The 2,287 first-year students at TCU are wrapping up their first semester of college that was unlike any other.

Many of these students missed milestone events in high school, including attending a senior prom and walking across the stage at commencement ceremonies. Now at TCU, they have spent the past few months adjusting to college while dealing with COVID-19 regulations.

Several of them have struggled with certain parts of their college experiences, but they have been able to adapt.

Alexis Gugasian, a first-year communication major, said she did not think COVID-19 would last long enough to interrupt her first year of college. 

“There is absolutely no way a first-year college student is able to get the full college experience with all the COVID-19 restrictions,” Gugasian said. “However, given the circumstance, I am happy with how my first semester of college went.”

Gugasian said she participated in virtual recruitment and was able to join a sorority, which she said has been the best decision she’s made in college so far. She said she hopes to join more extracurriculars later, but right now she is still adjusting.

“I love TCU so much, and being able to be independent and in a new environment has had a positive effect on my mental health,” Gugasian said. “I like being able to set my own boundaries and rules.”

Brice Christianson, a first-year pre-business major, said the only thing he feels like he is missing out on is the dorm experience.

“The resident advisers are very strict and do their best to not allow non-TCU visitors, and there is a maximum number of people in one room,” Christianson said. “Hearing stories from previous years of what Sherley Hall was like makes me wish I was getting that same experience.”

Christianson said he thinks TCU has done a great job making campus as normal as possible. 

“I feel like my freshman year has been great, and if this isn’t all TCU has to offer, then I am even more excited for the future with in-person classes and no masks,” Christianson said.