SECOND YEAR, FIRST TIME ON-CAMPUS
Returning to campus was stressful even for those who stayed in town for their online classes, and especially for students who had never been on-campus before.
How did you first feel when you walked onto FSU's campus?
"Nervous." "Anxious." "Surreal." "Crowded." "Felt off." "Not what I
expected." For sophomore students arriving oncampus for the first time this fall, it was hard for them to know what awaited them on FSU's campus. Students experienced different levels of anxiety and relief about returning to in-person classes. For some, the lockdown gave them new eyes to see campus with. Upon returning to campus after taking classes online during her sophomore year, Pearl Ray reflected that FSU's campus "felt bigger than before and like there was more to do." A few other students shared similar sentiments, stating that they felt excited and/or relieved to be back on campus. Senior student, Alena Williams wrote. "I was excited to be back. It felt refreshing and gave me new motivation for my senior year."
How did this past year's distance learning affect student socialization? Were students who chose distance-learning last semester just as comfortable on campus, or was there a disconnect? When Yasmin Khabou, sophomore student, arrived on campus for the first time, after completing her freshman classes in Pensacola, Yasmin found everything to be "different than (she) expected." "My friends that spent their first year on campus seem to have had an easier time making friends. I feel as though I've missed a certain window to be able to establish fresh friendships because most people returned to campus at least in the second semester of last year. It seems like everyone
ne has "It seems like everyo iend already found their fr ggler..." groups, and I'm a stra
-Yasmin K.
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