It feels so good to be back in action, not only on campus but also in the Center for Academic Success and Transitions (CAST) office. 

My Online to In-Person Transition 

One of the things that I love about creating blog posts is that I am given the chance to share my life, experiences, and anything that can help other students to succeed. This time around, I wanted to bring the spotlight to myself. Since the beginning of the pandemic, I had been at home with my family and taking online courses. Online classes were a learning experience, but I was able to figure things out and keep not only my grades together but also my priorities. However, keeping all that in mind, I am getting ready to graduate in about a year, so I decided to come back to campus. I was not sure when I would get the chance to return, and I really missed campus along with some particularly important people in it. In this post, I wanted to talk about how I am transitioning to being back on campus, my emotional state of mind, and just some difficulties that I have been faced with recently. 

Campus Life 

This semester I am living in a residence hall, and it has been one of the weirdest things that I have had to do. It has been about two years since I have lived in a residence hall and have had to be sociable with people outside of my family members. Fortunately, enough my family was here to move me in and help me to unpack my things so that I felt a lot more at home. My suitemate is also a nice person and someone whom I can see myself having a good relationship with for a long time, even after my journey at Missouri State ends. I have adapted to my schedule, so I am able to get to my classes on time, get assignments done, and find some time to call home. I can still remember where specific buildings are, how to get around campus faster, and just the small things regarding my student account. 

My Emotional State  

These past few weeks have been hard for me to adapt to, but I expected that to happen, which is why I have been taking everything one day at a time. Things were much easier for me to balance when I was at home because not only was my family there, but everything was going on within one place; my room was my residence hall and classroom all in one. There have been and will be, times when I’m lonely or just want to hear my mom’s voice. However, I talk to my mom every day, and my parents continue to remind me that they are proud of me. My emotional state does fluctuate but that is to be expected given the change from living at home to now being on campus. 

Difficulties  

Rather than a long paragraph, I’m listing some of the difficulties that I have had to face since being on campus for the past few weeks. What’s most important is that I am overcoming the listed difficulties and enjoying my time on campus as I settle back into everything. 

• Missing being closer to my family members
• Working face-to-face with people and in-person 
• Adjusting to having a meal plan, cooking for myself, and not skipping breakfast 
• Getting up and going to my classes rather than just opening my laptop 

Takeaways for this Week 

Being a student at Missouri State online and in-person are two very different experiences. I don’t think that I would have changed my decision to come back to campus because it will pass by so fast; I will look up and the spring semester will already be over. The pandemic has made things difficult, but I am always working to keep myself safe and keep my mind on my ultimate goal, obtaining my degree. I have so many things that I am going to continue to look forward to and so many things to experience myself, but I am hopeful that my experiences can help you in some way. Be sure to look out for more blog posts from me throughout the semester and from my fellow CAST members.

~Alexandria 

(Bio: I’m the middle child of seven kids in my immediate family. I’m currently a Senior Business major at Missouri State University.)