Summary
Students are technologically more advanced after more than a year of online studies
From learning a language to freelancing, students fear the end of all their activities once colleges reopen
Attending college in person for the first time in the second year of undergraduate studies — sounds unreal? But that is the strange reality of the New Normal.
Me and my batchmates graduated high school amid the pandemic and studied a year in college without entering the campus. We missed our school farewell as well as the college freshers’ ceremony.
By the end of my first year as a BSc Economics student at Amity University, Kolkata, I had no hope of ever visiting the campus in my three years of college life. As for my classmates, we knew how we sounded better than how we looked.
But now here I am faced with the prospecting of meeting 23 completely unknown people, who were put together in a class for 3 years, in person for the first time.
Brushing aside all the memes on online classes that are doing the rounds, I somehow feel the virtual mode of education has groomed me. It taught me time management and most importantly it made me realise that being lazy wasn’t an option. Even if you take shortcuts because it’s online and not get caught, it all comes down to one question, is it worth it?
During online classes, I couldn’t zone out because of the fear of missing out on lectures. Though forced, it taught us how to balance out the aftermath of zoning out. It forced us to learn our ways in and around various educational apps. We even conducted successful events which were planned and set into motion in two days.
The internet wasn’t a place for just socialising. It gradually became a platform where we could upskill ourselves. Some of us started interning or earning by freelancing or came up with a start-up. Institutes have conducted numerous webinars, virtual events, and competitions. I don’t think we could achieve this if we had to go to college every day. Over two semesters, I am much smarter technologically.
Fast forward to the third semester, I am about to appear for my internal exams and now the colleges are reopening. I am trying my best to be positive and happy about this because, finally, I will get to see my batchmates and my professors without the barrier of a screen.
But there are so many questions left unanswered — how should I prepare for exams now? What if I fail to adjust and it affects my grades? Will I even gain the interest to read off a hard copy especially after being accustomed to pdfs and ppts? Will I be able to socialise after being socially deprived for so long? And let’s not even start about being able to write. It’s time I went and practised some handwriting.
Last updated on 13 Nov 2021
