SchoolName: Ohio State University

Year: Junior

Major: Neuroscience

GPA: 2.7

Q: So I am going to start off by asking you questions as far as how it is meeting classmates remotely with the current online classes that you're taking whether they are via Blackboard Google meets. So how have you been able to meet with classmates or talk to them?

I really haven't spoken to classmates much if at all. I used to be able to see classmates, make friends through class, and talk to them, but now it's such a lonely thing that you don't see one another. Oftentimes you meet through classes. It [covid] kind of took it out of it.

Q: Before when you were in an actual in-person class, I can imagine, it was a lot easier to actually feel comfortable around those kinds of people on a daily basis. Do you feel at all that it’s difficult to get more comfortable with the teacher and those who are in your class?

Yes, even with the teacher. I have many friends that I knew from high school that I still kept friends with through college, and I still haven't seen them. Much of the time that I spent with people are people from outside of school, so it is really really hard. I can imagine what it's like for an incoming freshman. I'm a junior and I've grown used to this but like, it is so hard to experience college as it should be.

Q: I know that there's kind of that whole stigma against group projects and with class discussions. Do you miss that aspect or are you really glad that you don't really have to participate in that anymore?

I totally miss it. I mean there's always that anxiety that you feel being the first person to say something, but I meet multiple people. Like I got to know some people through those group discussions and those group collaborations. Now it is like you have to do everything by yourself. I've taken two classes this summer and I've emailed those teachers maybe twice, but you still don't get to have that connection or you have to wait 6 hours for a response, maybe the next day


"I can imagine what it's like for an incoming freshman. I'm a junior and I've grown used to this but like, it is so hard to experience college as it should be."

 

Q: Have you tried reaching out to any classmates at all through the online system?

I did once and no one really responded. It just gets sent to their email. No one really responds because they're just scrolling through emails.

Q: So if you did want to connect with them during the class or classroom setting, is there a way or a place on Zoom/ Google Meet where you’re able to individually ping a classmate, or is it just for everyone to see?

I think you can do it on Zoom. I'm not really familiar with other class teaching formats. I know that you could message one another like during class time but that's about it.

Q: Have you participated in that yet?

Yeah, I have.

Q: And how did that go for you?

It was okay, it was just regarding specific questions during class.

Q: I can imagine it's not exactly the same as when you're actually with the person.

No nothing beats the real thing. Like I miss office hours, even when like five or six of us students who really really needed help would just go to a teacher and just get specialized help.

Q: So would you say now that you're not really getting those kinds of social interactions, what type of social interaction would you say you're getting from classes as limited as that is? Are you meeting up with people via Instagram, Snapchat?

I kind of have an outside experience because I am a stand-up comedian so I've become friends with many people who are in their 20s, 30s and even early 40s, so I am a totally different experience than a lot of college students. I get to see my adult friends a few times a week but most of my college friends don't really get to see anybody, and many of them had to leave their jobs, like their part-time jobs were they used to work and just live at home with their parents or their families and it’s like Snapchat, Instagram or FaceTime for them.

"You know it really just depends on the professors cuz some of them are more outdated and they don't really know how to use you know like Blackboard, and some of them don't even know how to really email. Honestly, it's just a learning process for them as much as it is for us."

 

Q: Would you say that college now is in a sense lonely?

Yeah I mean it's been like slightly lonely before that and now it's just entirely. Yeah like it's alone, some people don't even have extracurricular activities even. Yeah, it's very... My school is resuming in-person classes. They won't be doing any extracurriculars which is a lot of what the school does. It's a very very large school

Q: So I can imagine what those extracurriculars, a lot of people have been able to meet friends like that right?

Yeah, yeah. I mean I have, I know most people have.

Q: Are you at all interested in attending the in-person classes or is the fear of covid keeping you at home?

The fear of covid is keeping me at home. I'm only taking one class that's in person. The rest of my classes are online.

Q: And how are the in-person classes set up?

I have no idea. I think it's social distance, they probably will be doing temperature checks once it starts. I have like about 2 weeks until we have everything going.

Q: As far as your summer classes go, did you at all miss any class meetings where you may have needed to reach out to classmates in order to get notes or things like that?

I, fortunately, did not. I got lucky because my teacher recorded all the lectures and that does relinquish you of all social connections.

Q: So you were really relying to do everything on your own with those recordings right?

Exactly, yeah. And you have to scrub through them and everything yeah.

Q: So how difficult is it for you personally only having really yourself for that type of class?

I guess it helped me believe in myself more but also it does feel very very different. I have to search for different sources on how to learn stuff instead of using college which I paid for.

Q: And on top of it you don't really have your peers where you guys can help each other out either.

Exactly we can’t have like meetups at the library or anything like that.

Q: And so, if there was anything you would change as far as meeting classmates during this whole online schooling program, what is something that you would want to implement or that you would want to see changed that could maybe help you out with connecting with your classmates?

I think it really is an obstacle course to try and maintain the college experience while also being within the bounds of this pandemic, cuz it is like a very frightening thing. I would say do groups, like separating people into groups where they could study together and where they could study online together probably. I had one class where we had to do group assignments like 6 months ago where we had to meet a few times a week. I had to meet in person but eventually, it became like a chat thing where we would just ask each other about everything so I would say maybe forcing groups of 5 or 4 students.

"I think it really is an obstacle course to try and maintain the college experience while also being within the bounds of this pandemic, cuz it is like a very frightening thing."

 

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