What was something meaningful that sparked joy, or that you learned from being home this semester?

Many students developed personal relationships and worked on new hobbies such as learning American Sign Language, pleasure reading, Dungeons & Dragons, and hiking. For some, this was a time for personal development and reflection.

• “Rediscovered my passion for writing despite already being a Creative Writing major. Wrote 32,000 words in October alone. As an added bonus, gained a boyfriend over the time apart.”
• “Figured out what I want to do post-grad — which is exciting — so it allowed me to see and experience and know what I want to do.”
• “I worked and lived on organic farms in three states, went camping with friends, lived and worked with a friend over the summer, and am learning how to skate and snowboard.”
• “I really got in touch with my sexuality and had the time to read for pleasure.”
• “I took online classes to obtain a certification to help me enter my career field sooner after graduating from Oberlin, hopefully!”
• “Patience. I have learned how to better manage stress, and I’ve learned a lot about my working habits, my physical and mental health, and my communication skills.”
• “I had a really meaningful experience living away from home, and when I finally returned home, it was also special to reconnect with my family after living away for nearly five months. I think the pressing nature of the pandemic has actually made me more conscientious about treating myself well and keeping in touch with my needs as well as valuing time with loved ones.”
• I lived with my partner in a new city and our friend came to live in the same city halfway through the semester, so we got to hang out and go on hikes a lot. It’s been a really tough semester for a lot of reasons, but being able to volunteer at a local rescue org with my friends and take care of cats has been one of the main highlights.