19 Current College Students Share Their Back to School Experiences

The fall marks the start of a brand new and different school year. Many college campuses are reopening, some for the first time since the pandemic began, welcoming the full student body back.

We've reached out to 19 of our college student bloggers to see how their colleges and universities are planning to create a safe environment with classes, on campus activities and the impacts on performing arts courses and productions, along with vaccine and mask mandates.

Note: All health and safety precautions for the listed schools are in place for the foreseeable future.

Check out more work from our bloggers here! And don't miss a single blog by following our Instagram and liking our Facebook page!

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Boston College

Grace Cutler - Theater and Economics Major, Dance Minor

What do your classes look like this semester? I have classes all day in person as normal without masks. We also have rehearsal without masks and will be doing unmasked performances with masked audiences. We have a fully vaccinated campus.

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? Masks required in some public spaces. Vaccines required for students faculty staff and all guests.

How are shows being planned? We will have filmed [production] as well as in person audiences that will be fully masked.

What else are you involved with on campus? I am also a member of a comedy group and a spin instructor.

What are you looking forward to this semester? Rehearsing for shows, painting in the scene shop, and teaching spin classes.

Butler University

Maddies Davies - Theater Major, Creative Writing Minor

What do your classes look like this semester? We are doing all classes in person with masks. Our performances will be able to have a small audience attend; all must be masked. Right now, it's looking like the actors will be able to perform without masks but that could change.

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? Mask requirement and mandatory vaccines

How are shows being planned? There will be a limited, masked audience. All shows will also be streamed. Actors will not be performing in masks unless things get worse.

What are you looking forward to this semester? Seeing all my professors in person again! I really missed being able to talk to my professors face to face. I love being able to walk down the hallways and pop my head into my professors' offices just to say hi and catch up.

Columbia University

Kat Mokrynski - History Major

What do your classes look like this semester? In-person but masks will be required indoors

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? Everyone is required to be vaccinated, masks are required indoors, and there are capacity limits for both indoor and outdoor events

How are shows being planned? It depends on the club putting on each show

What are you looking forward to this semester? I'm looking forward to finally being on campus!

Columbus State University

Katie Van Sickle - Theatre and Secondary Education Major, with an English focus

What do your classes look like this semester? Classrooms are still practicing social distancing in their seatings. Masks are recommended but not required, but most students still choose to wear a mask (myself included). Vaccinations are also highly encouraged but not required.

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? Masks and vaccinations are not required but strongly recommended.

How are shows being planned? As far as I know the only precaution is masks being required by both cast and audience members alike. I'm not sure about limited capacity or anything like that.

What are you looking forward to this semester? I'm really excited for shows to be back. I'm about to have my fourth audition this semester. It's a feeling that I've missed for such a long time.

Florida Southern College

Madalyn Macko - BFA Musical Theatre, Minors in Dance and Communications

What do your classes look like this semester? Most classes have returned to a fully in person format! Classes are still charted for contact tracing and masks are required everywhere indoors.

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? If you are vaccinated, masks are required indoors only. If you are unvaccinated masks are required indoors and suggested outdoors. unvaccinated individuals must also get randomly tested on campus and will be quarantined if exposed.

How are shows being planned? We are functioning at limited capacity and audience members will be masked! We are unsure if actors will be allowed to get tested and remove masks for the show, but at the very least we can start connecting in person again!

What's something you'd like to share with readers? Getting vaccinated is safe and so extremely important. Our shows, our industry, our careers depend on the protection of the vaccine.

What are you looking forward to this semester? I'm looking forward to connecting with the audience, and thanking the audience for sharing their time with us again.

Hofstra University

Meredith Julia Muirhead - Drama Major

What do your classes look like this semester? In person, masks required

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? Vaccination required, masks required indoors

How are shows being planned? Limited capacity (students/faculty only)

What are you looking forward to this semester? I'm in a mainstage show AND I'm taking both acting and directing courses, all of which are so exciting for me!

LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore

Zac Denver Lee - Musical Theatre Major, BA (Hons)

What do your classes look like this semester? Since my whole class is vaccinated, we're allowed to be unmasked during classes. Maximum of 2 people allowed to sing unmasked. Everything is pretty much the same. We can't do any musicals and no live performances this semester.

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? Vaccination is advisable in order for unmasking. All teachers to be tested once a week.

How are shows being planned? Online only, broadcast on YouTube

What is the pandemic like in Singapore currently? Singapore situation is on the verge of falling back slightly. Possibility of another lockdown but yet to be imposed.

What are you looking forward to this semester? Not much, the hype was crushed when the situation worsened in Singapore.

Manhattanville College

Olympia Prodafikas - Musical Theatre Major

What do your classes look like this semester? In person but masks required

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? Vaccination mandate and mask requirement inside

How are shows being planned? Audience is allowed but masks required

What are you looking forward to this semester? Workshopping a new production!

Emily Ownby - Musical Theatre Major

What do your classes look like this semester? Everyone is expected to wear masks at all times, including singing and dance classes. Student social distance in studio space, and cannot make physical contact with another student.

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? Manhattanville College requires all students and staff to be vaccinated and wear masks in public spaces. Unfortunately, not everyone on campus has abided by these specifications.

How are shows being planned? During rehearsal, masks, distancing, and no-contact rules are enforced. We currently hope to welcome a live, masked audience to our fall season, which begins mid-October.

What are you looking forward to this semester? I am thrilled to be back on campus with my friends. I'm looking forward to creating a special senior recital, and soaking up all the musical theatre joy I can in my last few months of campus life.

Marymount Manhattan College

Aingea Venuto - Musical Theatre Major

What do your classes look like this semester? Hybrid classes. It's CRAZY! It's a lot, especially with dance every day.

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? Vaccination requirement, masks on at all times.

How are shows being planned? Masked rehearsal, no idea on the audience

Missouri Baptist University

Allie Pruett - Journalism Major

What do your classes look like this semester? Everything is pretty much back to how it would've been without a pandemic.

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? We have to fill out a form before coming to campus, and if we are fully vaxxed, we have to disclose that because quarantine protocols would be different.

How are shows being planned? I think people have to wear masks inside, but I'm not sure.

What are you looking forward to this semester? Meeting the freshman! (:

New York University

Bea Mienik - Vocal Performance Major, Musical Theatre Concentration

What do your classes look like this semester? In-person performance classes are socially distanced, and only the singer can be unmasked while standing a safe distance way from the rest of the class. Ensembles can perform in-person, masked and 6 feet apart.

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? Mask requirements, daily screener for Covid symptoms, vaccination mandate, distance mandate as much as possible. No non-NYU visitors in dorms or NYU buildings.

How are shows being planned? Online performances, 3 this semester.

What are you looking forward to this semester? Performing in-person again!

Randolph College for the Performing Arts in Canada

Claudia Quintero - Performing Arts Major

What do your classes look like this semester? We will be going by groups some days, filling out a health form, and eating with face masks and shields on.

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? Getting temperature taken, limited student capacities, mandatory vaccine

How are shows being planned? Most likely filmed for an audience

What are you looking forward to this semester? To be able to do my final musical before graduating and returning to campus after being in Mexico after a year and a half

Rhodes University in South Africa

Caitlin Ho - Linguistics and Journalism Major

What do your classes look like this semester? have sound technology practicals once a week in person. Otherwise, everything is online

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? Masks and sanitizing

How are shows being planned? There are no shows planned for this year.

What are you looking forward to this semester? The end of the year

Sarah Lawrence College

Michael Scuotto - Studying Theatre/Literature/Music

What do your classes look like this semester? In person with a universal mask mandate. We also plan on meeting outside for as long as humanly possible.

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? Universal indoor masking policy and vaccine mandate.

How are shows being planned? Shows will be both in-person and online! Directors have the choice to be online OR in-person, but all shows (licensing permitting) will be live streamed via Zoom.

