Moving to Campus During a Pandemic
Moving to college is, at least in America, a right of passage that most prospective college students look forward to as they put in their applications and wonder which school and campus will be the right fit for them. It goes without saying that the COVID-19 pandemic has put massive, screeching brakes on this experience and countless students are sitting in their childhood bedrooms, attempting to engage in the critical ways that are all too important to our educations. I, too, was one of those students, trying to figure out a way to make the best of my situation sitting in my crowded bedroom with my mother asking me to do chores during lecture, the dogs barking at the door and the cats demanding their 5th meal of the day.
But after deciding to spend my first semester at UC Berkeley living at home to save money while campus is closed, I spent a lot of time contemplating that housing choice. And so the decision to move was made and I now find myself writing to you from my studio apartment in Berkeley — close enough to campus to hear the bell tower ring every hour. Out of the logical decisions I could have made when it came to my housing situation, spending precious money on Bay Area rent when I can’t even sit in the library to study doesn’t seem like the most sound decision someone has ever made. I could have stayed home where my housing was (mostly) paid for, I was surrounded by loving family, and the pantry was never empty. Moving to Berkeley was going to be costly and, perhaps, lonely.
“The space and separation that having my own apartment affords me has been the most logical choice yet when it comes to my academics.”
Katie sitting in her Berkeley apartment with her dog, Doogie
I would agree that it is an expensive choice to make, but after spending the first semester of my two short years as a transfer student adhering to the seemingly logical choice, it became increasingly apparent to me that it was slowly becoming illogical. I decided to move because I was unhappy living at my family’s house, as much as I love them. It was too noisy and I couldn’t concentrate. I didn’t really have any control over my space, sharing it with two other people and five pets can do that! I didn’t feel connected to the campus in the slightest, and although I haven’t yet made any more Cal friends, being able to take a stroll to visit campus and see the bustle of the town makes me feel as though I am an actual, real, bona fide UC Berkeley student.
The space and separation that having my own apartment affords me has been the most logical choice yet when it comes to my academics. My focus is no longer pulled in infinite directions; after moving and settling in, my apartment is quiet when I need it to be and I have control over what my space looks like and how it functions. I’m surprisingly not so lonely with my little guy Doogie by my side who is always happy and excited to go for our morning walk. I wanted to live the motto that this experience is what you make of it.
I’m lucky to be able to even afford thinking about moving to an area as costly as the Bay, but I am grateful every day that I’m here and for the ability to make an experience for myself that I thought was worth living.