Studying From Home: How to Make the Best out of a Bad Situation

This blog post is coming in at an interesting, if not perhaps slightly overdue time, in that we have now endured almost an entire academic year of online learning. I suspect there are differences across the schools, but for my degree programme this has meant absolutely no in person teaching, pre-recorded lectures uploaded weekly, tutorials over the blackboard application on the learn website, accompanied by some live question and answer sessions.

My own experience of online learning has been mixed to say the least and discussions with my friends have definitely reflected diverse responses to the ‘new normal’.

Some benefits….

1. No need to commute to university- one need not, and often may not leave one’s bed to attend a lecture. This should in theory save time, leaving more time for studying.

2. Pre-recorded lectures can be watched whenever and wherever and can be paused for convenience.

3. Take home exams: a potential benefit although less so for those studying essay-based subjects.

4. A chance to (*tell employers you have*) develop your online, technical skills through establishing a competency for new online applications, and enhance your virtual communication skills which are becoming ever more important.

There are bound to be many more advantages which correlate to an individual’s subjective opinion or situation (e.g. giving students the chance to move back into their parents’ home) but these are the ones that spring to mind first.

And some draw backs…

I’m not a lover of this online set up so I’m going to try to hold back from presenting a monstrous list, condemning the entire system given that, at the end of the day, this is a very necessary and worthwhile response from universities to the situation presented by the beastly COVID-19.

1. Acute lack of productive social interaction during the week, especially with people on your course.

2. With pre-recorded lectures I find myself trying to essentially transcribe every single word rather than actually listening to and digesting the content.

3. Tutorials take on a whole new level of awkwardness online. I’m not sure why tutorials are destined for painful silences and nervous glances, but this is turned up a notch when they are carried out remotely and I really empathise with my tutors.

4. 24/7 working day. There is no sense of separation between studying time and leisure time because for the most part it all takes place in one space. For me, this leads to guilt when I’m not studying and a difficulty focusing when I am studying.

5. Booking library sessions is painful. The sessions available all tend to be in the late evening. Securing a slot during the morning or daytime must involve some kind of sorcery that I am not aware of.

6. Spending all day looking at a screen.

7. Lack of engagement with tutors and lecturers as one cannot approach them after a session for an informal discussion.

8. This set up breeds a climate of complaints- this may be an unfair comment as often the complaints are justified, but I have found that across the board (across British society too) there is a prevalent tendency towards constant complaint making surrounding the current situation and its effects. I personally find this incredibly demotivating.

Let us stop here, you get the gist.

Okay, how can one make learning online a little better….

1. Implement structure: I would recommend assigning the hours of 9am to 5pm to work as this pushes you to get up at a reasonable time and gives you scope to get a lot done during the day. After 5pm shut your laptop, stick on a lasagne, turn on some music and forget about your academic troubles, then set about resolving them at 9am the following day. It works well when your flatmates are also on board with this routine as you can all motivate each other by ascribing to this schedule.

2. Leave the flat: Its surprisingly easy to slip into a deep dark hole of solitary confinement. Make sure you leave you flat/house for at least an hour every day, whether this be for a walk, run, cycle, coffee date, meadows quidditch game- whatever floats your boat, just get out and move your body!

3. Make effort to catch up with lecturers and tutors: they are very willing to speak to you in office hours or in other pre-arranged sessions so make sure you do this as it can be very clarifying. Plus, they get lonely too! This also applies for your personal tutor as they are always keen to know how you’re getting on and offer you support.

4. Be bold in tutorials!!!: say hello when you enter, speak up if you have something to say, ask questions and be the conversation facilitator because it makes the whole experience far less painful.

5. Blue light glasses protect your eyes from all the screen time and prevents headaches. (available on amazon for £7)

6. If possible don’t study in your bedroom: trying to work in the same place that you sleep has been found to be harmful and is likely to disrupt your sleeping pattern. Try setting up a study space you can return to and associate with studying, that doesn’t disrupt your leisure space.

7. Keep trying to get library spaces: its an annoying enterprise but the opportunity to study somewhere new is always good for the brain. It also allows more time away from the flat.

8. Power hours: Set a timer for an hour, put your phone out of sight/reach, and bash out a good session. This can be a good way of compartmentalising your workload, especially if you’re running low on motivation. My friend and I do this regularly over zoom to provide a sense of accountability.

9. Its normal to feel overwhelmed: everyone feels this sense of looming failure at some point and the best way to deal with it is by having conversations with people who understand your situation. Reaching out to your course mates can be really comforting, or if you’re not particularly friendly with any of them or just want to chat my inbox is always open. Please feel free to email me or get in touch via my Instagram (@chaz_vrwade)!!