Learning in Uncertainty: A College Experience in a Pandemic
From a very young age, there is a societal expectation placed on young adults regarding the college experience. Somewhere between those tedious all nighters and ramen noodle soup meals is a harrowed experience into adulthood that while terrifying, is viewed a necessity for growth. In black and white the concept is often romanticized, but what happens when this experience is blotted out when the unfathomable occurs?
This was the reality for many students and professors worldwide as they found themselves struggling to stay afloat when the Covid-19 pandemic set the world aflame in early 2020. As displayed in the map below, this massive disruption proved to take a toll on the overall mental health of the country, as nearly every state’s number of adults with mental health issues increased.
As the world was trying to understand the mixed messages from the medical community regarding the severity of the virus, school boards were forced to pick up the pieces in a short amount of time. These boards were forced to make decisions in the spur of the moment that would protect students and hopefully have as little ramifications on their lives as possible. The result of these decisions were at times catastrophic for students and faculty alike.
Articles like this one by CNBC were all too familiar as college students were put in impossible situations like being forced to evacuate from their dorms in a matter of days. Whereas students once found themselves attending lecture halls filled with hundreds of students on campus every day, they now were at home being taught virtually without nearly any of the independence they once had.
So why is the college experience so important for young adults?
In a Psychology Today article by Diane Barth L.C.S.W, she states that one of the most important aspects that a young adult can emotionally gather during college is how to handle transition throughout their life. Adjusting to this newfound freedom is viewed as a baby step to mimic some of the other major changes that will occur in our lives as we age.
Another part of this journey that is so important according to Dr. Geher in another article in Psychology Today, is the social circle that you build in this formative time. Within this difficult transition, you will meet many groups of people who are going through the same experience as you, and provide a different dynamic away from those you have built within your nest at home.
Now that we understand why college is such an important developmental step into adulthood, its begs the question just how has this massive upheaval affected this generation?
Many college students so far have felt this pressure caving in from the stress of the pandemic. In Anne Dennon’s article for Bestcolleges.com, she reports that 9 out of 10 (a staggering 95%) of college students have experienced stress from the pandemic. One of the factors which exasperates this stress is the lack of social connection and interaction with peers.
In another study published by Farzan Sasangohor for the National Library of medicine, found that during the pandemic, college students experienced a host of issues such as insomnia, increased anxiety, as well as difficulty concentrating on tasks in front of them. If these are some of the initial psychological effects of this change, its makes you wonder about what some of the long term effects that this generation of young adults will experience going into the future.
Another huge piece of this puzzle is not just from statistics and experts, but rather found in the words of college students themselves. This way we can better understand the boundaries of the current reality that these students find themselves in, and what ways they have found to cope.
After attending one semester at Michigan State University for Film and Media Production, Jack was thrilled to start a brand new second semester in the Fall of 2020. Then the unfathomable happened. Nine days before his move in to the schools dorms, MSU had canceled all in person classes and Jack soon found himself in a difficult position. After contemplating the difficulties of online learning, he made the decision to take the semester off.
Jack is now currently taking a year off from school, and is attending in person once again in the Fall of 2021. After struggling while taking online classes in the Spring of 2020, he acknowledges that his academic performance would have suffered greatly if he had continued virtual learning. Reflecting back on the experience, he expresses just how intense and at times traumatic this period was. Not only was it difficult to put his education on hold, but he found the lack of social interaction from friends as school a difficult experience to cope with. Being a transfer student from a local community college, he acknowledges that one of the most painful parts of this timeframe was missing out on a four year university experience.
There is a small sense of sadness in his voice as he discusses his new graduation date in 2022, but despite this, the bravery in his decisions remains profound.
Brendon was in his second to last semester at Central Michigan University for a Bachelors in Business Administration, when suddenly the world found itself in a standstill. After returning back from Spring break, the campus was shut down and turned to virtual learning only in response to the Covid-19 virus. This change was far from easy for him- the transition of going from an environment filled with hundreds of fellow students on campus, to suddenly the isolation of taking classes online was profound.
Perhaps two of the most emotionally draining aspects of this experience was not only the lack of celebratory emotion with graduation, but also going out into an unstable job environment after graduation. In great detail he describes the feeling of emptiness after finishing his final exam before graduation in his parents home. The accomplishment was immense but with little to no fanfare as a graduation would typically have. Brendon also touches on the fear for seniors graduating into a job market that once filled with promises, seems barren of economic opportunity once the pandemic occurred.
Reflecting back on these tribulations, Brendon shares a deep appreciation for these experiences as they have taught him to remain flexible and open any kind of changes life may present.
Madison was in the process of preparing for her final two semesters at Central Michigan University. She had made detailed plans for the Summer to stay in Mount Pleasant to do research, and be around her other friends on campus when suddenly things dramatically shifted with the pandemic. Her plans that she had made simply shattered in the course of days, and she was forced to go back home.
It is clear by her tone of voice that she had obvious hesitations to head back home. Reflecting on this experience, she remarks that this process of heading back home had hindered her emotional and developmental growth in a number of ways. This was also difficult for her as she was not able to keep up with old friendships and ended up loosing some connections from semesters prior. Her situation was even more complex as she had a immune compromised family member at home, so she practiced extreme caution and with the expectation of her lab courses, and roommates, she would not go out at all during the semester. Madison expressed how badly she wanted to go home so it was imperative that she did not see anyone to prevent spreading any possibly virus to her family, but that this choice brought with it great isolation.
After the interview, Madison expressed her cautious optimism of moving forward into medical school next Fall. While her final years as an undergraduate at Central Michigan University did not go exactly as expected, she takes solace knowing that she is able to finish her last semester on a high note.
While these stories are different, they share a common narrative. The road ahead for college students in the midst of a pandemic is an uncertain one, at times filled with more questions than available answers. Regardless of these struggles, this crisis has brought about a fierce creativity and perseverance in this generation of students to overcome challenges no matter how impossible they may seem.
From a very young age, there is a societal expectation placed on young adults regarding the college experience. In that place somewhere between this experience and the covid-19 pandemic, these students have found to not only survive but thrive. This is what we will bring ahead into the future.
