College Students Struggle to Cope with Pandemic’s Challenges in Classrooms and Among Friends

As the ongoing pandemic introduces challenges to students’ mental health and learning abilities, professors fail to show empathy.

What happens to college students when the world is going through a global pandemic? Three different class structures, students feeling unmotivated, students self diagnosing themselves with disorders that should be done by a professional, and students having to deal with some professors that do not care about the difficulty students are facing during these trying times.

Students are now adapting to their new normal as classes have three different formats because of the pandemic: asynchronous, hybrid, and synchronous classes. Students are dealing with the added to the confusion because of the pandemic, but they are now having to deal with some professors that are not understanding about bills, jobs, loans, and family issues that college students are facing now more than ever.

“My organic chemistry professor said that she doesn’t care that we’re in a pandemic, it’s organic chemistry,” said Jeremiah Bell, a third-year student. “I feel like that just goes to show the type of tone that these professors have. We are in a pandemic. I’ve heard a lot of stories about other students this semester where their professors are saying they need to be going to class.”

Bell is 20, pays for college by himself, works a job from 5pm to 10pm, and is also battling anxiety. Bell is just one of many students that are having to deal with pressures of the pandemic, and dealing with professors that are not understanding makes it emotionally draining for students.

Llonathan Grey is a second-year student who is now feeling like he needs to self diagnose himself with attention deficit disorder, which is a condition that can last for years or in some cases is incurable.

“I started to realize last year that I’ve been having issues like keeping focus in class,” Grey said. “I just felt like my mind was always racing. A million things were happening at once, and I couldn’t focus in class.”

Although, some professors are not considering the students’ needs as the world battles a pandemic. Many professors have become understanding. According to insidehighered.com, a professor at Eastern Michigan University is now much more leintant on students. He found out they were really struggling, with unemployment, extra caregiving, and jobs that had them overwhelmed or scared.

I spoke with the president of the Black Male Leadership Society Quin Thomas. He told me his professors have been understanding about the trying times the world is facing. However, Thomas is discovering that he has to be more proactive about socializing and hanging out with them in person.

Public Health Expert Justin Ingles explained that UGA is trying to help students because living on campus will assist students with feeling less isolated because they are around their peers, which allows them to interact with people. He also stated that not having in person classes or not allowing them to live on campus puts their mental health at risk because it is easier for them to feel isolated.

Students are facing challenges within their educational career as they are also facing obstacles socially, economically, and mentally during this global pandemic. one common theme amongst numerous students is their desire to work hard in order to achieve their goal of graduating.