Karisha Jade

As a student during the pandemic, the year 2020 was a wild ride to say the least. Just when I thought I had a handle on the stresses of my third and final penultimate year, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and flipped everything upside down. Suddenly, I found myself attending online lectures, completing assignments one after another and for others, taking exams all from the comfort (or chaos) of home.

At first, the prospects of online learning seemed like a dream come true. No more commuting to campus via the famous U5, no more early morning lectures and no more fighting for a seat in the library. I was convinced that I would be ultra- productive and make the most of this time without further distractions. Or so I thought…

One of the biggest challenges I faced was lack of face-to-face interaction. Gone was the days of having a random guy sit next to you on the bus claiming he saw you in the club last night to get your number! (Perhaps a story to tell later down the line). What I’m trying to say is, it became more difficult to stay motivated and engaged when you’re just staring at a screen all day, confined between the same plain four walls. Over time I adjusted to create a sort of daily schedule to follow, creating a study space in my flat and trying to recreate a structured routine to keep myself on track.

The lack of social interaction was a challenge i never thought I’d struggle with. Oh how the tables have turned! Before lockdown, I considered myself to be quite the introvert and didn’t realise how much socialising I did! To combat the loneliness per say, my friends and I relied on virtual games, video calls and movie nights to stay sane. Much like the rest of the world, apps like HouseParty, Monopoly online and Zoom became highly sort out as a daily necessity. I for one thoroughly enjoyed (cards against humanity online)!

While the pandemic had brought with it a lot of stress, uncertainty and grievances, I found it to be a learning curb of self discovery, self care, and self reflection. This was through daily walks, practicing photography or even indulging in guilty pleasure tv shows (Love Island you were one of them)!

Overall, life as a student during the pandemic had been a mix of emotions, a mix of good and bad. But I’m grateful for technology, for the workers in hospitals who worked tirelessly to save people day in and day out, for my friends and family that checked up on me and helped out and for understanding myself. I’m hopeful that things will return to a sense of normalcy in the future and those of us who have had our final year of university stripped from us, come together and share how much we were affected because our voices are still yet to be fully heard.

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