It has now marked approximately one-and-a-half years of online schooling since I started university at Ryerson. To say that it has been overwhelming is truly an understatement. Unfortunately, since the pandemic, I had to spend the last half of my high school year and almost half of my university experience online.
Being in a different city than where my university is located has been challenging, socially and mentally. I’ve drifted away from a lot of my high school friends, hoping that I would get the chance to go on campus and meet new ones. My lack of social life felt like it was at an all-time low. Unquestionably, it was extremely difficult to meet new friends through the remote world, and being put in breakout rooms with muted mics did not make the process any easier. Having to be in a position where I was forced to create meaningful connections with people separated between screens felt like it was nearly impossible to meet anyone. On top of that, my (now) remote job requires me to work independently, so I have never really had a chance to get to know my colleagues, even when I worked in the office.
I was excited for a new change and chapter in my life. I thought that by moving away from home I would gain more freedom and quiet time for myself. Knowing that my first 2021 winter semester was going to be fully online was devastating. It felt like I was never going to get my chance to live alone and meet my life-long friends. A small part of me felt like I was missing out on the whole “university experience.”
Being in a different timezone from my school hours was gruelling at first. I had classes as early as 6 AM, and even though I woke up five minutes before class began, it still felt brutal. I had to set myself in the routine of waking up early and sleeping early, which was hard to adjust to at first. Nonetheless, I learned to enjoy it as I began to have even more time to myself. I was able to get through my classes early and had the rest of the day to relax or make plans.
Although I’ve expressed my dissatisfaction with being remote, a part of my experience has been quite momentous. Many of us would agree that we had a rough start adjusting to the new virtual world, and until today, I’m still trying to navigate through this reality. However, I quickly realized how much I appreciated online learning as I was saving a lot of time. In fact, I felt like school was better online than in a traditional setting.
I was also saving a lot of expenses that I would have had to pay on rent, groceries, transportation, etc. No longer did I have to worry about waking up early and commuting to school. I was able to set a routine for myself and found a good balance between boxing myself in my room and going out in the world for some downtime. This quickly became a priority for me because I learned how important my mental health was. In short, online school was not as bad as I originally thought it would be.
As time passed and summer came by, I realized how content I was being around my house, surrounded with friends and family. I had the support I needed and always had someone to lean on. The after-dinner chats, spontaneous late-night dining and all the craziness that my family and I pulled throughout the pandemic will forever be seared into my memory. More than ever, I am so grateful for the family and friends I have.
Down the line, I am definitely nervous and excited to go back to campus, when that option becomes available. From time to time, I worry about transitioning to closed-book, in-person exams, how it will feel like being surrounded by a hundred students in a lecture hall, whether I will be able to meet new friends––and the list goes on… I think the most challenging part will be parting from my family, with whom I have made an even deeper connection and relationship since COVID.
Having made only one close friend since university––a friendship that sparked solely over an Instagram post––I have faith students will learn to become more social with each other once we adapt more to this new norm. Furthermore, I believe that the more challenges I face, the more I learn about myself.