How the Pandemic Has Affected College Students
⌛ By Isabella Mershon ⌛
As I am finishing my last semester at Ohio University, I feel many emotions. A part of me is so drained and excited to be done with school, but the other part of me is sad at how much the pandemic has taken from my college experience. As I am starting to look at jobs and graduate schools, I find myself feeling unprepared. I am not alone in this feeling, as many of my peers feel the same way. I sent out an anonymous survey to many college students/recent graduates to see how they felt as well. In this blog post, I will share my peers’ and my own experiences and feelings as we are graduating and entering the workforce.
The “college experience”
I’ve heard a lot that college is the greatest years of your life, so when almost two years are taken from the experience, it is hard not to be bitter. I missed out on homecomings, athletic games, concerts, and more. In the survey, many people stated that they were unable to make friends, join clubs and organizations, take advantage of campus resources and activities, etc., because of online classes and moving home due to the pandemic. Several respondents stated that coming back to campus and attending in-person classes and activities was very scary for them. After being hidden behind a computer screen for two years, it is hard to adjust to in-person requirements. I understand this feeling, because I have felt it as well. Now that things are opening up again, I have felt pressure to spend a lot of time with friends and family and go out and do things. Something that the pandemic showed me was that I enjoy time to myself, and I need that time to decompress, relax, etc. When I overload my schedule or have to go to social outings, I get more overwhelmed and anxious than I used to. I know I am not alone in these feelings because many people stated in the survey that although they did not feel it before, they now feel social anxiety due to these circumstances. This can make it hard for students and young professionals to adjust back to “normal life.”
Lack of experience
When the pandemic hit, many students were unable to get internships to get experience in their career field. Some were able to get internships, but many of them were online so they were different, to say the least. People shared that because of this, they felt very unprepared to enter the workforce — even if their position was online. One reason for this is because many jobs require previous experience, so entering the workforce with only an online internship experience or no experience at all can create a lot of anxiety for young professionals. For myself, my online internship and employment through Hourglass has helped me so much, but I understand this feeling. Doing online public relations work involves a lot of phone calls, emails, video calls, and other forms of online communication. The aspect that I have missed out on is the in-person element to public relations. Because of this, I am more anxious but also excited to be able to explore this part of PR once I graduate, but I know I will have a lot to learn in this area. Another reason students felt unprepared was that since they were unable to get hands-on experience in their career field, they do not know what to expect or if they will even like it. This has affected so many majors, especially students in healthcare that were unable to have in-person clinicals, education students who strictly had to teach online and were never able to meet their students, and more. Internships are a great way to see what you like and what you do not like, so this unsure feeling is understandable.
Burnout
The pandemic has caused many people and professionals to feel burned out — including college students. We had to adjust to a new style of learning while grieving the opportunities and experiences we were missing out on. If you have never taken an online class, they can be draining. Some online classes require students to log in on Microsoft Teams or Zoom for lectures. For my peers and myself, trying to focus on class while I am at home surrounded by distractions makes it hard to focus and stay motivated. Many times, I would log on for class while working on other tasks and/or assignments. I know this contributed to me learning less than I did in person, because while in-person I was more motivated and attentive in class. Other classes would upload recorded lectures for students to view at their own time along with assignments. Both styles of online classes can be a very lonely experience due to the lack of human interaction. Also, it has hindered a lot of students’ learning because many students prefer in-person instruction where hands-on learning can take place. In addition to this, many students did not have the same opportunities to get help if they were struggling with their course work. For a student enrolled in full-time courses, online courses could mean that some days you would be on your computer doing work all day. Doing this for almost two years has resulted in many students experiencing burnout which has led to many students saying that they have not enjoyed college, they are struggling to stay motivated to finish their degree, and more.
What can we do?
If you are still enrolled in college, you should realize that it is never too late to start something new. Even if you do not have much time left, try to join a club or organization that interests you. This way, you can meet new people, network with professors, professionals, and other students, and get experience. Also, take advantage of all that your campus has to offer. Attend presentations by guest speakers who interest you, attend your professors’ office hours, meet with your advisor more than once a semester to discuss your options, participate in workshops, and anything else that will help you. As we are transitioning our schooling back to in-person, there will be more and more of these opportunities for students to take advantage of — both online and in-person.
