International Students Reflect on Changing Housing Situations

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By Amelia Luo ’23 

Last March, Mount Holyoke College officially announced that it would pivot to a remote spring semester in response to the rapidly-growing coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Months later, on Aug. 10, 2020, the College announced that it would once again provide a fully remote education for the fall term. The suddenness of these decisions causes challenges regarding housing and stabilization for some, particularly international students. 

Annie Teoh ’23, a student from Malaysia, discussed how difficult of a decision it is to decide whether or not to fly back home. “I feel sometimes that the situation is very hard on everyone. They want to go home, but they cannot. They are afraid of their grade or the internet, or the price of the plane ticket,” Teoh said. “Besides, even if you bought the ticket, you will never know if you can really leave. It’s just very emotionally stressful.” After living on campus for several months, Teoh recently moved into an apartment with friends, deciding not to return home or remain on campus. 

Although some students went home when Mount Holyoke closed its campus in March, others deemed it safer and easier to remain in the U.S. The decision to remain on campus was the start of an experience full of both difficulties and silver linings.

Following Mount Holyoke's decision to move to remote learning in spring 2020, the College announced that it would close Ham, MacGregor, 1837, Prospect and Buckland Halls, condensing those left on campus into a few residential buildings. This was only the first of three moves students who opted to remain on campus experienced in the past six months. Students were asked to move again at the beginning of summer break, as well as directly before the start of the fall semester. 

Charlotte Mao ’23 moved three times, switching from Ham Hall to Abbey Hall, then from Abbey Hall to Mandelle Hall. “I feel like what I can see from this whole thing is that the College is also unsure of what they are doing,” Mao said. “Ham to Abbey is like the farthest distance [between] two dorms that you can find on campus.” 

Four days before her departure to her home in Xiamen, China, Mao was informed that the College was closing Mandelle Hall, forcing her to move to Porter Hall instead. “At that time, the College did not even provide a van. All you have is that cardboard bin and you have to drag it by yourself,” Teoh recollected.

In March, the College implemented a 10-mile radius limitation for students living on campus. Despite the isolation from anything off campus, there was still a silver lining, Teoh said. “The good side is that since [everyone is] on campus, I have the opportunity to meet more friends who I would never know if everything is normal. I feel I can really trust them because we are all [in] this together.”  

Mao also built a community around her during her time on the closed Mount Holyoke campus. She hiked up nearby mountains, tried to learn Korean and regularly watched shows with her friends. “It was a way of getting the human interaction I needed,” Mao said.

By the end of the summer, Teoh decided to move off of the College’s campus and instead moved into an apartment with one of her friends. When she saw her name on the lease, the idea of suddenly growing up struck her. 

“When living in the dorms, there are many things that you take for granted, but living on your own, you have to be responsible for cooking, maintaining and cleaning, even after you have a very long day,” she said. “Nevertheless, the freedom of living off campus is much needed during this difficult time.” 

Both Teoh and Mao left campus before the College began to administer more extensive precautions against COVID-19, including required face coverings in public spaces, regular testing and social distancing. Currently, just under 200 students — including many international students — continue to reside on the closed Mount Holyoke College campus.