Classes are back to being face to face with masks, students are living in dorms again, students are playing sports on the South Lawn and all around the campus is alive again. This fall semester has been a return to a bit of normalcy.

Like most semesters, with its demanding coursework, students have fears looking forward, but they also have goals in their minds they are striving for.

Shainna Ralston, junior communications major, is enjoying herself already during her first semester on campus.

“Personally, I want to succeed academically, and I think sort of as an all-around goal,” Ralston said. “I hope that everybody gets vaccinated and that way we can return to some form of normalcy within the community.”

While being back in person is something that Ralston prefers, it comes with its own sets of worries. 

“Workload for sure it’s going to be hard to find that sort of work-life balance especially with being on campus in such a big university,” Ralston said.

While some students’ concerns about COVID-19 have eased, Ralston thinks it could still impact her college experience. 

“It’s going to be more difficult for us to sort of get to the healthier side and then also just trying to navigate socially you know find people and make connections and work my way through the campus,” Ralston said. “Honestly, I wish everyone would take up the vaccine. So we can return to some form of normalcy and get to have regular campus activities, experiences and overall lifestyle.”

Even with all its anxieties, worries and fears of sickness, students seem ready to tackle those and are looking forward to this semester of classes.

Alaistair Flowers, a sophomore horticulture major, agrees with Ralston on the threat of COVID, and has mixed feelings about returning to campus but is nonetheless looking forward to it. 

Flowers said they were a little hesitant about the return in person, but they are “hopefully optimistic” that this semester will be fine.

“It feels more like a campus again,” Flowers said. “Things are going to be okay.”

 News reporter Michael Crimmins can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @michael_crimm