Although the college experience at Sam Houston State University has changed over the past year due to the pandemic, students have learned to adapt to the change.
For most students having to worry about finances, safety and post-pandemic job availability have become the main topic of their college experience.
“I am considered high risk, I can’t go out or do much outside,” junior criminal justice major Ashlyn Grace said. “I have been ordering DoorDash for food, wearing mask, gloves, and long-sleeved clothes everywhere I go.”
For other students, the pandemic has caused financial troubles for themselves and their families. Although resources have been made available to students to help with finances, the reality is that sometimes it is not enough.
“Since my parents pay for my college, they have not dealt with the financial side of things well,” senior education major Nick Gonzalez said. “I always have that fear, I guess, that all of this work will be for nothing because of financials.”
Despite adapting to life on campus with the pandemic, student concern about post-graduation job availability is still at the top of the list of worries. While some students look forward to a future in the post-pandemic world, others struggle to find optimism.
“I am an education major about to go into the ‘big boy’ world,” senior education major Ana Jacob said. “But at the same time, it’s going to be hard to find a job after college.”