Zoom life, Zoom learning, Zoom everything
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Zoom life, Zoom learning, Zoom everything

By: Adrienne Sauer

Traditionally, university is said to be home to the “best years” of one’s life. They’re full of long nights with friends or at the library, dorm-living, school spirit and then graduating with a four-year degree.

young woman in a striped top sitting at a desk with a laptop computer
Moved in, set up and excited for online classes

However, college is different for everyone, and it changes more and more every year. In the seemingly never-ending year 2020, college students at TU and across the country were introduced to a lot of new concepts and technologies. Few of them were quite as important — and annoying — as Zoom. This video-chatting platform, and others like it, allowed families to reunite and friends to share a laugh. For me, it meant many things, most importantly, school.

As if starting college was not stressful enough, I enrolled in a majority of online courses. Luckily, I had prior experience from a few online college courses I had taken to get ahead as well as the final months of my senior year at high school. Yet, fall 2020 at TU was different than any of my former experiences. My professors challenged me to achieve in a new format and many allowed for flexibility and recognized the difficulties I and my classmates were facing. The spectrum ranged from a few professors who wanted even more from their students because they provided online resources during class to others who rewarded participation because the courage to speak up in the classroom is hard to muster — let alone in an online situation!

three students wearing face masks
Reunited with friends and ready for semester 2

As a former speech and debate kid with countless years in performing arts, speaking up is not difficult for me. However, online class is different: it is not me performing a perfectly rehearsed speech to a room of strangers, it’s me struggling to form a coherent French sentence for everyone in class to hear. Zut alors!

Oftentimes, I would turn off my microphone and practice what I was going to say before turning on it back on, subsequently butchering the statement I had worked so hard on. Despite a few minor humiliations, I tried to speak up whenever possible. There is also definitely something thrilling about keeping your camera on during class when it’s a lot easier to just turn it off. I will admit I embarrassed myself a few times by accidently leaving my microphone on, but who has not?

For me, Zoom represents a lot of the bad that happened in 2020, but after a semester online I can look back and laugh at the unique world I got to experience. I know, though, that my online learning journey is far from over. In fact, the first couple of weeks back this spring semester are entirely online. After Feb. 1, hybrid classes begin, and I will attend a few classes in person. When (or if) the world finally returns to normal, I might miss some of the luxuries of online classes; however, I am looking forward to life off Zoom and fully in person.


Adrienne Sauer at night wearing a white blouse and standing by waterAdrienne Sauer is a first-year student from Springfield, MO. She is majoring in arts, culture and entertainment management, with an emphasis on cultural and public administration. Adrienne enjoys thrift shopping, exploring museums and spending time with her friends.