“YOU NEVER know what you have until it’s gone.” These words resonate with every college student who feels like they were robbed of their college experience, as most universities shut down their campuses and switched to non-face-to-face learning in response to COVID-19. The beloved campuses are now restricted due to safety measures-effectively turning them into ghost towns. Being away from the campus, many students reminisce, realizing the vital role of the campus experience in their college and personal lives.

A staircase and a community

   Sometimes what we miss most about the campus are actually the infuriating experiences. Hyung-jae* diligently studied for many years to proudly walk on the stairs leading to the Mechanical Engineering building of Hanyang University. Yet, the iconic staircase that he dreamt of walking during his university visits became a dreadful daily task of walking up eighty-eight stairs to get to class. “The contempt I had counting every single stair in pairs was unimaginable, 2, 4, 6, 8, just 80 more, I would count in my head. The experience is very draining, especially on a sunny day.” However, on those arduous walks to class, Hyung-jae found time to chat with his classmates who were also struggling to go up. One conversation after another, Hyung-jae found a friend, then a group of friends, and then a girlfriend, all of whom he met on those “bothersome stairs.” “Looking back, I do miss those stairs, not the hiking but the truthful conversations that we had as our genuine thoughts and feelings revealed themselves in the scorching heat and as sweat rolled down our foreheads. Despite the dreadful stair-climbing, every evening, we would walk down to be welcomed by the beautiful sunset on Wangsimni. The beautiful sunsets at the end of a rough day made the daily struggles worth it. I guess I just want to feel that again.”

University-wide events

   Annual university-wide events like Akaraka are usually the time to spread and strengthen school spirit. Due to the cancellation of these large events, many students, especially the seniors, are feeling downhearted. “I want to feel the crowd and the love of the people again!” says Anna. Anna misses the roaring voices in the restless, bustling stadium and the freedom to express herself in a crowd during Akaraka. When she visits the stadium now, she is greeted only by a gust of wind. She stands alone, from the same place she stood a year ago, desolately staring into the empty stage. “If I knew that it would my last time as an undergraduate wearing a blue shirt, having paint on my cheeks, smiling, holding hands, and dancing in synchronization with another Yonsei student in Akaraka, I would have enjoyed myself more during the chants and the dances.” Anna ponders about the profound meaning of university-wide events, adding that, “I could see a concert later, but to be able to hold hands with someone whose name I do not know or to feel at home around strangers, is something I have yet to find in stadiums other than Yonsei’s.”

The first church

   Sometimes, we are reminded of our longing when we pass by a certain place. For Daniel, the closed chapel building holds a lot of dear memories. Although many Yonsei freshmen find the mandatory chapel time mundane, when chapel switched to online sermons during the pandemic, some students, like Daniel, started to feel empty inside. Daniel comments, “I do not know exactly why I miss chapel. Perhaps it is the friend who used to sit by my side during my first semester, the friendliness and meaningful advices of the lecturers, or the feeling of reaffirmed faith that I miss the most. The mandatory chapel session in Yonsei was my first church experience, which introduced me to faith and encouraged me to find solace in a religion.” Ever since both the Yonsei chapel and the churches were closed, Daniel felt dejected every time he walked past the chapel building: missing the in-person chapel sessions that were the roots of his now consolidated faith. However, Daniel understands that closing down offline religious gatherings is necessary. He prays that our social distancing efforts will stop the spread of the pandemic soon and that one day, he will be able to attend chapel again.

The daily school routine

   Some, like Celine, miss the simple student dormitory life. Because of the pandemic, Celine moved out of her dorm. From home, she still recollects the dormitory experience in Seoul National University-missing the calm mornings when she used to wake up to the sound of her roommate packing for morning classes or the chirping voice of the birds from the many trees on campus. After that, she would start her daily routine of getting breakfast or lunch from the school cafeteria with her group of friends and later taking the iconic Gwa-nak 2 bus to get to her classes. “That bus feels like a second home; it comes every three minutes and gets all the students around the campus. Practically everyone from our campus rides it, and it has become an integral part of our culture. Before we had to wear masks, I used to enjoy the brief and spontaneous conversations on the bus. Between our hectic schedules and deadlines, the bus provided us with a space to share our thoughts and worries, which always brightened up our days. Celine also misses the teamwork from study meetings in the library. Before having to social distance, Celine, like many others, enjoyed sitting close to her friends while working on projects in the library. Now, Celine and her friends are separated by a chair. When combined with the quiet atmosphere of a library, speaking amongst each other becomes burdensome and it does not feel the same.

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   Our campus is an integral part of our college experience—it is where our community gathers, where we are exposed to new beliefs, and where our daily routines are formed. While our campus life cannot be replicated through online means, the pandemic has opened our eyes to how much the university campuses meant to us. Campuses are unique as they are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live freely but to experience adulthood. Students all over the country are counting down the days until campuses open again—and when they do, we will make more memories and appreciate them with all of our hearts.

*All names in this article have been changed to preserve the anonymity of the interviewees.