How has Coronavirus affect College Life across the Globe?

In December 2019, when we heard the news of a newfound virus affecting the Wuhan citizens of China, little did we know that it would grab the entire world in its fist in just a month. Coronavirus affected the working professionals, wanderlusts but more than that it affected the section of the society who are the leaders of tomorrow- the students. They had the slightest hint that their laptops are going to replace their classrooms. 

An international student in the USA or a local student in India will have the same answer when asked coronavirus affects college life. 

Offline to Online 

One of the biggest ways how coronavirus affects college life is the online classes. We all know how one fine day, college life wasn’t about college anymore. It was about one application on your laptop. This has caused a severe challenge in front of students who were accustomed to free-flowing classrooms and college infrastructure, especially for international students. Once they dreamed of migrating to UK, Canada or USA for a few years for education, and now they are stuck in their room.

Also Read: List of Universities That Waived Off GRE for Spring 2022 Due to Covid-19

Networking 

As discussed, due to coronavirus, the entire college was shifted online. This hampered the power of networking or creating relationships with your peers. Moreover, students are so used to social distancing or being at one place for long hours that they have depleted their social needs to connect with their classmates on the other side of the screen. 

On the other hand, platforms like LinkedIn have been instrumental in connecting with not only students but other professionals with likewise fields of study. You can even connect to your college alumni without the trouble of finding his contact through other sources. LinkedIn had over 600 million users in 2019 and as the world locked down in 2020, the userbase grew to 740 million. 

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Saving Time 

Ask any student the most tiresome part of college life before the pandemic and most of them would say commute. From their homes or hostels to campus every morning would often leave them irritated for the rest of the day. Also, international students who live privately have to commute long distances via trains or buses which took up a lot of time. One positive way how coronavirus affects college life is by saving time. You open your laptop, sign in to class and you’re on your digital campus! You save time which can be used for assignments, hobbies and other skills mentioned below. 

Also Read: How to Work From Home in the Time of COVID-19?

Developing Newer Skills 

We can safely call our era the Information Age. With so many free information sources available online, a student can know to learn additional skills or even contrasting skills on Youtube for free! All this information was available before the pandemic hit us but we didn’t have enough time to dedicate our interest to them. Today, an Engineering student can learn Sanskrit from the hundreds of videos available above. 

Also Read: COVID – 19 Safety Rules at School Classroom

Health Challenges 

Health is the most worrying way coronavirus affects college life. Eyes that were used to looking at the board or teacher physically are now glued to the screen. Apart from this, students put themselves at high risk with persistent pain in the neck, back and wrists as they use devices for both college classes and homework. Unfortunately, these two components of college life are unavoidable. 

Also Read: Education During COVID-19: Student Admissions and Applications

Mental Health Disorders 

We mentioned how the coronavirus push us into the solitude of our homes. College students who spend most of their time on a university campus were asked immediately to vacate and had to take a flight back to India immediately. This left them with stress, anxiety and uncertainty. No one knew we would spend 2 whole years in this pandemic, still on, and an international student was always worried about when universities would reopen. 

Online Graduation Ceremonies 

Lastly, online graduation ceremonies have depreciated the value of a college education. A moment of celebration with the entire class, parents and faculty, throwing hats in the air has now adapted an online presence. These online graduation ceremonies are not properly recognising the efforts a college student makes to get a degree to hold. 

We can never blame the universities, students, education systems or anyone for the effects coronavirus has had on college life for students across the globe. However, the good news is that slowly universities abroad are opening up and inviting international students back to their campuses. 

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With universities opening up, there’s no point for you to sulk in front of the screen and wait for a better time to apply. Even those who wished to get an overseas education right after their graduation in 2020 can start applying to top universities as education doesn’t come with an age limit! Connect to our experts on 1800-572-000 now and kickstart your study abroad journey with complete guidance. Hurry up, the first counselling session is FREE for you!