By now you’ve probably heard about the official plan for all schools in the UC system to begin in-person instruction again for Fall 2021. This news caught its audience off guard– but arguably in a timely manner– for students have been holding their breath since March of last year to see the prospects of their college futures revealed. With an announcement like that, commotion was to be expected. We are still enduring critical times for the coronavirus, especially in Los Angeles County, while strides are being made for the vaccine. Though projected to be distributed to the general public by the summer of this year, debates continue to circulate about if it’s in everyone’s best interest to return back to in-person instruction despite an effective vaccine due to the large population size of the public university. Such ambitious plans to return back to normal life brings up new questions to consider as we move through these uncertainties.
Though none of us had time to prepare for what would become our new ‘normal’ life back when Covid-19 forced all academic institutions across the US to cease operations, have we considered how much we’ve adapted to it by this point? This is by no means a written defense of remote learning, as it’s been a struggle for me personally and the majority of students as well. However, after completing three quarters and a projected fourth one before Fall 2021 online, many of us have gotten used to the benefits of remote learning, however sparse they may be. Asynchronous learning has allowed many to allocate their time more efficiently, due to its lack of scheduling commitments. When we transition back to in-person classes, I think it will take some time for students to readjust to the rigidity of timely attendance.
Another crucial element of typical college life that has been deeply affected by the coronavirus are social aspects. I joined the majority of the current organizations I am a part of now during the peak of the pandemic, and therefore have never experienced those commitments outside of a laptop screen. Staying actively involved and engaged in those extracurriculars has required more effort than not, due to zoom fatigue and a sense of dissonance that inevitably comes with such constraints. I’ve witnessed firsthand the difficulty of trying to salvage a sense of social regularity on zoom as I also come to realize how the extracurricular sphere was one that suffered the most from this shift. Over the screen, building a sense of camaraderie and fostering high morale for the period of time we’ve been away from campus and each other is a difficult feat on its own, but the obstacles will lead to a higher appreciation for a conventional social life once we can return.
Undoubtedly, many- if not all- of us are excited to return. Campus life and peer interaction were attributes expected of a typical college education that were unfortunately taken away from students due to the pandemic. Though unforeseen, we knew we had to adjust to overcome. After such a duration has passed, it’s safe to say that coming back “home” to UCLA will require us to take part in a transition again, but this time, it will hopefully be the transition towards normalcy.