By Brady Stephens
Senior, English, IUPUI
COVID-19 seems to have reached all corners of the Earth. It is affecting our jobs, our health, our hobbies, and just about everything else. A certain population of people has taken quite the hit when it comes to changes caused by the virus: college students.
As a senior English major at IUPUI, I, like college students across the country and beyond, have had to adjust to a near immediate shift from classes on campus to online classes, while many have also had to pack up and move back home. Teachers are uploading lectures for students to watch, scheduling virtual meetings, and doing whatever they can to teach students virtually.
Thankfully, I still live at home with my parents so I didn’t have to experience the stress of moving out of a dorm or college apartment with little notice. I’m also lucky that two of my five classes were already online, so I didn’t have to deal with huge changes to all of my classes.
I like to think I’m capable of adapting quickly to new situations. I used to attend the University of Louisville and transferred in the middle of a semester to IUPUI. I was able to plan classes, transfer class credits, and complete everything else that was necessary in an efficient manner. Because of this experience I thought that shifting to all online classes would be a breeze. While two of the three classes that converted online have been easy for me in terms of adjusting to new digital material, the ease comes to an abrupt stop for my math class.
Math has always been a challenge for me; I am an English major after all. When I learned that IUPUI would be switching to remote learning my first thought was how difficult math was about to become. If I’m being honest, I was not doing all that well in the class prior to the switch. The class is Finite Math so it’s a lot of probability and statistics – not fun.
There is something intimidating about an online math class. Even when I am physically present for a math class I am beyond lost, so when I’m forced to watch a pre-recorded lecture, then attempt homework assignments on my own, well, that’s an entirely new level of lost. This is especially stressful because I have a lot riding on this math class. I am supposed to graduate at the end of this semester and as a 5th-year senior I am so ready. I have a lot of anxiety about the thought of failing my math class and having to retake the course over the summer.
While my math class takes first prize for the most difficult challenge I am facing, there is another challenge that comes in at a close second. My family.
I come from an insanely boisterous family. I have a younger brother who has autism and if you know anyone who has autism you know they are loud. They’re loud when they’re happy, they’re loud when they’re mad, and they’re loud just about every other time too. In addition to my brother, my mom, dad, and sister are all pretty loud as well. Whenever my mom is on the phone (which is a lot) she shouts, my dad likes to mow the lawn a little too often, and my sister (who’s room is directly above mine) tends to watch Netflix at the maximum volume. In addition to family members being a distraction, dogs are barking, the neighbor kids are yelling as they play outside, and the UPS delivery driver is ringing the doorbell. There are a lot of distractions at the home front, even during the age of social distancing. My family and I are taking social distancing very seriously and so we have been staying home the entire time, only leaving for groceries or other necessities.
I am sure most would agree that studying and doing homework in a loud environment is hard. Experts have lots of advice, but it’s still not easy. One of my dearest friends, Shelby, attends Seton Hall University and once her university made the switch to remote learning, she was one of those students who had to pack up her belongings and move back home. In her case, she was going from New Jersey all the way to Kansas.
Like me, she is finding it hard to stay focused.
“There are distractions being at home and I think that in some ways it hinders my ability to learn,” Shelby explained to me. “Not having access to a quiet library where I can study is also a disadvantage.”
So will all the distractions ultimately take a toll on our success?
Many universities across the nation have made the decision to move to variations of a pass/fail system, including IUPUI, which has done a superb job of relaying new information and updates to students. We get frequent emails and all updates can also be found on IUPUI’s website, which has new pages dedicated to all things virus-learning-teaching related. We’ve been given several options that we can apply for after grades are in; some count toward degree requirements, others don’t, so it’s not likely I will not be exercising one that I might qualify for because, while the “Passing” option satisfies course credit, it does not satisfy degree requirements, and I need that to graduate.
So, I am still concerned about the uncertainty of my math class, and the rest of the semester for that matter.
Students all over are concerned with what the future holds. Graduation ceremonies have been cancelled for those of us who would otherwise have been walking to get our diploma. Others are wondering when they be able to move back to campus and how this semester will affect their personal learning? IUPUI has already informed students that summer courses will all be online and there have been talks about whether things will go back to normal in the fall.
With so much uncertainty and no real answers it’s hard to plan for the future and it’s hard to stay motivated. For me personally, I am struggling to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I know that it’s coming, but it feels very far off.
At the time I’m writing this, I am not sure how the semester will end. I hope to pass my math final and I am spending most of my time studying for that. If I don’t pass, I will retake the course over summer and graduate once that is complete. I know that I have a lot of hard work ahead of me, but there will be light in the end.
Kommentare