My Experience in Quarantine

By: Kristen Adams ‘25

For more than two years, COVID has been a part of our lives. I’d never previously had COVID, but that quickly changed this month when I received a call that I had been in close contact with someone who tested positive. The very next day, I found out I had COVID-19. Here is my experience with scheduling, preparing for, and being in quarantine here at USC!

Testing Positive

When I received the call from my friend before I even tested positive, I panicked. What about my ECON exam the next day? Where would my roommate sleep? Did I have COVID? Is that why I had a sore throat? Beyond that, I wondered when I would go to a hotel and how I would get there. I had no experience with COVID procedures, since I had never gotten it before. Since it was nearly midnight, I quickly called USC Student Health for guidance. Because I wasn’t entirely sure if I had COVID that night, I didn’t get any valuable answers.
I decided to sleep on it and take a test the next morning. My roommate slept in the living room as a precaution. The next morning, I found a home testing kit that I bought the week before. Grateful to my past self, I took the test as well as submitting a saliva sample to a nearby testing location. 

After 15 minutes, to my horror, the test revealed I was positive. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much I could do right away because I had to take my ECON exam on Zoom that morning. With a newly developed fever and a mask on, I took my ECON exam with my positive COVID test sitting next to my laptop. I was stressed, upset, and confused – not only by the ECON exam questions but also with my new health situation. Once I finished my exam, I sprung into action.

First Steps

I searched my email for anything that would help me figure out the next steps. I filled out a hotel request form, a contact tracing form, and anything else I could find on Student Health to report that I had tested positive. From there, my panic subsided. I got a call from Student Health, and I was able to make a plan for the week ahead. I was hoping to go to the USC Hotel since it was close by, but deep down, I also hoped for the Doubletree Hotel because I heard about the amazing views and the free DoorDash credit.

Eventually, I found out I was headed to the Doubletree Hotel in Downtown LA for at least a week. My excitement was through the roof. After watching a ton of TikToks about other USC students eating gourmet sushi in their hotel rooms with their free DoorDash, the week didn’t seem like it would be too bad. Unfortunately, I had to pay for my own Uber to get to the hotel, but once I got there, I waited and waited and waited. After a lot of waiting and shivering from my high fever, I got my hotel room!

Hotel Life

Quarantining at the Doubletree has honestly been a great experience. I originally thought I was going to feel more FOMO than I actually did. I ended up treating it like a self-care week. I got my own room with a TV and a very comfy bed. And, of course, I also received the $70 worth of DoorDash credit for meals, groceries, snacks, and other purchases. I caught up on all my favorite shows and movies, including Stranger Things, Bridgerton, and Shrek. I also fixed my sleep schedule, getting 9+ hours of sleep almost every night, and I was able to attend most of my classes from bed. 

With my DoorDash credit, I’ve had delicious meals from Perch and Urth Caffe, and I’ve tried ramen from at least 4 different places in Little Tokyo. I’ve treated myself to brunch from places all around Downtown LA, including Fleur Cafe. I’ve enjoyed so many spots that are too expensive to try without the free DoorDash code. Avocado toast became a morning staple. The only issue I faced at the beginning was a water shortage because I forgot to buy water bottles during my first few purchases, but I quickly learned my lesson and bought a few liters of water to last the week.

Conclusion

I am very fortunate to only have experienced one really bad day of COVID symptoms on my first day of testing positive. I am extremely grateful that USC offers this quarantine experience for COVID patients, and I know that many of my other friends who attend other universities and got COVID did not get an experience like this.

This week has been a rollercoaster of emotions. It started off with a ton of confusion and stress, but with USC Student Health’s help and a tremendous amount of waiting, I was able to recover from both COVID and the craziness that comes with college life. I experienced a peaceful, relaxing, and quiet week in a hotel room with all my favorite shows, movies, books, and snacks. After this week, I look forward to sharing all my favorite restaurants and cafes that I found through Doordash with my friends back at USC.

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