Covid-19: A painful student experience ….
Busy libraries, overcrowded classrooms and noisy hallways belong to a faraway memory. Universities and colleges have moved modules and exams online to protect students and staff from Covid-19. Even though support teams have fairly adapted their teaching methods and tried to keep track of students, the lack of supervision and social interactions is causing distress. Dropouts are increasing and students struggle to plan their future.
I was scrolling through my graduation photos when it really hit me. My group year is the last to have graduated at the Barbican Center in January 2020. At that time, Covid-19 seemed a distant threat, hundreds of students received their diplomas on the stage alongside their professors and the Dean of the University. I remember the group photos and my proud parents greetings my friends. It is to me one of my fondest memory and an experience any students should be living.
A year later, restrictions and social distancing has made impossible for this new generation of students to thrive on their graduation day. In fact, it is before a Zoom conference that three years of hard-work are rewarded. No robes, no hats, no cheering, no photos.
My sister Oriana, was sworn in as an attorney via a video call earlier in December. What should have been the milestone of her Law studies, turned into a simple call with the NY State Courts. Luckily, some of her friends could join us to celebrate from home… but this was not the ceremony she rightfully dreamt of.
Obviously, the graduation party is the least important thing students are sacrificing, as a result of this extraordinary context, it is their whole university experience that is damaged, gone.
I have tried to put myself in their shoes.. how would I be doing ? What would have been my biggest concerns and challenges ? What it is like to be 20 in 2021? Are students entitled to dream and plan a future ?
*For the purpose of this article I talked to students in France and in the United-Kingdom. I deliberately did not contact student representative bodies and university staff for I wanted to relate students’ experiences and feelings only.
An exhausting routine to learn
Every morning of every days, it’s the same endless ritual: ‘I wake up and log onto Teams to attend my classes. My day is 8 hours long, but I spend almost 13 hours per day on my computer. I have modules and group projects which are all online. It’s tough. Very tough.’
Mathilde is 20, she is studying communications at ISCOM in Rouen, France. Transitioning from on-site teaching to full-time online teaching has been complicated for her: ‘It is a completely different method, a different organization. I have dedicated a space in my tiny flat for ‘study time’ and another part of the flat is dedicated to relaxation and ‘free-time’. Being on my laptop and my phone most of the day it is really complicated to stay focused. Distractions are everywhere… it’s easy to scroll on my phone while listening to my module.’ Mathilde’s friend Camille adds: ‘ I think the quality of my work has weakened, because I can’t focus properly and I am less rigorous. It’s just so frustrating to not be on campus.’
Procrastination and productivity are intertwined. Always have been. However, remote studies exacerbated laziness and the motivation to perform well decreased. Our ability to focus is likely linked to our environment. Meaning, if one is in comfortable and quiet environment, surrounded by diligent people… one will likely pour their attention onto the tasks. On the contrary, if one is on their own and is constantly disturbed by exterior nuisance … The quality of their work is severely impacted. In other words, one has to be self-disciplinary to fight the urge to check their phones and try to stay focused completely on the lecture (for several hours).
Thereby, the limited access to libraries, computers and classrooms have made education tedious and hectic for some students. As a result, they are becoming less and less interested by the subject they chose causing dropouts for the worst cases.
“It is crazy and unreal to think that we spent almost a year being taught online. It does not feel like I did three years at University.”
Yes, it is exhausting to remain galvanized throughout the weeks while spending most of the day behind a screen with no human contacts.. It is frustrating to remember that in normal times, most degrees proposed lively seminars, group projects with clients from the corporate world or networking events within the university.
The absence of coursework supervisions and one-on -one meetings given by professors is greatly missed by Camille. The 19 year-old is enrolled in a Political Sciences degree at ICP in Paris, a private university. The bed- kitchen-computer journey to her virtual class depresses her: ‘It was difficult to recreate this academic atmosphere at home especially during the first lockdown… everyone in my family were getting phone calls all day long and I could hear them. On top of that, internet and Skype issues were disturbing my modules…a little while ago a professor of mines had her baby disturbing the conference.. It may seem funny now …but it really was almost painful to get something out of the class. I cannot wait to be back at University at this point this is all I can think about…’
As much as students struggle to be captivated by the classes… teachers seem to fail at making their lecture interactive to their audience. Across the English Channel, British students are no strangers to the struggles of their French neighbours. Computer Sciences & Economics graduate, Manu, argues: ‘The most challenging thing is to attend seminars and lectures when I know they are pre-recorded… there are no live interactions with the professor.. Although they try to respond quickly to their e-mails and be available to us. I think this leads to more self-studying.’
