A student's dramatic photographs show how empty Cornell's campus was on the first day of classes

A Cornell student at College Town Bagels in Ithaca, New York.Daniel Ra

• Cornell University started its fall semester on September 2, and Daniel Ra grabbed his camera to document the day.
• He spent a few hours wandering around campus and snapping photographs of the nearly deserted campus.
• He said most students are taking the precautions seriously by wearing masks and social distancing.
• "No one wants to get sick," Ra told Insider. "No one wants to go back home after spending so much money."

Daniel Ra stepped onto Cornell University's campus to start his fall semester, but it didn't feel like the traditional start to the year.

The graduate student compared it to finals week. "It feels like you're the last person to leave for winter break," Ra told Insider. "You're on campus and everyone is leaving or gone."

Ra, a staff photographer at the university's campus newspaper, wanted to capture the emotions and atmosphere surrounding the first day of the fall semester in Ithaca, New York.