My parents told me that college was a place where I could meet like-minded people and form lasting connections. My teachers told me college was an opportunity to learn incredible things from some of the most renowned experts in the world. My good friend Merriam-Webster Dictionary told me college was “an artistic composition made of various materials (such as paper, cloth, or wood) glued on a surface.” My first year of college was nothing like any of these descriptions in the slightest (except for maybe that last one). 

All throughout high school, I was bombarded by glamorous, Hollywood scenes of college in countless movies and TV shows. One that specifically comes to mind is actually related to Yale: “Monsters University.” The movie paints the perfect picture of college life — eating in Harry-Potter-like dining halls, staying up late with friends in dorms, partying at Roar Omega Roar and competing in the Scare Games to keep your spot at the university and become a Scarer. These classic college experiences promised a grand vision of the four years after high school. It’s an image that we all longed for. 

I am here to tell you that the only thing “Monsters University” got right about college was the monsters. 

Spoiler alert: you don’t go anywhere for college. You actually stay at home, in the same house you’ve lived in for the past 18 years. My first year wasn’t spent decorating my dorm room or having movie nights with suitemates in common rooms. Instead, my only “roommates” were the same roommates I had for my entire life: my parents. 

Everything was online! Instead of talking with friends in class or seeing them in the halls,  my life was now just a series of Zoom meetings — the endless monotony of staring at the same screen for hours on end. Maybe you make a friend or two, slide into a Zoom dm from time to time, but once the Zoom ends, that’s it. Your whole life is now just a computer.

However, there are things I learned from spending my year remotely that I couldn’t, and wouldn’t, have learned without this experience. Sitting in a chair for hours on end meant that I had to learn to be attentive to my body and its needs, more so than ever before. Being outside took on a whole new meaning: it was now an escape from a sedentary prison. In a regular college year, making friends is easy: there is a constant flow of people between your classes, extracurricular activities and dorms. Being remotely connected means actively seeking out friendships and you have to remember to set up virtual hangouts: call, text and stay in touch. 

Being remote taught me about intentionality. It’s cliché to say, but your college experience is what you make of it. In a year where most avenues were closed off, I learned to take charge of my life in a way that I hadn’t in high school. To the class of ‘25: college is a place where you can begin to build your own life, so embrace this opportunity to the fullest. Now that you will have a semblance of a regular year, remember to be active in your choices. Go outside, seek out friendships and try academic challenges you hadn’t before. The only way to make a year of college worthwhile is to live each day with purpose. That’s what got me through my remote first year, and that’s what will help you make the best of your time at Yale.