When Smith opened for Spring 2021, about 1300 of Smith’s 2500 students came back to their dorm rooms according to Student Affairs, however many have opted to complete the semester remotely.
For first years, forming connections with their classmates without ever having met them in person has been a challenge. Shariqa Shaila ‘24, an intended Neuroscience or Biology major, says “it is hard to contact people if you don’t really have a purpose.” However, there is a positive to being a first-year during a pandemic. Shaila explains that because remote first-years have never actually lived on campus, they do not know what they are missing out on.
Molly McGehee ‘21, a senior student, misses Smith, especially her house community a lot. She decided that she would rather have the freedom and flexibility that living in her parent’s house offers, knowing how different life at Smith would be during a pandemic. It worked out well, since her best friend is now living with her for the semester. Through reaching out to friends and participating in clubs, she still feels connected to Smith.
Ari Jewell ‘22, a Smith junior, also decided to live off campus and avoid the possibility of a potentially isolating semester in red mode. Instead, they are continuing to live in an apartment in Greenfield with two friends who they have been living with since July 2020. Even though they are not living on campus, they still feel connected to Smith. “I still feel like a Smith student taking Smith classes,” they said. Already knowing several of their classmates helps and so does living with fellow Smithies.
For first year students like Vanessa Nicole Silva-Burgos ‘24, that sense of belonging is much harder to achieve. Originally, they planned to come to campus in the fall, but questioned this decision even before Smith decided to hold an entirely remote fall semester. Being close with her family, leaving home during a global pandemic was difficult for Silvia-Burgos. When several of their relatives contracted Covid-19, they realized that their wish to come to Smith was based on an “internalized notion of what community is.” Despite the challenges of connecting with fellow students remotely, she is doing everything she can to still be involved while taking classes from home, with her little nephew singing in the background.
One issue that multiple remote students have struggled with is finding and accessing the resources they need from Smith. Some students described their difficulties finding the necessary forms to fill out in order to get support, or technical issues which have prevented financial support from reaching them. Although they all voiced approval of the resources Smith is offering, they wish the college would be more clear about where to find those resources.
Overall, doing the semester remotely is generally a good experience for these four students, but forming connections with Smith is not an easy task. The first years in particular described how hard it can be to form connections that might have come more naturally in person.
Smith is committed to making studying remotely as rewarding as possible, but there is only so much they can do. All four Smithies are excited for things to get better and to be able to return to campus soon.
[Image: The Quad at Smith College. (Photo credit: The Boston Globe)]
