By Jocelyn Zhou ’22
Staff Writer
When Mount Holyoke College closed its campus and switched to remote learning in March 2020, international students were encouraged to fly back home. Throughout the last academic year, international students have dealt with time differences interfering with online classes. In the face of this difficulty, some students chose to take a gap year or semester.
Ruoyu Zhang ’25, an international student from China, returned home in late August 2020.
“Comprehensively, all things were good,” Ruoyu explained. “People were very conscious about the virus and wearing protections in the public area[s], especially in the airport.”
Airline booking marked the harsh beginning of her trip. “The flight was still hard to book due to the sudden increase in demand. The policy didn’t keep up so well on price and frequency,” she said. “I managed to book the flight at a relatively reasonable price. The flight wasn’t troublesome. The airport and the custom[s agents] asked everyone to wear a mask and keep 6 feet apart, which were good calls. I wore a face mask on the flight all the time besides [when] eating and drinking.”
She decided to take a semester off from Mount Holyoke because she always wanted a gap experience. “I always want to take a gap year. Travel, meet my families and spend [the] Spring Festival together, the Chinese version of Christmas. Now I can do all of them,” she said. “I won’t lie; the pandemic was the most significant factor that led to my gap decision. But the others still have a place.”
Ruoyu was also looking forward to a real campus experience, but safety was her primary concern. “I think the situation isn’t so friendly toward Asians in general right now as I am speaking [on] March 22, 2021,” she said. “I am thrilled the vaccine for COVID-19 is out to keep us safe from the virus. But just thinking about Asians [who] might be risking their lives, getting attacked by haters [while walking] on the street makes me sick. Excuse my intensive expression, but that’s how I genuinely feel.”
“Considering the percentage of international students in our school, I hope our school can protect us from harm, physically and mentally,” Ruoyo said.
Thien An Dang Nguyen ’22, an international student from Vietnam, moved home in March 2020, immediately after the school announced that it would conduct remote learning after spring break.
“I booked a flight from Boston to Hanoi operated by Qatar Airways; however, it was canceled. Nevertheless, I was lucky enough to book another flight back home,” An said.
An took a gap semester to search for career prospects.
“I’m currently working as a content writer for an e-commerce company. I actually quite enjoy the job because I can write creatively and learn interesting things about economics,” An said. “When returning to the 2021 academic fall semester, I think I might take another economics class. I’ve only taken one economics course.”
Next semester, An hopes to return to campus if there is a hybrid between online and in-person classes.
However, she also has concerns for her safety.
“Since the vaccine is being distributed, I just hope that the situation will become better,” she said. “In the beginning of March, I heard that there was a COVID-flouting party at UMass Amherst, and I felt quite unsettled. Thus, I just want the students to still follow the COVID-19 regulation strictly in the upcoming semesters.”