Virtually Sick of It…
While most of our lives were lived virtually in 2020, I am looking forward to a new year filled with authentic live experiences. The perspective I have gained through the quiet and sometimes lonely days of the pandemic could not have been learned in any other environment, so for that I am grateful. As addicted as many of us are to our screens, I believe we are all craving the personal interaction that was absent this past year.
I can only imagine what some high school and college students have lost over the last year. Virtual school is a poor substitute in many ways for the academic experience. This year has been unprecedented and we should all feel proud to have adapted to a new normal.
For millions of students who started College in 2020, the experience was likely very different than they had hoped. For millions more starting in 2021 and beyond there is still uncertainty about what they will face on campus. I think this year more than ever students are thinking more critically about what they want from college and what they expect from their investment. This type of pointed reflection will ultimately help students make smarter choices.
As a sophomore in college I was attending Tulane University when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, my new home. I remember arriving on campus on Saturday with my brother, a freshman, and moving all of our stuff into our dorms. We started to hear rumors that there would be an evacuation later that day, and having lived in Miami for many years we knew to leave before the official declaration. So we hurriedly left our clothes, books, and personal items and got right back in our car to head back to Houston. Definitely not the joyful college experience we were expecting. Two days later we watched as New Orleans was almost washed away and the community was left unaided for days.
Over the next semester we couldn’t return to campus, we were left scrambling to find another college, catching up in class, replacing clothes, and adjusting to new living conditions. However, the storm brought perspective. Compared to the loss of life, the loss of homes, community, and for some families everything, my loss of one semester and some possessions was trivial. I had what I needed and I was thankful. I knew that when I got to go back to New Orleans I would appreciate that special city even more. I am still beyond grateful for the time that I got to live in NOLA and for my experiences at Tulane.
I hope that when “pandemic” students look back on their time at college they don’t focus on what they lost during 2020 but rather how they overcame adversity. And I hope they appreciate life with newfound perspective.
To everyone else who is virtually sick of it, I wish you less gloom, doom, and zoom! May we all resume our beautiful lives in the new year.
Cheers to 2021!
Sophie
Hi I am Sophie Roth
As a college counselor, recruiter, and consultant over the last decade, I have worked with over 18 Universities all over the world. I have been in admissions roles at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral level. I have worked with Universities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia, recruiting both domestic and international students. I have experience in public and private Colleges and large and small institutions. With my extensive and diverse experience, I have a unique understanding of the College landscape.
