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A month into the semester, one cannot help but notice the difference from last year. In what feels like a brand new campus, sophomores have had to adjust to more “normal” times here on campus. After a freshman year full of COVID-19 restrictions, five sophomores on The Gavel give their take on what it’s like returning to campus this year.
Devyn Casey, Features Staff Writer
When I arrived at BC in August, it felt like a different college than last year. While the change from Newton to Lower campus certainly contributed to this feeling of difference, seeing people walk around campus without masks is primarily responsible for these feelings of change. Though I do feel nervous about the lack of masks worn in my classes, the ease in COVID-19 restrictions such as a more expansive guest policy has made my sophomore year so exciting! BC events such as football games and Stokes Set add to the excitement missing from last year, and I am excited to see what the rest of the year holds.
Minji Jeun, Copy Editor
I'm uncertain of what this year will entail. I had no idea what we were missing last year, so it wasn't like I was grieving the Chocolate Bar and tailgates the way that upperclassmen were. Now that I've gotten a taste of that, I have more of an understanding of why people were so upset with COVID-19 restrictions last year; seeing BC students come together in any way is extremely moving.
Devin Klein, Sports Staff Writer
I know this is really cliche, but it feels really weird. Going from a year of online classes, wearing a mask at the gym, and standing 6 feet apart in lines for food to what we have this year, it feels like night and day. If you asked me last year how many people went to BC, I would probably say a few hundred. Now, I'd say there are several thousand people because of how lively the campus is on a daily basis. It almost seems wrong seeing a lecture hall with 250 students or walking by people without masks on, but it is great. I have also had more fun in the first month than I did all of last year. Not that I didn't have fun, but the experience of a football game is just so much better than hanging out in a dorm with a single guest in the room.
Maggie Vaughn, Opinions Associate Editor
Coming back to campus as a sophomore after a freshman year full of COVID-19 restrictions was definitely weird. Wandering from in-person class to in-person class, it was shocking to see the mere number of people that go to Boston College that I didn't know about. I felt like a second-year freshman, learning all of the things I was already supposed to know, like where to sit at the football games or which line at lower to stand in. It has definitely been an adjustment again, but at least this time I'm adjusting to the fun stuff and not the other way around. If there is one thing I've learned after COVID-19 it is to be flexible and go with the flow, and this year/transition is just another example of that.
Pat Bole, Culture Staff Writer
Having lived in Newton, I would say that the regulations for COVID-19 were rather relaxed. That being said, campus has been far more vibrant and lively. I would also say that the lack of experience with normalcy across half of the student population has been jarring.
Doing college, amongst other things.
