Edited by: Sanjana Hira
After a year of struggling, it appears that the pandemic-induced online learning is here to stay and yet another batch of students is facing the daunting prospect of starting their first year of college online. But, take it from me, it’s not all bad.
I think it would probably be wise to start with the downside staring us right in the face, and quickly get it out of the way. To address the elephant in the room, the biggest drawback is obviously missing out on campus life. Classroom situations are completely different; “Am I audible?” becomes a mantra that will have you pulling your hair out by the end of the semester. The stress of unmuting yourself intentionally is bad enough without having to worry about accidentally unmuting yourself so the whole class can hear the heated argument you’re having with your sibling. And, instead of whispering to the person beside you in class, you’re texting them privately on zoom, praying that you don’t send it to everyone by mistake (which some people have had the misfortune of doing, much to the rest of the class’s amusement).
However, I can’t deny that online college does have its perks. Whether it’s attending class comfortably from bed, wrapped up in your cosy blanket, or snacking on food during lectures without worrying about being seen, the flexibility that online learning provides is unparalleled. In more classes than I’d care to admit, I’m guilty of playing games or watching Netflix instead of actually paying attention to what was being taught (sorry professors, I mean no disrespect!).
You don’t have to get dressed in the mornings because classes essentially become pyjama gatherings, and to top it all off, you can peacefully sleep through the lessons and let the lectures become your lullaby – this is, of course, assuming that you don’t get called on, because that would be a very different story with a far less favourable outcome.
The best part about all of this is that you don’t really have to feel too guilty because you can always watch the lecture recordings later at your leisure, and at double the speed, which actually saves more time than you can possibly imagine. And, owing to this newfound free time, you can fill your day with a host of other activities that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to do, including meeting friends for lunch while letting your lecture play on the side of the table so that you don’t lose out on your attendance grade. (Pro tip: as someone who is practically the opposite of an artist, paint-by-numbers became my best friend and I highly recommend this).
The cherry on top, for all the animal lovers out there, is pet parties! Since we’re all at home, online college gives everyone a chance to introduce each other to their furry family members whom we wouldn’t be able to meet if we were on campus. Students and professors alike get the opportunity to present their pets instead of only the lecture slides, and the interruptions in class because of a barking dog or meowing cat are always welcome if it means we get a glimpse of them.
Well, I truly hope this convinces you that online college isn’t half as bad as it seems and maybe if you were to rate it a 1/10 before, you might be willing to bump it up to a 5 after reading this. Baby steps! Besides, we’re all hopeful that campus might open soon, so until then, we may as well try to make the most of it, seeing as there is not much we can do about the situation!