They are pushed to gain autonomy and discipline, on the other hand, their responsibilities are pilling up and they feel left out in the cold: ‘ I am learning yes, but it’s not the same. I feel like there is a lot more work. As if we were teaching ourselves.’ — admits Victoria*, a first year student from England.
‘Some modules have Q’s & A’s but it is really light compared to the amount of work we have to do before the lecture … which often is pre-recorded.’ She continues : ‘It is disappointing … we have to make time to watch the lectures and do the readings ahead, but barely anything happens in scheduled lessons …’
These new conditions force students to be in charge of their timetables, revision plans and attendance which contribute to feed their anxieties. The fear of being behind with their homework is also overwhelming… Meanwhile some of them are equally concerned about the low quality of the teaching they receive and pay for. Especially in the United-Kingdom where tuition fees reach 9250£ a year (almost 10000€)*: ‘It just feels like a robbery as we are not in the Uni with first hand teaching. I am in debts to the government with my loan for basically teaching myself. I just pray that we can go back in September… ’ — concludes Victoria.
The pressure to pass is adding salt to the wound: ‘The exams are very stressful. I believe because a lot of students were cheating at home, professors made the finals much tougher. For instance we have more essays and less MCQs. We also have less time to reflect on a question during the exam than prior to the pandemic … Of course, I prefer them to be on campus with the proper organization. It was challenging to be doing it at home.’ — confesses Camille.
Mathilde relates : ‘I work well under pressure but with this pandemic.. it’s too much. It was a roller coaster. I had a couple of panic attacks. I was just looking at my screen and crying for hours because I could not get the motivation to get things done.’ As a Communications student, Mathilde has had a lot of projects to do with her classmates, finding time to coordinate with the team between lectures was chaotic. But the 20 year old insists on the support she received: ‘Our well-being and mental health is very important to our school staff. They encourage us to voice our concerns and issues with the whole remote studying process and the pandemic of course. They also check on our mood. It is comforting to know that someone can hear us.’
Even though Universities and Colleges try to provide mental health support and consistently ask feedbacks from their students, in the United-Kingdom the absence of funding to implement efficient strategies to help struggling students is pointed out by the mental health working group. As of France, the Castex administration launched ‘Chèque Psy’, this coupon will allow students in need of a psychological support to get 3 free sessions with a professional.
*In spite on the disruption caused by Covid-19 a petition has gathered almost 600,000 signatures to decrease tuition fees by two thirds. UK Government responded negatively to this request arguing that universities needed to be properly funded.
A solitary adventure
What would be Universities without their parties and academic events ? How to alleviate the aloneness aggravated by Covid-19 ? If Camille, Mathilde and Manu have met people from their respective courses the previous years, 18 year old Victoria did not have this chance. Last September, she started a Bachelor in Sociology and International Politics from home. It was ‘nerve wracking and awkward’ for Victoria whom was looking forward to starting her student life in London. She was excited to live in the British capital and to make new friends. Soon enough the reality of the pandemic crushed her hopes. Compelled to stay with her parents, the young woman has never been on campus and never met her classmates. She thought she would at least get a glimpse of their faces thanks to the introduction module: ‘I was self conscious at the idea of turning the camera on.. but then I quickly realized that no one was doing it and that there was a severe lack of participation. It always feels extremely awkward and forced.’
Undoubtedly, students don’t communicate outside the classes. They don’t know each other personally… hence this constant unsettling atmosphere during lectures and the unfading shyness among the groups even though the year is well begun.
This was a disillusion for the first year student who’s A-Levels were already cancelled in March 2020: ‘I have friends from Uni but they are all virtual… It is not the same ..It is a horrible situation for anyone really. It just heightens the feeling of having not finished school properly, and not having started Uni properly either.’
This feeling of abandonment and loneliness is shared by others like 25 year -old Manu from City University in London: ‘I miss seeing people’s faces! But more seriously, I miss chatting with my classmates and getting to know them properly, through a face to face interaction.’ He continues :‘ London has been on lockdown for the most time I have been at Uni … so no one has really had a social life…’. Before the pandemic, Manu’s schedule was shared between studying, working out and partying. Until now he had been adapting fairly well to the restrictions but this took a turn last December…The UK Covid strain prevented him from traveling back home to Sweden. The aspiring data-scientist stayed in London instead of enjoying a well deserved break whit his family. Though, Manu does not want to complain. He insists on having been lucky to have his roommates around and to eat a hot meal everyday.
