Student wearing mask at computer | Photo by Diana Jaber | The Wright State Guardian
College students today are dealing with a different reality than college students of the past lived through. Although professors try to keep some normalcy, the everyday lives of students have changed.
Day-to-day interactions
The coronavirus impacted life in a variety of ways. The nature of the pandemic made personal interaction with teachers limited and has disrupted routines for students.
“None of my professors require us to meet at a set time so I work more hours and don’t have a set routine for school,” said Wright State University (WSU) student Abby Armstrong.
Armstrong, like many students, prefers a routine during school. There was, however, a positive for Armstrong; due to having more free time to study, she found her grades have been the best they have ever been this past semester.
Finances
Another issue students have faced is finances. The coronavirus has prompted many retailers and restaurants, among other institutions, to close indefinitely at some points.
Another WSU student, Brooke Shade, found some good in the pandemic even though they experienced issues with finances.
“We closed work like mid-March last year for a few weeks but then the stimulus checks that we got and unemployment stuff we got helped a lot,” said Shade.
Mental health
These peculiar circumstances have taken a toll on the mental health of students like costume design major Carrie Wieland.
“I guess when COVID started it was bad, but it kept going downhill through the summer,” said Wieland.
According to Wieland, the reasons for their declining mental state were not being able to go out to do activities and being cooped up inside.
Fortunately, Wieland found that coming back to school and finding a semblance of a routine has certainly helped quite a bit.
Though it has been an unusual time, to say the least, there is hope to be found in people remaining resilient when the future seems so bleak.
