Carleton: Coming Soon to a Computer Near You

Well, then. Things are pretty different since my last post. I’m now at home in Middlebury, Vermont. Instead of writing from Evelyn Anderson Hall (my preferred blogging spot on campus), I’m in my room—which now doubles as a classroom, a library, and a student center, all with the help of Zoom and other online platforms.

I’m not going to lie: it sucks. Although I’m overwhelmingly grateful to be healthy and safe, I miss Carleton terribly every day. I miss seeing my friends in person. I miss seeing anyone in person. As much as I truly love my parents and my siblings, I’m sure you all know how isolating it is when the biggest gathering I’ve had in weeks is a five-person family dinner.

To all the prospies out there who were looking forward to visiting Carleton this spring, know that I’m right there with you. I would absolutely love to be on campus with you right now, maybe hosting you for Accepted Student Days or showing you around the Bald Spot. At the same time, I know it’s for the best that we aren’t doing that right now.

If it’s any consolation, over the next few weeks I’m going to try to give you a virtual tour of Carleton through my blog, starting with the college’s response to COVID-19 and moving into snapshots of what a normal spring term would look like. And please, please email me with any questions at all! It would honestly make my day: hardyg@carleton.edu.

Carleton’s Response to COVID-19

At the very end of last term, Carleton announced that it would be extending spring break by a week, then moving at least the first half of spring term online. It came as a shock to my system, but also not a surprise. Even then, I knew that it would be the best way to keep everyone on campus safe and healthy.

If you’re curious about more Carleton news, check out the Carletonian, the student newspaper. We’ve kept publishing online, and you can even subscribe to our newsletter! I’ve enjoyed being part of a journalism team covering this unprecedented moment in history, and I hope my writing can be useful to others.

Moving Forward

It’s now been almost a month since this whole thing started, and online spring term began on Monday. I’m not a huge fan of staring at my computer all day for class, but I am still really excited for my courses this term. I’m taking Spanish 103, Introduction to Anthropology, and Queer Literature—you can read about my registration process here.

My first synchronous meeting in each class went well. They’re all using Zoom, and the technology is working pretty well so far. I know some of my classmates already, so it was exciting to see some familiar faces, as well as to get to know some new people. I didn’t realize how much I could miss the simple process of watching someone introduce them self. There’s a lot I didn’t know I could miss.

Yet here we are. I remind myself every day of the things I’m grateful for and the things I can let myself be sad about. We all have to let ourselves feel whatever we feel, and go easy on ourselves amidst our own personal struggles. At least for me, that last part is easier said than done. But it helps to remember that we’re all going through this together. Whether or not I’ve met you before, know that I’m right there with you.

Greta is a proud Vermonter who has fallen hard enough for Carleton that she’s choosing to spend the next four years without mountains to hike. Instead, you’ll probably find her wandering the Arb with a journal and a pen behind her ear, playing piano in Weitz, or telling another unsuspecting soul about her gap year. And eating dark chocolate. She wants to learn everything, but is particularly interested in Sociology/Anthropology, Geology, and, of course, Creative Writing. Meet the other bloggers!