“Our parents do see our solitude, and they try to understand… But the pandemic isn’t hitting them the same way as us.”
In Northern England, Nick* is a Phd student in Bioinformatics, alike his counterparts he suffers from this tense situation: ‘I miss the culture of the University and the opportunity to discuss my research with my colleagues or on seminars…’. Nick has troubles being inspired to work. At home, it is difficult to differentiate his space dedicated to work from his space for leisure. Besides, the young man feels isolated: ‘I do feel alone sometimes, it really depends on how engage with my work I am .. I know I can reach out to someone though… ’ He adds: ‘In some ways, my supervisory team has been a bit hectic. But I can find support if I need it …even outside my team.’
Lockdowns after lockdowns the mood is at its lowest…With little to no social gathering going on, students who are able to travel rely on their families’ support: ‘The Christmas break was much needed. I got to see my family despite the context which cheered me up. I was also able to organize a small party for NYE, but that’s it really … I am very aware of the sanitary situation in France .. so I do not go out as much as before. Sometimes it feels like I only have my homework and no other distractions...’ — describes Mathilde.
Camille continues: ‘Anything that was comforting after the exams period has been cancelled. The student Union does not organize parties anymore and we can’t meet our friends outside Uni because all the places are shut… and with the curfew it has become really complicated to arrange plans.’ If anything, the pandemic restrained them to a ridiculous routine.
As if they were trapped in a maze, students are desperately lonely. They’re cut off from their friends, their professors, and their families sometimes because they cannot travel to meet them. Over my conversations, I could sense their impatience. The carefreeness attached to their youth vanished. This extraordinary context called for maturity and responsibility, a duty they have performed well. Above all, the long wait to get back to a normal life is taking a toll on their ability to project and make plan for their future.
Resilience ?
Moving forward with their life and holding onto their projects is a starting point for students to maintain their mood uplifted. Or at least try….
Erasmus programs are cancelled or delayed, and so the opportunity to work abroad. Therefore students are holding onto internships in their home countries. In Rouen, Communications student Mathilde just found a position: ‘I am really excited because I am going to be working on-site. It will be nice to have a break from remote studies and to gain experience in communications and marketing. I am disappointed of course because in normal times the internship should have been abroad.’
The young woman admitted that due to the economic context she has been less strict with the companies she chose to apply to. In fact, the sparsity of jobs urge the graduates to candidate anywhere and everywhere. Indeed, some students are asked to find a placement to complete their year. With little to no roles in some industries, the search for a graduate job or an internship is a dreadful experience. The first offer is often the one they will go along with… Like a blessing.
Nick is not as positive as his counterparts. To him the challenges will remain equal: ‘I except more or less the same things. That is to say, a loss of productivity and challenges for self-motivation and mental health…’
The university being closed down without new notice on their reopening, the Phd student cannot plan anything new related to his research. At last, the hope to organize conferences within the next months faded quickly.
Then there are those willing to pursue into the academic world by doing a Masters degree alike Camille. For them, it is the journey to register into a new University that is frustrating. Virtual tours have replaced the traditional Open Days. Even if they can reach out to former students on internet, the new settings do not lead to a fruitful exchange and do not give the right insight they need to make such an important decision. However, Camille will persist. She hopes to complete her bachelor with excellent grades and secure a spot at CELSA for her master.
Perhaps the best attitude is to live day-by-day like Manu. The Swedish incoming data-scientist tries to not worry about his future. To him, the next few weeks are as unpredictable as it can be. There should not be pressure to launch a project that could be cancelled… so he prefers to stick to the plans he knows won’t be forbidden.
All in all, students have proved themselves capable to accommodate to this extremely harsh context. Renouncing to their social life, adapting to remote studies or giving up on a job opportunity in the other side of the world. Head of States across Europe acknowledged their growing discontent and moral pain, nonetheless, their responses come slowly. If plans to fund economic recovery and to encourage business to hire more young people are implemented, on the other hand, it is the dream to go back to University that is distanced day by day. Finally, the vaccine sparked off joy for a return to normality. A much needed glimmer of hope for a generation already overwhelmed.
*Names have been changed
**With little to no money in their bank account, an alarming number of young adults are constraint to seek the help of charities such as la Banque Alimentaire in France in order to get food supply or sanitary help. The living conditions of those students are severely damaged due to Covid-19 pushing them into poverty. Every day is a fight to live decently.
