As I sat to write this blog I thought to myself how can you explain what is going through the mind of a college student during this Covid-19 pandemic when you can’t seem to fully comprehend it yourself? One day you may accept and make the most of the situation but the very next day something new comes along and the process starts over.
I stared at the title for a good 15 minutes wondering if it was apt and I realized it is what it is, College Students vs Covid-19. A battle, a challenge that college students around the world no matter how lost or confused they are, have decided to take on.
Covid-19 has caused a paradigm shift in education. From making after-college plans every single day to “Do I have to turn my video on?” is what the new normal has led to. Constantly shifting from one screen to another to make up for the lack of human interaction (I miss my friends) coupled with working extra time is what is taking a toll on the minds of students. Why is it that being stuck at home and having access to a screen 24/7 is synonymous with “I am free and can do double the work”? Anxious, stressed and always drinking coffee is how you can picture your average college student for 60% of the day, now. Students are putting in everything they have to come up with new coping mechanisms when they realize the last one isn’t working anymore. But how much longer do they have to do this? That’s the biggest problem. The uncertainty of the future, not knowing how much longer to hold on for, not knowing how many semesters will pass by while we ‘Work/School from Home’.
The plight and struggle of the Final Year students is a whole new ball game. Usually, in your Final Year the excitement, stress and nervousness to step into the real world and to find a job is high. This year, it has hit the roof. What is the job scenario? Is there even a ‘real world’ to step into or is this ‘step’ going to be substituted by a mouse click? All questions, nobody seems to have the answers to.
However, there is always something good that comes out of tough situations (even though it may seem hard to see the good in times like these). Patience, resilience, adaptability, and gratefulness, a few things that this pandemic has taught us. I’d like to talk a little more about the importance of being grateful. While everyone moved on to a virtual world, there are so many students out there being left behind. Dropping out of colleges and missing deadlines simply because they don’t have access to the internet or a smart device. These students are being left out of the cycle of education as a consequence of this pandemic, if this doesn’t make us grateful for what we have, I don’t know what will. Can you imagine what it must feel like to be the one being left out when the whole world continues to move on? I can’t either.
This pandemic has affected people around the world in ways we may not realize or understand. Nobody saw this coming but everyone is going through it and that is the one thing college students or anyone else for that matter, can find comfort in. You are not alone and literally the whole world is voting to cancel 2020. Hang in there.
