines recently. As a university student myself, I spent most of my summer aching to go back to my campus in Boston while also quelling my anxieties about returning. My friends and family oozed pessimism about the return process and insisted that I would be back in my childhood bedroom within weeks of returning to school. It didn’t help that UNC was forced to shut down after a week and a half of classes. But I countered my parents’ emphatic claims with my university’s strict policies this fall—such as COVID testing for every undergraduate every three days, isolation housing and an extended move-in period.
My loved ones’ skepticism and concern loomed over me as I planned my trip back to Boston. Particularly concerning was move-in, an already grueling activity, and its potential for exposure. But the move-in process ended up simple, safe and (for the most part) not stressful.
Move in typically happens the weekend before classes start, resulting in thousands of students rolling large yellow carts full of boxes on the same narrow sidewalks and into the same small elevators. But this year, move-in happened throughout the course of three and a half weeks. There was no line to check-in, no one else moving into my suite and no yellow carts to ram into. Masks were strictly enforced in the dorm at all times. To officially check-in and get my room key, I had to show my RA (residential assistant) that I had a COVID test scheduled for later that day. She then slid my keys under the plexiglass divider and motioned for me to take one of the packs of wet wipes in the box below the table, some snacks, and a water bottle.
After that, I moved my things into my room. No one else in my suite could have chosen the same move-in time so it was just me and my mom inside which, honestly, made the experience much smoother than years past. One of the more anxiety-inducing aspects of move-in was picking up my belongings that had been stored when we were kicked off-campus in the spring. Now, I had left school in March thinking that I would return in a short two weeks and only packed one suitcase worth of clothes. But when the entire semester was moved remotely, 95% of my belongings were trapped in Boston. My university so graciously offered to store or ship everything left on campus. I had no idea what was lurking in those boxes and what contraband I would have to carefully hide from my mom. But I was fortunate enough that it seemed whoever stored my stuff got rid of any contraband, along with my fan, mattress topper, Brita filter, and trash can. Dodged a bullet there.
The smooth and safe move-in process bodes well for the rest of this semester. Cases will spike, I’m sure, but I’m hopeful that we will at least make it until Thanksgiving without having to completely shut down. Perhaps I’m being too hopeful, but I believe college students aren’t as stupid as the world tends to think. This is our opportunity to prove that.
By Marla Hiller
La Croix obsessed, coffee addicted, podcast fanatic.