I was told that the first few weeks of college would be some of the hardest. Being in an unfamiliar place around unfamiliar people naturally inspires feelings of trepidation, and there is a real pressure to form close relationships as quickly as possible. For students arriving in the fall of 2020, these worries were multiplied tenfold. Gone were the usual opportunities in events, clubs, and groups to take part in social interaction. The quintessential college experience was put on hold. Parties became relics of a lost age; spaces once bustling with activity became muted reflections of themselves. Classes were either heavily socially distanced or held on Zoom, so the ability to have meaningful conversations with professors and peers was severely hindered. Humans are social animals — college students perhaps most of all — so the restrictions hit hard. Of course, it bears mentioning that it is because of these safety restrictions that we are able to be on campus at all. Even though the college experience is not the same as it once was, I am thankful to be here at Furman.

However, there have been moments in my time here at Furman where glimpses of the true college experience have shone through. Perhaps for you it is a sport you play or a club you participate in. For me, it has been the Engaged Living community I joined last semester. Last summer I received an email explaining just what Engaged Living was: a group of freshmen who live together and take a class together and do various activities together. Sounds neat! The one I was interested in was a philosophy and political science community that analyses the works of Plato and Aristotle and applies them to politics throughout history. As a philosophy nerd, this was right up my alley. Alumni from the program emphasized the deep conversations they had with each other and with their professors. And, on top of all of that, members get to live in Clark Murphy as freshmen. The only thing I had to do was write a short essay to apply. Needless to say, I was sold.

Reading Aristotle, having nice dorms, all of these things were great, but there were benefits beneath the surface that ultimately proved more valuable. Our hall, through mere propinquity and through taking the same class, quickly formed the kinds of relationships I thought I would miss out on due to the pandemic. We played games to get to know each other, we went hiking, we watched movies, we read together, and we offered encouragement to one another. Once a week or so, we met with our “Symposiarchs,” seniors who were also once members of the program. These meetings were a welcome way to interact with older, more experienced students in a way that we might otherwise not have been able to. We got to hear advice for our classes and other valuable words of wisdom from students who had had similar experiences to our own. 

Through all of these experiences, there were moments when I knew that this was what the college life was supposed to feel like, learning amongst friends and laughing together. Was it perfect? Of course not. We still lived in a pandemic during a tumultuous election, after all. But those glimpses were still present. The Engaged Living program provided me with a sense of community during my first semester that I am very grateful for. Last semester was bizarre, to say the least, and I doubt that the spring will be very different. Yet, there are still opportunities to find community, despite the limits of this school year. Form bonds with the people you have on your halls, the people you play sports with, or the people you have in your clubs. Make memories together you will look back on fondly. Find fellowship however you can.