COVID-19 dorm life in pictures

A photo essay of the experience of a transfer college student during the pandemic.

You can’t help but feel shocked at how empty creative writing major Billy Pruett’s dorm on the fourth floor of Glass Hall feels. 

“It’s been slow and very quiet. Not many people have moved in yet,” Pruett said. “(There) haven’t been that many opportunities to meet people. All meetings with (resident advisors) are online.”

Preutt, a second-year transfer student from Keene State College in New Hampshire, has a roommate, but aside from him, Pruett has only met fellow dorm residents by knocking on doors and meeting some students in his classes.

Preutt’s struggle is indicative of the unique loneliness college students may feel during the pandemic. For freshmen and transfer students, meeting new people is almost impossible. 

I asked Billy if that difficulty has influenced his choice to rush a fraternity, and he said that he didn’t feel like he had another option if he wanted to be social. But even that process is held remotely, with Zoom meetings — the same way Billy has been meeting most people, including his next door neighbors. The only upside? Billy has almost no trouble doing laundry in the dorms.