Looking Abroad The University: Experience During a Global Pandemic

For almost two years, university students all around the world have faced new challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic: altered course arrangements, social isolation, mental strain and uncertainty. To contextualise the experience of Icelandic students against a more global backdrop, the Student Paper interviewed two university students in different continents.

Photo: Amy Patel

Photo: Ira Deshmukh

Kuhelika Bisht

India

Anthropology

The Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts

Junaid Hameed

The United Kingdom

Medicine

University of Oxford

How do you feel the pandemic has affected your personal student experience?

JH: I personally found that spending large amounts of time working at my laptop in my bedroom thoroughly destroyed any notion of separation between “work” and “play”. I remember finding it difficult to feel fulfilled in the work I was doing, in a way that was different to when I would spend days going out to lectures or teaching classes. Days lacked structure, and I felt this brought with it a heightened non-specific sense of stress and anxiety over my work. However, I was fortunate to have a comfortable living situation at home and the necessary technology equipment to continue my studies smoothly.

KB: My course requires me to conduct a lot of ethnographies so the pandemic forced us to explore virtual ethnography. Because of how comfortable people have become with using video conferencing platforms, we were able to conduct interviews with participants sitting as far [away] as Sweden. Studying at home has been challenging for me in terms of productivity. There are a lot more distractions to ignore with three other family members in an apartment where the rooms are quite close to each other. Even without those distractions, I would have days where I could not motivate myself to work as the distinction between the work and home [...]  got blurred and it was harder to shift gears. These challenges made me evolve as I figured out different things that worked for me; for example platforms like Study Stream, having a study buddy on a Zoom call or even keeping my video on through the class - just for the sake of some accountability. I’ve definitely become a better student because I think lockdown brings a harsh awareness of how long the day is and the number of hours I have to utilise.

How do you feel the pandemic has impacted the mental health of students at your university? 

JH: At Oxford, it is undeniable that the pandemic has negatively impacted the mental health of students. University wellbeing resources (e.g., counselling) were exhausted with lengthy waiting lists. Students experienced difficulties engaging with online work and maintaining the same level of achievement, the stress of impending self-isolation at any time and being separated from their friends, the resentment against some students who openly wished to disregard rules and restrictions, disciplinary actions from the university and issues regarding university accommodation. It appears the pandemic brought with it a number of moral or ethical debates that not only drove a separation between students and university staff, but between students and fellow students. 

KB: There was a mutual feeling amongst the students of my [year] that the college had increased our workload ever since the pandemic; maybe assuming that being at home meant we had more free time. This was hard, firstly because a lot of the students either were or had family members suffering from COVID. April 2021 especially was horrible, it was the peak of the second wave and also the time for our semester-end evaluations. We were juggling news of the deaths of relatives alongside images of overwhelmed crematoriums on every app we opened, while trying to form coherent arguments in our research papers. Secondly, the impact on the mental health of students who lived in emotionally turbulent families or suffered from depression was quite noticeable.

What have you been doing to make this period more bearable? Do you have any advice for other students in a similar position?

JH: Personally, what helped me the most was reaching out and talking to others. Understanding that a lot of what you are feeling is common helps you feel less alone and less guilty for not working as hard as you think you “should” be. Also, if necessary, students should absolutely not shy away from organising behind year representatives or student unions to get student opinions heard by your university. It is common to feel powerless as a student, but there will be avenues that can be used to ensure that university faculty decision-making and policy can take student voices into account. 

KB: I got into running which has been a great way of boosting my dormant endorphins. Sometimes it’s just for 15-20 minutes, just enough to get my heart pumping. I usually listen to guided runs on the Nike Running Club app or a mindless podcast where I don’t really have to listen (a personal favourite being Off Menu). Reading is also something I got back to and, no, it wasn’t self-help books, but the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams. I was strangely comforted by the inanity of his stories and the visuals of the galaxy and go back to it whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed. 

How do you feel your university has responded to the needs of students during the pandemic?

JH: Grappling with how the university continually adjusted their plans for teaching, examination, and student wellbeing support to fit the changing nature of the pandemic was overwhelming. I believe the most heated issue was that of examination. There was a central debate: on one side, the students wanted an examination process that reflected the unprecedented hardships they had faced, whilst on the other side the university wanted to protect its academic rigour as much as possible. Amongst the students, there was an overwhelming feeling that the university had its balance far closer to “keeping things as normal as possible”, as opposed to giving clemency to students.

KB: When lockdown began, the university did saturate us with work, but they also heard us out so that now, two semesters later, we’re in a better place. That’s one aspect I’m grateful for, that students can convey their troubles and expect a well-negotiated solution. This hasn’t been the case for my friends in other universities where there is no scope for conversation.

More broadly, Junaid, how do you feel your national government has responded to the needs of students and/or young people during the pandemic?

JH: I believe COVID-19 is the most recent, and most bewilderingly blatant episode in which the incompetence, corruption and moral bankruptcy of the UK national government has been exposed. It appears as though the actions of the government during the pandemic have prioritised the interests of only the elite political class and the wealthy owners of corporations that support them, as opposed to achieving maximal good for people of the country or indeed even acting in accordance with medical expertise. There is an overwhelming feeling in Britain that young people are not represented or supported by the government. 

To conclude, Kuhelika, what are your expectations towards the coming academic year?

KB: It’s my final year so it will be quite hectic with my dissertation, seminar paper and masters applications. I do not want to have too many expectations though, as we may be on the brink of a third wave. All I can do is to continue to keep myself occupied today because tomorrow sounds like a problem for future Kuhelika.