Being a student during a pandemic
This treatment of students feels scummy and close to inhumane.
At the moment, I am in my second year of university. After attending one institution for my first year, I moved to another for my second year as I felt isolated.
Right now, I’m not sure how I feel about the general response from higher education facilities around the country. Most courses are fully online at my university, I have one day a month to attend in person classes. Everything else is online, online lectures, online ‘breakout’ rooms, online seminar sessions. I fail to understand how it makes sense that kids can go back to school right from pre-school to sixth form, however university students who have paid for their education have to study online.
Many students have made the ‘choice’ to attend university this year, however many students are unable to make that choice. They are unable to defer or take a gap year, which is out of the question for a lot of people due to financial situations, timings and many other personal reasons. People who are already enrolled now have no choice but to drop out and waste the money and time they have committed already or they must carry on with the half and half education they will receive.
Most lecturers were very strict on the idea that students needed to attend the physical classes and lectures when they occurred. Many of my previous teachers would always say that we need to attend in person and watching recordings did not have the same affect and would lead to us not doing as well. So why now have universities settled on making us watch pre-recorded sessions, Some students across the country have stated that they are watching lectures from a year prior meaning that the lecturers are not even delivering the lectures they are meant to for their students.
Paying a full price for a degree which is delivered entirely online (many institutions didn’t even disclose this first before taking a new cohort in) is a scam. Online degrees can be acquired for much cheaper than the full tuition fee due at a standard UK university so why are we subject to the same teaching at a much higher price.
I completely understand that many lecturers are not in the position to speak out and are therefore trying their best with the facilities they have. Some of my teachers continue to have live classes every week, with real interactive sessions. These sessions make me happy knowing that teachers are trying to provide a good level of education.
One thing that makes it clear that institutions do not really care about the education they provide but instead focus on the profit they can produce is the fact that many students, particularly freshers, were tricked into taking out lengthy, expensive on-campus accommodation contracts. After paying their deposits, students then found out that their courses will be fully online this term. This misleading approach has led to students being locked away in isolation — restricted to their tiny bedrooms as they are sharing the rest of their flat with a group of complete strangers. Isolating with flatmates who I have just met is not something I would say I would be looking forward to. They are unable to go home and have no in person lectures or classes to go to.
This treatment of students feels scummy and close to inhumane.
