It began on a Wednesday. Despite the news and warnings by online observers, we were all still seated in class.

It was hard to imagine that something as deadly as the coronavirus had a chance of reaching our campus. And for that reason, I could not foresee it impacting school life. But when I noticed my classmates whispering, murmuring to one another during the lecture and unable to focus, it was clear they knew very well what was coming. None of us could prepare for what was going to hit Purdue Northwest.

An order to move to online classes was the solution. If you hate waking up in the morning and enjoy doing things at your own pace, then online classes are definitely for you. But if you’re someone like me who’s used to the routine of attending classes, learning from lectures and face-to-face groups for projects, life just got that much harder.

The lack of contact with professors was difficult, especially when you had questions. I sensed that in some of my classes, daily discussions had taken place of the hour we needed to digest the material. The amount of frustration that follows when it comes to trying to do a project with five people you won’t see for weeks is even worse.

However, I can say that the experience was powerful. It was unlike anything any of us have endured before and with a collective effort, we’ve survived this semester with high hopes for the future.

And I can proudly say that adjusting to online classes during this semester made me realize that online classes definitely are not for me.  Not only was it hard for the students, but teachers had to cope with the changes as well.