Being a uni student in a pandemic

Going into second year has been very different to first year. Obviously we knew it would be different, but we didn’t know how much. However, it was a lot better than how we ended first year and we’re just grateful to be back at uni, even if it is just one day a week. With clubs being closed and the 10pm curfew coming into place our university experience has dramatically been changed.

When cases first started rising when students started coming back to Manchester we began to wonder if we would be in uni at all or if it would all be online. Especially when both other Manchester universities went online and we even found ourselves having close contact with positive Covid cases. This meant we had to put things on hold, at times start isolating from each other and going and getting tests.

In terms of online uni and our courses we have had to teach ourselves content, meaning our online teaching has been minimised even more. Blackboard, collaborate and teams has now taken over our lives. It can be quite hard to motivate yourself when you’re learning especially when you’re living in a house with four of your friends. It is easy to forget things when you don’t have someone physically reminding you each time you’re in uni.

We have had to find different study spaces to keep it varied because you can only look at the same walls so many times. We also found this gave us a structure to the day because it gives you something to leave the house for, whether it is to go to a cafe or just sit in study spaces at uni and do work. The Pret subscription has saved us.

This time may have come as a blessing in disguise because it has allowed us to think more about the future and what we actually want to do. But right now it has allowed us to apply for work experience, freelance writing jobs and other jobs.

This hasn’t stopped us from spending time together and making plans. We are still celebrating halloween with matching costumes, but just not how we expected and won’t be anything like last year. We’ve still gone out for food and drinks which has probably kept us sane and other plans even if it is just a trip to town.

#manchester #student #uni #university