Adapting to college life, especially COVID college life, has not been the easiest. Truthfully, the biggest adaptation happened in the spring during my senior year when everything first switched to being virtual. I personally learn better when I’m in a classroom interacting with my teachers/professors and others around me, so having to stay away from others and learn on my own has been especially hard. I also found it really hard to motivate myself to do my homework because I felt like I had already done so much “work at home” after listening to lectures in the same place that I needed to do additional work. I learned to adapt to this difficulty by changing up the rooms that I worked in and trying to watch lectures in the rooms that I did not do my work in that day. I also adapted to just being away from family and from the life that I had known for 18 years by finding new friends and connecting with my family in new ways. All difficult and bad things aside, I really do love college. I love the independence that comes with college life and the new ability to make decisions on my own that I see best fitting for my life. I love getting to go out when I want to and not having to get permission, I love getting to eat whatever I want all day long, and I definitely love getting to be responsible for myself and making sure I get my work done. I’ve achieved tons of things over the last few months, many of them may seem little like improved communication skills, but I’d say that my biggest achievement is just getting through this first semester without totally losing my mind! This semester has been everything but easy and it has been extremely taxing for my mental health. I’ve dealt with family issues on top of all of my schoolwork and I still achieved great grades. It is definitely an achievement that I am proud of. My goal for the Spring semester is to continue to adapt with college life and the world. I need to continue to focus on improving my mental health and coping mechanisms so that I can continue to get good grades and set myself up for success in life after college. My goal is to adapt well so that I can be an example for those who struggle with such drastic changes. I want to be able to help other people be successful and I don’t want to watch anyone lose grip of their dreams because of things that are completely out of their control and completely unfair. I also don’t want to watch anyone elses mental health decline for these same reasons. Ohio State has done a fantastic job at connecting with their students and keeping their resources open so that there is an escape for students who feel that they are falling into any unhealthy mindset. Ohio State has done a wonderful job at communicating their efforts and making it possible for us to be on campus and helping us continue to succeed even when circumstances make it seem impossible. I love college and I am so proud to get to be a Buckeye!