IU freshmen still hope for '~college experience' in pandemic

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Lauren Jacobson's biggest fear about starting college at Indiana University this fall is being stuck in her dorm room alone.

'œI am one of those extroverts,'ť she said. 'œI love social interaction, I love making connections.'ť

As for the virus that could cause her to be isolated in a dorm room?

'œThankfully, I don't think a lot kids my age are as vulnerable as other people,'ť she said.

Jacobson's outlook is not unique among students who plan to start college at IU's Bloomington campus this fall. The novel conronavirus and COVID-19 - the disease it causes that has been attributed to nearly 120,000 deaths this year in the U.S. - are concerns. But for some, the worry is more about how the virus will affect what they're able to do in college than their health.

'œI hope everything is done as safely as possible without sacrificing the actual IU experience,'ť said Madeline Heath.

The recent Carmel High School graduate is excited to move out of her parents' home and have more control over how she manages her time. She plans to study marketing at the IU Kelley School of Business.

She has thought about how quickly the novel coronavirus could spread in IU's residence halls, but she is also confident the university is doing everything it can to prevent an outbreak.

Heath plans to follow the rules IU has created in response to the novel coronavirus - wearing a mask isn't that difficult, she said. But she doesn't think every student will follow every rule all the time.

'œI think everyone will fit it into their lives how they see fit,'ť she said. 'œIt depends on the person.'ť

Stojna Vidova was straightforward in her assessment.

'œI don't think they'll stop going to parties and hanging out with new people,'ť she said. 'œIt's such a new and exciting time, I feel like everyone's going to kind of forget about it, unless it's during the day.'ť

Vidova plans to study nursing and wonders how IU's hybrid approach will affect the classes she must take for her major. Nursing students have several lab requirements, she said.

IU is planning to offer a mix of both online and in-person classes when the fall semester begins Aug. 24. However, all classes will be taught in an exclusively online format from Nov. 20, 2020, to Feb. 8, 2021.

Classes were taught online for the final weeks of Vidova's senior year at Crown Point High School. She had a tough time staying on top of her work without the accountability that comes with regularly meeting in person. She also missed the social interaction.

'œThe online school thing, I don't really like it,'ť Vidova said.

Contracting COVID-19 is less of a worry. Vidova described herself as a germophobe who frequently uses hand sanitizer and is in good health.

'œFor me, personally, I don't think it's going to be that big of an issue,'ť she said.

Mary Stafford, who plans to study public policy at IU's O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, is also not concerned about experiencing complications from a COVID-19 infection. But she still thinks precautions need to be taken.

'œI'm worried about spreading it to other people with weaker immune systems,'ť she said.

Stafford got used to wearing a mask in public while working as a cashier at Target. She plans to wear a face covering as much as possible on campus, but expects there will be at least a portion of the student body that won't. And she doesn't think those students will follow social distancing recommendations either.

'œA lot of people don't see it as a problem they have to deal with,'ť Stafford said.

Jacobson agreed.

'œI'd like to say that people are great and that they are thinking about other people, but to be honest, I don't think that they are going to,'ť she said.

At the same time, Jacobson is hopeful that living through the changes the pandemic has caused will help this year's freshmen class grow. Maybe meeting an immunocompromised peer will lead to greater empathy. Maybe online classes will make walks to lecture halls more enjoyable. Maybe canceled football games will result in better attendance the following season.

'œWe are the first class to be born after 9/11,'ť Jacobson said. 'œThat shows, although we may be a class of change, we are a class of hope.'ť

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Source: The Herald-Times