Freshmen Provide Their Perspectives on Class During COVID-19

The class of 2024 have a different introduction to college than most. Freshmen this year did not get to feel the welcome week excitement, nerves of finding their classes on the first day, or joy of meeting new people.

Tatum Marcyjanik, an engineering major, feels the pandemic affected her transition to Pitt-Greensburg.

“The transition from high school to college was different than I expected, since COVID has had limitations on what can occur,” Marcyjanik said.

However, not all freshmen feel this way. Andrew Hunt, a political science and public policy dual major, has made friends and joined as many clubs as possible.

“It has been fun bonding with roommates and other people on campus,” Hunt said. “It has been easy to join social activities.”

A lot of students on campus hoped COVID-19 would pass so they could have a normal year. A significant number of residents moved back home because of how little there has been to do on campus. Despite this, Marcyjanik is happy to be around campus.

“Even though this is not how I had hoped to start my college experience, I am still happy to be at Pitt-Greensburg, just like how I had expected,” Marcyjanik said. “Even though there is a pandemic, I am still able to meet new people, attend class, and make memories.”

Freshmen this semester also haven’t experienced the traditional college classroom. Most classes are held over Zoom, and Hunt feels they’re easier than he expected.

“It feels more like high school classes right now because the professors are nervous to push too hard,” Hunt said.

A considerate number of freshmen believe they are missing out on connections with their professors and fellow classmates in online classes. Marcyjanik wants that to change next semester.

“Next semester, I would prefer to have all in-person classes so that it would be a normal college experience,” Marcyjanik said.

Others, like Hunt, believe it may be difficult to make that decision before all the facts are known.

“I would prefer the hybrid method because we do not know what is going to happen with COVID yet,” Hunt said. “I would rather have the option to be online in case something does start to happen.”

Although the class of 2024 experienced some chaos before their first semester of college, they’re hopeful the next one will run more smoothly.

“This semester has brought new and unique opportunities that I believe will help me grow as a person and college student,” Hunt said.