Perspective from the Class of 2022:
Starting Graduate School During a Pandemic
If I could pick one quote to describe the experience of beginning a graduate program during a global pandemic, it would be “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been far-reaching, and has made previously trivial activities such walking into a grocery store feel trepidatious. As we waited through the months of March and April to find out if we would be accepted into programs to begin a new chapter of our lives, we watched the devastation that COVID-19 brought to cities, and the resiliency and heroism demonstrated by everyday citizens. One thing that we all agree on, is that then, and now, more than ever, we feel called to join a field that empowers individuals with information and holds education and science as paramount to a functioning society.
During orientation week, as we sat six feet apart with our new double-helix embroidered masks doing icebreaker activities and learning medical terminology, a sense of cohesion and understanding developed as we shared in this experience. Eating lunch outside together and discussing our paths to genetic counseling and UNCG illustrated the diversity of perspectives and experiences that each of us brought with us, and discussions about favorite reality TV shows made it clear that we also had a lot in common. While “distance” has been the name of the game for all of us since March, I think that our class shares a sense of closeness that can, at least in part, be attributed to sharing this experience of starting graduate school during these unprecedented times.
While many options for socializing have been off-limits to us, we have sought out activities that allow us to spend quality time together while maintaining safety. Taking advantage of the abundant nature and beautiful weather, we have enjoyed socially-distanced picnics, hikes, and outdoor breweries both as a cohort and with the second-year class!
Pictured below, from left to right, are some of us at the pumpkin patch, at one of our favorite local breweries, and dressed up as a "G-band" with the class of 2021 for the annual hallo-gene costume competition.
