Pandemic Pathways: Reframing the Transition to Adulthood Among College Students

• In Event: Implications of Critical Events/Periods Across the Life Course

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted higher education at a critical developmental moment, reshaping the transition to adulthood for students entering college during an unprecedented historical crisis. This two-wave, qualitative study examines how beginning college during the pandemic altered experiences of emerging adulthood and how those experiences were later reinterpreted. Drawing on 24 in-depth interviews conducted in 2021 and 2024, this study explores college students’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interview data highlights both immediate and retrospective accounts of pandemic-era transitions Analysis shows that both cohorts experienced delays in key markers of emerging adulthood, including independent living, college integration, and planning post-college trajectories. Students felt “set back” by virtual learning, limited campus engagement, and missed milestones such as high school graduation and typical first-year experiences. For the 2021 cohort, these delays were tied to pandemic restrictions and extended time at home, while 2024 participants described a broader “lag effect,” shaped by longer educational timelines and ongoing uncertainties. Despite these challenges, students reported growth, resilience, and a reframing of their young adult identities, noting stronger family bonds, increased self-reflection, and renewed focus on social connections once restrictions eased. Over time, disruptions were reframed as formative experiences that reshaped understandings of adulthood and success, illustrating how historical context can alter age-graded transitions. This study demonstrates how emerging adults reinterpret disruption, revealing how large-scale social upheaval can both delay normative milestones and create new developmental pathways.

Author

• Alexandra Elora Herron, University of Iowa