This is what Latinx college students had to say about the transition to online learning
Esteban Sanchez, an undergraduate student at California State University, Long Beach has felt out of place at home with his family and feels that it’s hard to express himself ever since the transition to online learning. Having his freedom, independence and social life taken away from him not only took a massive toll on his mental health, but on his ability to learn as well.
“My mental health has never been worse, like living with my family 24/7 has been hard. I had to ignore one side of myself completely to be the person my family wants to see, not the person I am,” said Sanchez.
This unexpected change presented students with a variety of obstacles throughout the pandemic that some have yet to overcome. A feeling of disconnection to people and constant anxiety is what many dealt with while a few discussed that this change was the best thing for them in terms of their own wellbeing.
We conducted a survey about how the shift to online learning affected Latinx college students. With over 30 responses, many shared what they felt was good and bad about the last year and a half of school, and a majority dealt with some type of issues related to mental and physical health while a small percentage claimed to be better off with the online environment.
Similarly to Sanchez, David Moreno, a student at Los Angeles Recording School, didn’t look forward shift to online classes.
“I find it harder to ask for help and grasp everything I’m learning and left me with a feeling with dread every morning I had class,” said Moreno.
However he found it helpful in the aspect of his physical and financial state. He said that staying home kept him from having to spend money on gas on long commutes, which essentially gave him more time to focus on working out.
Kyle DeGuzman, an undergraduate at CSUN, unlike most responses, has felt like the switch to online learning has benefitted him.
“Best thing to ever happen. I have more free time. Most of my classes are recorded so I can learn asynchronously and put the lectures at 2x speed. I have reduced social anxiety in my day-to-day life,” said DeGuzman.
Additionally, Leslie Ramirez an undergraduate college student at CSUN, discusses how she was always a motivated and driven student prior to the pandemic.
She describes herself as someone who learns better in a hands on environment.
She currently is in academic probation and fears for her standing and future at CSUN.
A report earlier this year from the California Student Aid Commission in conjunction with the UC Davis School of Education showed that 70% of the students they reported, missed class and homework due to stress.
The report detailed that nationwide, undergraduate enrollments have fallen during the pandemic, with the sharpest declines in community colleges
Similarly to our findings, the report also mentions how the pandemic disrupted the lives of college students.
The switch forced many students to change the daily routine they have had in their lives to something completely different and unexpected.
With the ones that made a seamless transition, others struggled to keep up and faced obstacles that they never thought they would, whether that be mental health, physical health or financial necessities.
The mandatory transition to online learning gave students the opportunity to learn what worked for them and what didn’t. Although COVID-19 is still in the air, things are slowly going back to normal and a lot of universities are soon returning to in-person classes if they haven’t already.
These are some of the college students who we highlighted from our survey:
