After multiple semesters of online classes, and with Covid-19 restrictions beginning to subside, students are experiencing mixed emotions about making the transition back to in person classes.

A majority of Bucks students, have been attending all of their classes on Zoom or completely remote since high school.

“I didn’t like online courses because they didn’t work well for me. It feels so much better to be back on campus,” said Austin Williams, a communications major.

Our students that graduated high school in 2020 and 2021 have lost a lot of their high school experience to the pandemic.

Thankfully, their college experience won’t be as affected as their final years in high school. Now that the restrictions are beginning to lessen, many classes have become face-to-face again.

Masks have even become optional inside the classroom. LuLu Berndlmaier, a first semester student here at Bucks said, “I like it better now that we don’t have to wear masks because not only do we get to see each other’s faces, but it’s also easier to understand and comprehend what others are saying.”

Many students prefer to come to school because it is difficult to stay focused on their work when they have to stare at a computer screen for the entire day. Which has led to the hallways, that were empty last year, to be filled with students again.

Not only are students finally making connections with each other, but they are having a more personable experience with their professors in face-to-face classes.

“Coming back to campus changed my life in so many ways. Covid really affected my education between high school and my freshman year of college. I struggled with online learning but now that we’re back on campus I’ve made some new friends and excelled in hands on learning,” said Evan Lechowicz, a communications major.

Students were faced with many challenges, one of them being making friends. If it wasn’t hard enough all ready to make friends, online school built even more barriers between classmates.

When asked how she feels about returning to campus, 20-year-old Lindsey Simon said, “I feel happy I am now able to connect with others without being behind a screen. Although it can feel nerve wracking, I remind myself this is how life used to be.”

Students are excited to finally start interacting with each other again, after many months of meeting with complete strangers behind a laptop screen.

Although many are excited, some students have felt anxiety about their return. It is difficult to make connections and get involved after two years of isolation.

It is certainly a challenge to overcoming the comfort of isolation, but Bucks students haven’t let that stop them from returning to normal.

There are endless opportunities to get involved, like the Fireside Social. Bucks encourages students to participate in events to ease back into the normal college experience before the pandemic.