Unfiltered: Fall 2020

What’s it like to be in college during COVID-19? In “Unfiltered,” we ask several students from the Class of 2023 five simple questions—over and over, each semester until they graduate. Now in their sophomore year, these students returned to a modified Macalester experience, designed to protect the health and safety of the community. Among the changes were a two-class module system and physically-distanced classes. Here’s what they’re thinking this fall: 

 

Sivali Bhandary
Kathmandu, Nepal

What class are you most excited about right now?

I had so much fun in my Biodiversity and Evolution class this module. We did the “Survival of the Fittest Games” for our finals to win the “Darwin Cup.” It was full of exciting challenges, including doing the best camouflage, making a sticker for the class, chugging water, practicing ambidexterity, and growing rocks. Also, though physically distanced, we ended up making a classification tree for candies, dissecting clams, growing belly button bacteria, and doing a zero-waste challenge for our labs. Science is super cool!

What’s one recent triumph (large or small!)?

I went without boba (bubble tea) for 12 days straight. That’s a big accomplishment considering my recent obsession! 

What have you learned lately?

To accept imperfections and flow with things as they come.

What do you wish you would’ve known six months ago?

That having an art journal + scrapbook could be so cathartic. Some friends inspired me to start and I’m really enjoying it. I love experimenting with my creative ideas and expressing them through design. It’s especially therapeutic when I get to take a break from school to work on it.

What’s one thing you want to do in the next six months?

I definitely want to try out some outdoor snow sports this winter.

 

Hannah Scharrer
Tacoma, Wash.

What class are you most excited about right now?

Since we’re about to start the next module, I’m mostly just excited to take two new classes, but right now I’m taking epidemiology. It’s obviously very relevant right now!

What’s one recent triumph (large or small!)?

I made chocolate chip cookies this weekend! It was my first time baking since getting back to Minnesota.  

What have you learned lately?

I’ve realized that I have to go to bed much earlier than I used to in order to get eight hours of sleep now that I have an 8 a.m. class. 

 What do you wish you would’ve known six months ago?

This is probably pretty common, but I wish I had realized how long this pandemic would last! Six months ago I couldn’t imagine a remote fall semester. 

What’s one thing you want to do in the next six months?

I would love to figure out ways to celebrate holidays and socialize in a safe manner, especially as it gets colder. I’m especially looking forward to Halloween!

Carter Rutherford

Alexandria, Va., and Santiago, Chile

What class are you most excited about right now?

I absolutely love Introduction to African American Literature with Daylanne English. We’ve read texts by Phillis Wheatley, Thomas Jefferson, Frederick Douglass, Octavia Butler, and many others. The class has taught me a lot about U.S. history and helped me reflect on racism in the U.S. today.

What’s one recent triumph (large or small!)?

I have been getting over eight hours of sleep every night so far this semester!

What have you learned lately?

Through my on-campus job, I have learned a lot about the world of academic publishing, including how to write a Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement and how academic journals are distributed to libraries around the world.

What do you wish you would’ve known six months ago?

I wish I had known how horrible the U.S. response to the pandemic would be so I could mentally prepare myself for several disastrous years.

What’s one thing you want to do in the next six months?

I would really like to visit my grandparents. I don’t know if it will be possible because of the pandemic, but I would really like to find a way to safely visit them.

 

Ross Relic
Crystal Lake, Ill.

What class are you most excited about right now?

I would have to say that I’m most excited about the physics class I’m taking: Electromagnetic Theory. I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about my physics classes for each semester I’ve done this so far but hey, there’s a reason I’m a physics major!

What’s one recent triumph (large or small!)?

One relatively recent triumph for me is that I went vegan. It was a bit of a journey to get there, but I finally did it and I couldn’t be happier!

What have you learned lately?

I’ve recently learned how much I block myself into certain routines or ways of living purely because I convince myself that doing so is somehow “necessary” or “inevitable.” Like, I recently deleted all social media off of my phone, which was a huge (but very positive) change for me. But while reassessing my relationship with my phone and social media, I realized that one of the main things entrenching me into that way of living was this illusion that social media was just a fact of life. That although I had an unhealthy relationship with it, I still needed it because social media is so central to modern culture. But it’s not necessary and that realization can really free you from so many things.

What do you wish you would’ve known six months ago?

I wish I knew exactly how long the coronavirus pandemic would last and just how big its impact would be so that I could plan and prepare better for the next six months.

What’s one thing you want to do in the next six months?

I really hope that I’m able to write at least one song in the next six months. I have a lot of trouble writing music, but I really hope I’m able to power through it to make something I’m proud of.

 

Read the first installment Fall 2019

Read the second installment Spring 2020