AMHERST — For many incoming college freshmen, move-in day and its traditions hold a certain mystique: a day of goodbyes and new beginnings, and for many students, the first time that they will not be living under their parents’ roofs.
But in a year that has been anything but typical, most local freshmen are beginning their college education from home, and those who were able to secure a place on campus are being met with a very different experience than what they had long imagined for their move-in day.
“It’s kind of strange,” Amherst College freshman Reid Dodson said. “I never expected being dropped off at college and not having my parents be able to help me move in.”
Instead, Dodson said goodbye to her family before entering campus, where the public has been barred entry. After leaving her belongings with professional movers, Dodson was directed to a COVID-19 testing site, where she and all other students at the college must be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival and every two days afterward throughout the semester.
At Amherst, 1,200 to 1,250 students, or about 60% of the student body, will live on campus this fall. Most of these students are freshmen or sophomores.
The abnormalities of the move-in process have not spoiled the excitement of starting college, Dod son said, noting that a lack of experience with the old “normal” has helped.
“We know what normal is, but we’ve never experienced it,” Dodson said.
Under this “new normal,” freshman Allie Ho had already been tested three times for COVID-19 by Thursday. But the process was smooth and easy, Ho said, and “it’s a privilege that we get to use that.”
While Ho is happy to be on campus, the numerous social distancing measures also pose various difficulties, whether they are academic or emotional in nature.
“I don’t like it,” Ho said of the restrictions. “I just want to hug somebody.”
But the measures are necessary to promote safety, she recognized, adding that she finds the college’s “bubble” system reassuring. Ho hopes that these measures will prevent outbreaks such as those that occurred at the University of Notre Dame, where the university has suspended in-person learning for at least two weeks after it recorded more than 300 COVID-19 cases since reopening.
Maxime Melnichuk, also a freshman at Amherst, was “thankful that Amherst kept its promise” to open, but regrets that student-professor relationships and certain resources will be hindered.
But being on campus is still providing some benefits of the college experience, according to Melnichuk.
“Even though we didn’t get a typical orientation, we’ve still been meeting new people,” Melnichuk said.
The pandemic also left less room to become acquainted with the college before move-in. Melnichuk and Ho, who had been chatting online since April, had originally planned to visit the college in the spring but had to cancel these plans due to the pandemic. As a result, their arrival on campus this week was their first visit to Amherst.
Another peculiarity has been only knowing a person by half of their face, Ho said, adding that she and Melnichuk have been guessing what their peers’ faces will look like when they have to take off their masks to eat.
Another freshman at Amherst, Ana Mosisa, also expressed relief to be on campus.
“It was definitely a weight off my shoulders when I got here,” Mosisa said. And even with the strict social distancing measures in place, Mosisa is eager to begin her freshman year on campus.
“As first years it’s exciting,” she said, “the fact that you’re leaving your childhood and hometown and starting a new life.”
At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, freshman move-in is typically a flurry of cars, students and parents checking in and moving belongings — within just eight hours, over 4,000 students would normally check in.
Only 220 students checked in this year during that same eight-hour window. About 1,100 students will live on campus, compared to the usual 14,000-plus population, and those who do must abide by strict social distancing measures.
At UMass, only students who need to take in-person classes were invited back to campus, with some exceptions made for those with extenuating circumstances. The decision reversed the university’s previous announcement that any students who had secured fall housing were welcome to return. Due to the reduced number of students on campus, just eight out of 52 residence halls are open.
Maya and Maurice Powe, twin siblings from Longmeadow, will begin their college experiences at the same university and at the same time. But Maya, a music major, will take in-person classes and live on campus, while Maurice, a psychology and English double major, will complete all of his courses remotely from home.
While the rapidly evolving situation surrounding move-in was “a little stressful,” Maya said she was glad to be on campus, even with numerous health restrictions in place.
“I’m pretty excited,” Maya said. “Our town is kind of small, so it’s nice to see new faces.”
It will be somewhat strange completing his courses remotely while his sister is on campus, Maurice said, but he recognized that the university’s decision to close campus to most students was done in the interest of public health.
“It was a late notice at first, but it’s for the safety of everyone,” Maurice said.
In Amherst, Hampshire College also reopened its campus to students. Unlike Amherst College and UMass, Hampshire did not limit the number of students who could return using set criteria to qualify for on campus housing. But the college began with a significantly smaller population, hosting about 525 students on campus.
Smith and Mount Holyoke colleges had originally planned to welcome a portion of students back to campus, but later reversed this decision, citing public health risks. A small number of students in extenuating circumstances will be allowed to live on campus, but all coursework will be remote.