Q: What does a typical school day look like for you?

So all the classes are online, but I still have Zoom meetings and my first one is at 9 every day. So I wake up at 8:30 and then I get ready for this meeting, and then I do some work after and then maybe watch some YouTube or Netflix for a little bit and then just do work again.

Q: How are your Zoom meetings set up?

They set it up that somehow the link is always in my calendar, so whenever it's time for the Zoom meeting I just click on the link.

Q: Now that everything's online, are you finding your lectures understandable and engaging?

They're definitely less engaging, but I feel like they're still just as understanding. It is definitely more difficult online then it would be in-person because of the interactions you don’t get. With online, it’s less.

Q: Have your teachers provided you with any resources to help you out?

Yeah, they provide office hours which they pretty much have the whole week. It’s definitely not the same as in-person though.

Q: Have you tried connecting with any of your classmates?

Yeah. So some of them that I have in my class, we just connect through text and we keep tabs on the work that we have and see what we have to do.

"It is definitely more difficult online than it would be in-person because of the interactions you don’t get."

Q: So I'm assuming that now you don't really get to see who it is that you're talking in your class meetings. Is it difficult to meet new people?

Yes. The people that I have talked to are people that I've already known from last year so yeah I really haven't talked to anybody new.

Q: Right now with the assignments that you've been getting, would you say that the workload is the same, or does it seem more now?

This semester I'm definitely taking harder classes than last year, so it's definitely more of a homework load. But I think when I'm not on campus or when I'm home all the time, I procrastinate a lot more than I would if I actually attended campus lectures.

Q: Are you at all worried about keeping up with your classes and staying on top of everything?

Yeah for sure, actually I was thinking about that today. I procrastinated a couple of classes and I have a bunch of stuff due this week that I need to get on top of. It's like you don't need to attend classes in person so there's not really anybody to push you to do them, so you really need to be on top of it.

Q: Are there any resources that you're using to help you stay organized?

I keep a planner and write down what classes I have and what work I have to do so that really helps a lot.

Q: As far as your homework assignments go, is there anything else that you're using to help you with the learning process?

A few people have told me they feel like they're teaching themselves the material as opposed to their teachers. That's very true. Since it’s the beginning of the semester, there's lots of review and introductions. But I know that the teachers have already said that because they have recorded lectures and put them on Blackboard, they suggested that if we need more information, we can ask them but we could also use YouTube and Khan Academy. I've already used Quizlet for some of my assignments but I plan on using YouTube or Khan Academy if I don't understand the lectures.

Q: Is there something you wish your teachers would implement in order to help you?

Maybe like weekly sessions where they review the material that we've learned that week. I guess we could do that if we go to office hours, but it would be cool if you had a set time where the teacher would just be teaching during this hour or so of the week and just run over the material we learned or something like that.

"It's kind of sad how a year just got taken away from us. I know there's really nothing we can do right now. I mean I try to keep in contact with my friends. Sometimes I try to FaceTime and hang out with my friends but it’s definitely not the same."

Q: Has your university provided the students with anything in order to help them combat any issues they might be having?

They haven't provided anything, but they have asked us to let them know if we have any external problems that are affecting our learning. I know they told us that if people are living in Houston and the tornadoes are coming, just to let them know so they can make necessary arrangements for the students. I don't know exactly what arrangements they made but I didn't have that problem so I didn't really look into that.

Q: How is it like for you having to do everything at home?

It is definitely less productive for me because I'd rather go to the library at the university and study where it’s completely quiet. My parents here are cooking, or doing other stuff, watching TV or something like that. It's more difficult and more distracting compared to school so I'm definitely less productive at home.

Q: How does this all affect the social aspect of the college experience?

It's kind of sad how a year just got taken away from us. I know there's really nothing we can do right now. I mean I try to keep in contact with my friends. Sometimes I try to FaceTime and hang out with my friends but it’s definitely not the same.