In a Dark Year on Campus, Some Surprising Glimmers of Light

College in a pandemic was not the experience that most students had in mind. But at year’s end, some see positive experiences and insights that came out of it.

It was the year of college without the college experience. No packed stadiums and arenas. No intimate, small-group seminars or serendipitous encounters with strangers. No (or fewer) ill-advised nights of beer pong and partying. It is not likely, if given the choice, that many college students would opt for the past year of distance, separation and perpetual wariness. Still, perhaps surprisingly, for many students, there was much that was gained, as well as much that was lost, in their unwanted suspension of campus life during the coronavirus pandemic.