College students adjusting to life back at home

Quarantine has had many effects on all those who have endured it thus far. People have been separated from their friends, family, and other loved ones. Boredom has taken hold of many minds in a way most would never have experienced if it had not been for this pandemic.

People have turned to new hobbies, new shows, and new ways of life. One group that has experienced a “new way of life” is the eager young adults who have returned to their childhood homes from college. This group of people has experienced constriction of their freedoms that go above and beyond quarantine. They went from learning how to live on their own to being subjected to the rules of their parents, on top of those of quarantine. They are largely angry with their current situation, as what are supposed to be the best years of their lives seem to be getting ripped away. The talk of school closures next fall has not helped with this overwhelming feeling of despair.

According to Mlive, colleges such as Michigan State and Wayne State are already making plans to transfer their classes to an online format next fall. However. The University of Michigan maintains that they will have some sort of in-person classes, although they may look drastically different then what students are used to. Nevertheless, all college students are feeling the stress of current and possible future closures 

These young adults have to sit in their rooms without the new friends they have made in the past year, or few years, taking online courses. Although these courses are said to be good alternatives to in-person classes, they are only “good” when taken in conjuncture with the current global situation. Although there is no better option, it is still hard to swallow that the workload is the same without any real-time instruction or social interaction on campus. Many college students have just recently completed their finals, but those who are enrolled in the summer semester will have to continue to endure this. 

Those who are now free from taking classes and not really free, however. They must still sit in their houses with the families they crave freedom from. According to TommieMedia, the average college student stays awake until 12:20 am; many students who have adapted to this lifestyle or are used to staying up even later can not even do that in any relatively loud way, as many parents demand that the house be quiet after a certain time. This means these people cannot even talk to their friends or play video games as they choose. 

However, it is not all bad. According to former MHS student Zoe Shettler, who graduated last year and now attends Oakland University, “It’s definitely an adjustment, going from being independent and starting to be an adult.” She continued, saying “Coming back is nice, as it’s less stressful worrying about money.” 

Another former MHS student, Sarah Schang, who graduated in 2017 and now attends The University of Michigan, said “I’d say it was incredibly unexpected, but the transition was as smooth as possible for such a short turn around — with many teachers reaching out, showing care for their students, and doing their best to accommodate for the diversity of students they teach.

The motivation is for sure challenging, being in the comfort of my childhood home, but I’m enjoying the unexpected time with my family and dog.” She elaborated by saying “I cannot wait to go back to my home in Ann Arbor with my friends and resume my current life, but I see a silver lining in this situation: getting extra time back home I didn’t think would happen again.” 

Some of these young adults are able to look on the bright side. Nonetheless, if you are a parent or sibling of someone who is home from college, try to remember that they too are dealing with a lot of disappointment and stress right now and try as best you can to be nice, because it will mean more than you know.