During these unusual times, the behaviour of people has changed as attitudes have altered and the amount of time on our hands has increased. How as life changed for a university student, who still has exams?
As universities have closed, the many students, like everyone else, have found themselves in a strange situation. For some it may be questioning whether or not they have exams, for others it may be realising that it is possible to go through university whilst being completely at home. The latter has sparked wonders as to if students will return to university at all as. For a while lectures have been accessible online, however, the ability of technology has shown that it is even possible for science students and medics to obtain the results of their experiments through a simulated lab session.
Having spoken to my sister, Anissa Patel, who is aged 18 and is currently studying biological sciences at Exeter university, I have been able to see how she has had to cope with consequences of coronavirus and how this varies from students such as myself, who are studying for their A levels next year. A significant difference is the increased responsibility and independence as a result of the lack of routine; it is up to her to watch her lectures, to revise for her exams and to read around her subject as there is limited contact with her tutors and lecturers. In contrast to myself, who has a set time for registration, and scheduled lessons, Anissa has needed to have the motivation to use her time in the most beneficial manner. Has lockdown helped or hindered this?
Looking at the pro and cons, most definitely Anissa would be spending more time out with friends as a result of the weather, leading to less time being spent on enriching her knowledge, however, it is important to notice the negative impacts staying indoors can have on mental health. Recognising this, she has made the effort to exercise at least once a day, whether that be going on a run, on a bike ride, or doing yoga in the garden. This has enabled Anissa to form a slight routine which enhances productivity and prohibits the strict rules enforced from having a damaging effect on both her physical and mental health. This exercise has further bettered her mindset as she has transformed the run into a challenge, increasing her distance each week, allowing the activity to be viewed in a more positive light and making her more enthusiastic. This has also aided her into participating in the 5km run to raise money for the NHS. Although, this has to be combined with adequate revision time, tough due to the weather and difficulty in focusing. It has been even more troubling as on top of the uncertainty of the entire situation, for a while there was even uncertainty as to whether they had exams which initially decreased motivation.
This evidently shows the importance of time management even in a situation where most of us have more time on our hands. To fill in her free time, Anissa took up a new hobby of watercolour painting. She stated, “It’s a relaxing pastime which I had tried before and enjoyed, but never had the time to continue.” She also said, “It’s also a hobby which can be done with a friend online as you can both watch a YouTube video tutorial and paint whilst on a FaceTime, Zoom or Skype call.”
From this we can see that amongst the confusion and negative emotions that are present at the time, especially for university students, positivity can be found through picking up new hobbies and getting outdoors.
Sarika Patel
