Learning in the midst of a global pandemic has resulted in a very strange and confusing semester, for all parties involved. And it being my freshman year of college has made things that much more complicated to adjust to. One of the hardest things right before we switched to online learning was the uncertainty of the entire situation and what the university would do. Being an out of state student, I was not planning to go home for spring break because it was originally just one week- but talks of an extended break or perhaps closing the campus was in the air and it made it difficult to make a concrete decision on what to do and how I could prepare for all possible situations. But as plans were announced and campus was vacated, the uncertainty of the situation is still something that's difficult to deal with. What will happen a month from now? Three months from now? Dealing with the mental and emotional toll of the pandemic while staying on track with online classes and assignments is one of the harder parts of being a student in this situation. Most in-person classes were not formatted to be conducted online and I know that is something many professors were struggling to deal with; the transition to online learning was about as smooth as anyone would expect, but no one specific is to blame for that. But if part or all of the fall semester was to be conducted online again, I think students would benefit from, funnily enough, less changes to the syllabi. During this pandemic, I have learned that sticking to a schedule- or something as close to schedule as possible- helps to alleviate much of the stress and emotions that comes from the weight of uncertainty. Some of my professors have shifted due dates on all larger assignments to the very end of the semester and some have replaced exams/quizzes with essays and projects. I realize that these changes were made in an effort to be considerate of the lack of resources and availability many students are experiencing by being back home, but personally, I find that many students wait until close to the due date of assignments anyway and pushing them back will only result in extreme procrastination. Additionally, replacing some assignments with essays and/or projects may seem like it is allowing more freedom to the student instead of taking an exam, but adding more time-intensive assignments will only add to the pressure of this entire situation. That is not to say that professors should not be willing to adjust due dates or even assignments in the case of a student needing that; there are many limitations to being at home and participating in online learning, like I mentioned before. Learning during a global pandemic is strange to say the least. Students, staff, and professors are adjusting to everything as things change and general confusion and slip-ups are unavoidable. I think the most important thing that I have learned during this time is that it is paramount to be kind, understanding, and patient with the people and the world around us; always, but definitely right now.