For the young professionals graduating and entering the workforce, it is not too late to get an internship. Many internships are actually targeted for recent graduates, so this could be a great opportunity to get hands-on and relevant experience after graduation. Also, try reaching out to different organizations that interest you and ask if they have any opportunities for you to observe/volunteer and/or if they have any open positions. This is a great way to show an organization that you are interested in their company, and you never know what opportunities are available until you ask. You could also reach out to your past professors, advisors, employers, and/or alumni to see if they know of any opportunities that would fit your interests. Even if you were unable to form a strong connection with any of them, do not let this stop you from reaching out and connecting. Lastly, do not forget to rest. The last two years have been draining, to say the least. If you are able to, allow yourself a chance to rest and refill your batteries. You could use this time to read books pertaining to your career path and/or general self-help books, you could research free resources to allow you to learn a new skill to add to your resume, or you could take this time to enjoy the break and rest. When you are ready, then you can enter the next chapter of your life eager for what is next.
ANSWERS FROM SURVEY
I asked many students/recent graduates the following questions: How do you feel COVID-19 has affected your college experience? How do you feel COVID-19 has/will affect you after graduation when you go to enter the workforce and/or graduate school? I received the following answers:
In my first year at a new school, all of my classes were online. I did not have any chances to make friends. It was very lonely and online schooling made learning difficult.
The pandemic has hindered my learning significantly. I would be much smarter if it never happened.
COVID-19 has taken opportunities away due to almost two years away from campus. I lost the ability to make connections with faculty, use campus resources, and more. Not to mention online schooling was not on par with in-class instruction, and I didn’t get to learn all that I could have.
Trying to complete school work at home is tough. For years, when I came home it was time to relax and not think about school for a little bit. Now that it’s something I have to do at home, it’s been a little harder to focus. At first, I was really motivated to make the most of it, but now I am really burned out.
By having classes online, I had a lack of motivation to participate and do schoolwork. I think the professors felt the same way, because there were a lot of extra mental health days they gave during the last couple of semesters.
I feel that when I graduate, I will be more unprepared to enter graduate school or the workforce due to the pandemic.
When I graduate, I fear I won’t have the experience I want for my job due to the pandemic halting any in-person training and education I was planning to have. I do not feel prepared, as it felt like online school — especially being taught by professors who were not proficient in online teaching/technology — has not prepared me for my job.
COVID-19 has reduced the workforce and increased the stress on those who have stayed. It’s going to continue to get harder unless there is some relief, whether it be monetary compensation or increased staffing. Until then, people are going to continue to get burned out regardless of their profession.
I have a lot of social anxiety from being isolated for a year and then being expected to socialize and go back to normal again. It’s going to take time to recover from that.
Due to the pandemic, I was unable to join an organization/club. Once I moved back on campus, I felt it was too late to join one since I was already an upperclassmen.
It has taken away many opportunities. When everything went online, students were still expected to perform the same as they would while in class and pay regular college tuition while having online classes and not getting to use and experience everything you pay for while on campus.
During the pandemic, I was unable to participate in my in-person teaching experience and taught fully virtual. Teaching virtually was very tough on me, and I was never able to meet the students I taught face to face. Now that I am graduating this December, I’m afraid that I don’t have the in-person teaching experience I need to feel successful in my future career.
I feel like I missed out on my Senior year experience due to COVID-19 lockdowns and events being cancelled.
Covid has made it difficult to find jobs that are wanting college students right out of graduation. Many places require some experience before hiring, but with COVID-19 it has been hard to obtain internships in my field of study.
Because of COVID-19, I have been told that virtual teaching will likely never go away. School closings for inclement weather, and student sick days will likely begin online class days so that students can still attend class. Also with COVID-19, technology has been more accessible to students with everyone having a school computer, 4 year olds are now expected to know how to use technology.
I won’t take as many things for granted but I also won’t feel 100% sure in my capabilities. The field also might be totally different after the pandemic.
Isabella Mershon is a senior at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. She hopes that her drive along with her passion for leadership and advocacy will help promote success in her career and make a difference in the lives of those around her. Connect with her on LinkedIn!