I'm not saying I want to just "pause" and play video games for a year, though I'll grant that's true of some of my peers. Rather, I'm saying it makes sense for many people my age to make changes to their up-coming year. I'd continue working as a developer, continue with non-profit work, and keep working on side projects to build skills. I've been working through some interesting books (Boneh and Shoup's crypto book and Crafting Interpreters) and learning a great deal outside the rigor of any formal class.

Essentially, while I get why colleges and politicians would want students to go about business as usual, it seems it benefits them rather than me. I'm going to college for two things: research and connections. Both of these are greatly impeded by virtual-only learning. Research is possible in CS but much harder, especially if one doesn't already know the professor. And it seems impossible to form relationships over videochat only.