What are you looking forward to this semester? The joy of being in a room with other artists! Also, getting to bring to life a piece thats very important to me.

SUNY New Paltz

Paige Rosko - Theatre Arts Major

What do your classes look like this semester? Most classes are in-person, but there are a few offerings online. Anyone and everyone in a classroom has to have a mask on unless eating or drinking and everyone needs to be vaccinated. All performance-based courses are in person but masked and fully vaxxed. In class, we are not six feet apart, but we are not on top of each other. I am not in any acting classes, but my friends who do have told me that they only do physical scenes if they absolutely need to, but most of the time they are masked, staying near each other, but not always touching. For some classes that are not performance-based and happen twice a week, professors have chosen to have one class session in-person and one online to make a slower transition into full in-person learning.

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? All students, professors, and staff members on campus must wear a mask if indoors and everyone must be fully vaccinated. There is a limited number of students in dorm rooms and classrooms. There is a full dorm building that is currently empty but will be used in case that people need to quarantine.

How are shows being planned? Shows are being planned for an in-person audience with a limited capacity. Tickets for shows are not going on sale until 2 weeks before the show opens to keep the options open for having to film the show and if the show has to go online, it becomes easier to make the switch. On campus, we have multiple theaters that are used for performances but this year the school has decided to make all mainstage performances take place in the largest theater on campus, to allow for the most audience members and it also has the best air filtration system.

What other guidelines are you following? The theater department has decided to follow certain AEA guidelines that they feel would be helpful for us. For example, no matter your vaccination status, anyone in the cast or crew has to get tested weekly. We are trying to be as distanced as possible but obviously, in the theater, there are moments where we have to be near each other.

Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico

Silvana Flores - Communications and Digital Media Major

What do your classes look like this semester? In every class, teachers are trying to make it work. Even in the classes that have a lot of practice like Photography and Art Direction, we're working a lot in teams online, but with the possibility of working in-person for some final projects like a short film, a podcast and content for social media for a foundation against family violence.

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? For hybrid and in-person activities courses, wearing a mask is mandatory and everyday you have to fill a form so they can see if you have any symptoms. Here in Mexico, people between 18-29 are just half-vaccinated, so the vaccine it's not mandatory.

How are shows being planned? Most of them will be on Zoom and won't be full shows, they will look more like concerts or presentations.

What are you looking forward to this semester? This semester I'm looking forward to enjoying my classes and earn practice with my final projects. Also, I want to keep balance between school stuff and personal projects.

University of California San Diego

Mia Van Deloo - Theatre and History Major

What do your classes look like this semester? All of my performance classes are in-person. Masks are required until 10/31/21 as of right now.

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? Vaccines are required and masks are required in all indoor spaces.

How are shows being planned? Only staff and students associated with the school can come see the shows. Masks and vaccines are required to attend.

What are you looking forward to this semester? Finally being in person!

University of Pennsylvania

Black Velick - Cognitive Science Major, Minors in Theatre Arts and Consumer Psychology

What do your classes look like this semester? Most classes are in-person with masks, but some professors opted to have lectures online with recitations in person. My one practical course, Intro to Directing, is in-person with masks and we social distance while collaborating to put directing theories into action.

What safety precautions are in place for students, faculty, and staff? All students AND staff are required to be vaccinated, and masks are required indoors at all times. All students must fill out a health survey in the morning to receive a green Penn OpenPass which allows students to enter buildings. If students forgot to get tested when they arrived on campus, have COVID-19, or were contact traced to possibly have COVID-19 and they haven't tested yet, then they have a red pass and cannot enter buildings.

How are shows being planned? Shows are planned to happen in-person with audiences and actors wearing masks. This is all subject to change.

What are you looking forward to this semester? I am co-directing a production of The Haunting of Hill House with Quadramics Theatre Company at the end of October, and I am performing in a production of Mamma Mia! with Penn Singers Light Opera Company in mid-November.