Taking classes during COVID-19

There is not one waking moment when my eyes aren’t staring at my laptop screen. Whether it be classes on Zoom, events on Zoom, meetings on Zoom or SI sessions on Zoom, everything is virtual. Some days I spend more than 10 hours on my laptop.

While it’s easy to enter a class just by clicking on a Zoom link, it does not mean that things are now easier to manage. There are many challenges that students face outside of their Zoom classes, and many of these challenges are out of their control.

I wish my professors knew that outside of our normal Zoom class time, I’m still on my laptop studying for exams, completing online assignments and attending club meetings. With very little in-person activities happening on campus, doing school work is really the only thing there is to do to pass the time.

I regret scheduling a class between 11-12 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, during what used to be free period. Canceling free period took away our opportunity to have a one hour break to get lunch. Now, when I’m in my online 12:30 p.m. class, everyone watches me eat my Saxby’s plant-powered burrito. I wish my professors knew that sometimes when I’m in class, my head gets fuzzy and I can’t think straight because I haven’t had time to eat a real meal or snack in three hours.

Finding a quiet place to take an online exam has its challenges. Last semester, I booked a study room in the library to take my exam, but the students in the room next to me were being loud and distracting, so I had to scramble during my exam to find another place to sit. There are times when I can’t even do work in my own apartment because of the noise and distractions from my roommates, who are also stuck inside completing their classes on Zoom. When it is too loud, I have to pack everything up and take the shuttle to the library. It is extremely frustrating to move around all the time just to find some peace and quiet.

I wish my professors knew that sometimes I don’t even know if I’m supposed to be in person that day, or on Zoom or not come in at all. Even if I know I’m supposed to be on Zoom, sometimes I don’t know where to find the Zoom link.

While some professors are able to return home to their families, many students are landlocked on our campus. When I got dropped off for the spring semester, I told my mom, “I’ll see you in four months,” even though I live less than 20 miles away from campus. 

In order to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19, many students are testing their mental endurance by waiting until after the semester is over to return home. I wish my professors knew that I don’t travel anywhere else besides my apartment and campus. I feel trapped all the time and I honestly just feel burned out.

Even though the university has replaced our spring break with “Health & Wellness Days,” I don’t think any health or wellness is going to take place on those days. There is no way that I can recover from my mental and physical burnout in only one day. Also, professors have already assigned papers and exams due the day right after our Health & Wellness Days. So while the university may promote health and wellness activities for those days, the majority of students will be studying for exams or writing papers, which completely defeats the purpose.

I wish my professors knew that sometimes I can go all day without going outside. Now that there’s snow on the ground, I try to avoid walking on the icy sidewalks. Along with that, we’re still in a pandemic, so I try not to stray too far from my apartment. At this point, it’s not even worth going outside anymore.

These are the realities that many students are facing while taking class during the coronavirus pandemic. Even though we got through it the past year, it doesn’t make things easier now. In fact, it’s becoming even more taxing and the Zoom burnout is becoming all too real.

While professors can’t change many of the challenges we face, I just hope that professors who read this can extend a bit more empathy to their students, especially this semester. It’s hard to focus on school when you miss your family. It’s hard to study for an exam when you haven’t seen the light of day. It’s hard to complete online assignments when you’ve already spent more than five hours staring at a screen for your online classes. It’s hard for everyone this past year, but it does not always have to be that way.