Studying for a degree during the COVID-19 pandemic

My name is Gypsy Hornsby and I am in my second year studying for a BSc (Hons) in Health Promotion and Social Care.

Returning to College back in September felt so positive after the extended lockdown and summer holiday period. I was happy to be back to an environment which I enjoy and also where I feel comfortable.   

The pandemic has affected so many students, universities and colleges across the country and to help keep student numbers on-site to a minimum all teaching, for Higher Education (HE) courses, across both campuses was made online from Thursday 10 December, in guidance with Government Advice for HE providers.

Prior to this, my course has been delivered via a mixture of face-to- face and virtual teaching. I am normally timetabled to be in college two full days a week from 9.15 until 3.15pm.  

Whilst there has been some disruption, I feel very lucky to have been able to continue my studies and still have a level of onsite learning; especially when I consider the impact on students at some universities for whom learning has been only been online.   

I have always benefitted from being in a classroom environment and, left to get on with my studies at home, without the classroom interaction was a struggle for me. Any student, like myself, that finds it hard to keep focus in a regular classroom setting will probably have struggled and I think the last few months will have had a greater impact on us as opposed to those who enjoy their lessons delivered virtually.

When I look back at how I used this extended time away from college, I feel that I did my best given the circumstances.

Like many students I think that I could have done better in my assignments as home learning was just not for me. The College does offer a wide range of support to students experiencing difficulties such as loaning out laptops and the Wellbeing Team and Student Services are really kind and always there to try and resolve any problems.

My dad has been a huge support helping me to find somewhere to study with a good WI FI connection which was a problem I had and this certainly helped me to successfully complete my first year.

That said the teaching staff have always been there to support us too whether this is work-related or something of a more personal nature. The familiarity and normality of just a simple chat or friendly smile on their face can make a real difference to a student. 

I suffer from bad mental health and anxiety and with that comes anger. To help me the teachers provided a calm environment to ensure that I feel as safe as can be so that it does not interfere with my work.

In the short term I can see the benefits of virtual learning especially as it is a good method of communication between teachers and students. 

To date, my favourite memory of the course was when I received my grade after handing in my first assignment and hearing that I had passed. This was the point that I realised I could do this. It gave me the drive to progress further by always doing my very best to ensure that I did everything possible to pass at the end.

Between now and graduating, I am looking forward to continuing to learn and develop my skills. The College makes a point of preparing students for life in the workplace and as my ultimate goal is to teach Health and Social Care to college students, I know that focusing on any assignments that are presentation-based is one of the best ways to develop the skills I will need.

My original plan was to gain some good practical work experience in a college setting, but Covid-19 has unfortunately put a pause on this for the time being.  Hopefully I will get the opportunity to do this in 2021 before I enter my third and final year in September.