It has been an eventful three or four months here on Guilford’s campus, but the time to  return home is quickly approaching. The campus will be closing all residential halls on Nov. 21 for the remainder of the semester and will provide online classes for all Guilford students. Thanksgiving break will kick off the end of the semester as we move into December and into finals.

Now that students are packing up and getting ready to head out, there are many questions in the air. Will all go as planned? Will we get to return? How will our academic lives be shaped and perhaps changed for better or worse by this move out?

Some students are naturally in their element on campus, while others thrive more and are able to learn and focus better in familiar environments or at home. Some students shared their plans for after departing Guilford.

“I plan on going home, see(ing) my family and friends, and hav(ing) Thanksgiving,” said sophomore child psychology and education major Dana Beck. “Then I’ll come back to have Christmas with my boyfriend.”

When asked if moving out would be positive or negative for her, Beck stated, “Honestly, I’m over living on campus and the stuff people do there, so if not for COVID-19, I would have moved anyway at the end of the semester. I still love the friends I have made here but it’s just not the best place for me at this point.”

Some Guilford students living on campus already have plans in place for after they depart from residential halls or apartments. 

“I intend to play Dungeons and Dragons with some friends from high school where they’ll take to the high seas in a setting of my design,” said Guilford student Henry Dillon-Whitehead. “I also plan to continue giving tours as I only live a short distance from Guilford.” 

Other students, such as sophomore Alex Souvignier, have a longer travel period ahead of them when they depart from Guilford’s campus.

“I plan to go back home to New Orleans and stay with my mom and sister over the break,” said Souvignier.

When asked how their social/academic life will be affected by going home, Souvignier said, “I’ll be unable to see my friends and it will be even harder to feel motivated to do my work, as online learning isn’t very effective for me.”

Students have different takes on how leaving Guilford’s campus will affect their wellbeing or overall college experience. Some are ready to move out for the remainder of the semester, some dread it and some students feel as if it won’t affect them to any extent. 

As move-out day creeps closer, the question arises: What will you do to prepare yourself for move out day, and how will it impact you? Some students who prefer the all-online style of learning could possibly be counting down the days, while other students could be watching their calendars with dread as the time they have with their fellow students on campus slowly begins to drift away.