Impact of Coronavirus

Post-Finals Feels

Posted on January 19, 2021January 19, 2021 by Oluyemisi Bolonduro

Screenshot of CCF’s Christmas party on Zoom with everyone holding paper snowflakes

By Oluyemisi Bolonduro ‘23 Well, I did it… I finished my first full semester of virtual Pomona (hopefully just one more to go). To sum up the semester in one sentence: I think I experienced things that I never expected to live during my college years… mainly bad. This was most evident around finals season. This past semester, I had three papers and one final exam to submi...

A Day in the Life of Zoom University: Freshman Edition

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Sonam Rikha

By Sonam Rikha ’24 When I received the email on a Friday in early March telling students that, after Monday, my school would be taking a temporary break due to concerns of COVID-19, I didn’t think much of it. On Monday, fellow students jokingly said, “See you next year!” I scoffed at the idea that this break would last longer than two weeks. Surely it wouldn't last for the r...

Reflections on a Virtual Semester

Posted on December 31, 2020December 21, 2020 by Bryce Kelly

illustraton of person walking, looking for WiFi signal

By Bryce Kelly ‘23 Illustrations by Teodelina Martelli '23 As the semester draws to a close, and the upcoming months-long vacation ominously approaches, I have decided to reflect on my life as a Virtual Student Remote schooling is new for nearly all of us, and it is at this moment in time that course evaluations and surveys are being sent out to determine What It’s Like T...

The Art of the Cold DM

Posted on December 28, 2020December 21, 2020 by Sonam Rikha

By Sonam Rikha ‘24 Having your first semester of college be online is no easy feat. Whether it’s juggling time zones, Zoom fatigue, or the slow loss of sanity from being at home, Zoom University is definitely not how I imagined my first semester of college. As a person who was heavily dependent on friends and fellow classmates to get through difficult classes in high school,...

Nonstop

Posted on December 10, 2020December 7, 2020 by Bryce Kelly

drawing of student at desk surrounded by stacks of papers

Bryce Kelly ‘23 “How far are you into your semester?” My aunt is halfway through her margarita. I’m having dinner with her and my uncle at a Mexican restaurant, the only meal I’ve had outside my rented home in a month. I take a sip of my water so I can have time to think. “Week ten, I think. I just finished my midterms.” “Midterms! Wow! How is that going online?” ...

A First-Year Survival Guide to Midterms: Zoom Edition

Posted on December 7, 2020December 7, 2020 by Sonam Rikha

By Sonam Rikha ‘24 AHHHHHHHH! Screaming late in the night during the middle of the semester is definitely not ideal. Especially when your family members get out of bed to see why you’re shouting at your laptop and punching the air in frustration. I’d always heard of all-nighters and the grave amount of caffeine that college students consumed to get through midterms, but I...

Online School: A Small College Just Got That Much More Important

Posted on November 18, 2020November 17, 2020 by Nelia Perry

By Nelia Perry ‘24 There have been a lot of posts already about online school but bear with me as I add one more to the list. I’m sure those of you reading this are already interested in attending a small school–you are at least contemplating it. So, let me tell you why attending a small college just got that much more important. Let’s get straight to the point: meeting p...

Just Another Tuesday

Posted on November 9, 2020November 5, 2020 by Bryce Kelly

illustration of a pig in gladiator helmet

By Bryce Kelly ‘23 Illustrations by Teodelina Martelli '23 My housemate just knocked on my door, walked into my room, proceeded to rant about the meaning of life for five minutes, walked back into the hall, and closed the door behind him. This is the fourth day in a row he’s done something like that. Yesterday the talk was about the ego and the id. The day before that, ps...

Will I Sound Like Beyoncé?

Posted on November 5, 2020November 4, 2020 by Sonam Rikha

By Sonam Rikha ’24 Have you ever gone on a walk with your friends, and all of a sudden you hear a loud, high-pitched, angelic voice? Chances are, if you followed that voice, you would stumble across a little Asian girl singing at the top of her lungs as her embarrassed brother follows at a distance. Ever since I was a little kid, I loved singing and was pretty open about it....