Throughout my college experience, I always avoided online classes; I am the type of person who learns better hands-on and in-person.
I only took one online class prior to the coronavirus situation, it was not the worst thing in the world, but I felt as if I did not learn as much as I would have in the normal classroom environment. From there, I told myself I would avoid online classes and stick to in- person.
Fast forward two semesters, a global pandemic hits and I am forced to go to school entirely online. At first, I thought I would not learn anything, and I would be better off taking time off of school, but then I realized it would be more fulfilling if I were to rise to the occasion and finish out my senior year regardless of the circumstances.
I ended up finishing my last semester strong and even took two online classes over the summer that went very smoothly. Every student reading this probably has a similar story since many schools were impacted by the pandemic. I share this with fellow students because it is important to never doubt yourself.
Throughout college, I constantly found myself overwhelmed and questioning myself, constantly thinking my ideas were dumb, my questions were not worth asking, my work was not “A” material, etc. These thoughts were entirely in my head, my anxiety towards school was guiding my experience and I was allowing my own thoughts to get in the way of reaching my full potential.
I changed my mindset. For example, I went from “I will never do well in an online class” to “I WILL do well in an online class.” Staying positive and doing the best you can is crucial during these uncertain times, and I thought it would be more than appropriate to bring light to the power of overcoming anxiety and worry through positive thinking and productivity.
This semester is extremely different from any previous semester in my college career; I bet almost all of you can agree. Although rolling out of bed and logging onto zoom felt like a treat at first, the uncertainty of when we will get back to structured days consisting of safely socializing with students and staff in “normal” settings is beginning to contribute to a lot of our anxiety.
Some in-person courses with strict pandemic guidelines are taking place here at Monmouth University, but walking around campus in a mask trying to stay six feet apart from fellow students and faculty feels just as disheartening as sitting on the computer for hours on end doing assignment after assignment.
The reality of this situation is that nothing about our educational experience feels normal right now but keeping an open mind towards online instruction will help us stay educated and productive during the remainder of the pandemic.
My experience with online instruction is that it is what you make of it. Online courses come with a whole new level of responsibility, which could benefit us to some degree.
If you choose to spend zoom lectures scrolling through Instagram or not watching the boring YouTube video your professor posted on ecampus, that is on you. Learning how to navigate through online educational tools will be a huge advantage to us as we enter the professional world during this new virtual norm.
Waiting around for the world to regain normalcy is only damaging at this point, embracing online learning will set you up for a successful educational journey for the remainder of this unpredictable year.
PHOTOS TAKEN by Lauren Salois
