I’m in my third year at The University of Akron, but it doesn’t really feel like it. I can name (maybe) three buildings on campus, and I can never remember how to get to the campus library. This isn’t quite how I imagined my college experience. 

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I transferred to The University of Akron. In March 2020, I packed up my bags at a small private college in Kentucky and never returned. While living at home with my family, I transitioned to online learning and enrolled at UA.

The fall semester of the same year, I moved to Akron and attended full-time. All my classes were online, and I wasn’t involved in anything on campus. It felt like I wasn’t even a student. 

Since I had so much free time, I started working 40 hours a week. I spent so much time working that I never even thought about getting involved on campus. My routine stayed this way for all of my sophomore and junior years.  

I wasn’t having a bad time, but the whole college thing just didn’t feel very fulfilling. 

I spent a lot of time wishing I could graduate and rush into a career. It felt like I needed to be older or to have more experience in order to be successful in life. I was wishing away a time that I was supposed to be loving. 

I assumed my senior year would be the same way. As I prepared to graduate this upcoming December, I couldn’t wait for graduation and to move away from Akron forever. I didn’t feel connected to any of my classmates or anything on campus. 

I had been writing for the Buchtelite, but the meetings were all virtual and I didn’t feel very connected with the organization. 

But, in August, I got an opportunity to be involved in an organization. A friend of mine asked me if I would be the secretary of the University of Akron Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), and I accepted.  

Through this organization, I started going to different meetings and events. I attended a few conferences, and I started to network with other students and professors. 

Just last month, I attended an Ohio Communication Association conference and accepted the Distinguished Student Organization Award for the Buchtelite with some of my peers. I was finally feeling involved in this organization too. 

It definitely wasn’t a huge change in my everyday life, but I felt more connected. Between PRSSA and The Buchtelite, I finally felt like a true student. 

This semester I’ve learned more than I have in my entire college career. I’ve gained professional experience, improved my resume and formed real relationships. 

In a way, I felt like college wasn’t very useful to me. It seemed like there were better things I could be doing. I thought it was dumb to do all the college stuff when I had a real career to build. 

Getting involved and allowing myself to participate in the stage of life I am in has made me a better student and, hopefully, a better and more well-rounded professional. 

I still don’t know how to get to the campus library, and I’ve only taken two in-person classes. Nevertheless, when I graduate, I will feel like I was a part of The University of Akron. 

UA has over 340 student organizations. I know it’s not possible for everyone, but it’s worth a shot to get involved.  

The pandemic certainly did add some unprecedented barriers to connecting with the campus. For those of us who started spring 2019 or later, we never knew a time where campus life was thriving pre-pandemic. We’ve been in survival mode for two years, but we can’t stay in survival mode forever. Now it’s time for all of us to get our sh*t together and take advantage of all college has to offer. 

 I finally got my sh*t together – will you join me?