Remote learning is something that the Classes of 2020-2024 are most familiar with. During the Coronavirus outbreak we all had to quickly transition to remote learning, and the impact that it had on many students is still felt.
Spring 2022, I was remote by choice because I was no longer residing in the Albany area. The hardest thing that I faced this semester was balancing life and school while remote. Oftentimes when we start a semester as students, we never know what life is going to throw our way. There are moments where the simplest things seem almost impossible. There are moments where I felt down on my luck. What I have learned was that in times of hardship, it is important to lean on your on campus support system. That is something that I wish I knew earlier in my collegiate academic career. For some reason I had this fear of reaching out to others when I needed help. It is important to reach out to your advisors and professors and inform them of your life situation and changes. They are there to support you and the more they know about what is going on, the more accommodations can be made for you.
Oftentimes our college career comes at a transformative period in life. I was 17 when I started, and I can say the person I was then is far from the person I am today. Growth is something to be proud of and celebrated. The journey to getting a degree is not an easy one. One thing to always remember is that it is attainable to everyone who puts their mind to it. Being remote, I often felt disconnected from my peers. Learning over ZOOM was an extremely hard adjustment for me since I am such a hands-on learner. Being able to adapt in uncomfortable situations was the main way that I achieved success through it all. Even though it wasn’t the most ideal situation, it was my situation.
The main thing that I kept in mind about my schooling is that it doesn’t last forever. It is temporary and it helps me get to where I want to be. Instead of looking at remote learning as a barrier, I began looking at it as an integral part of my journey. When you add a full time job onto being a full-time learner, you really have to learn how to schedule your life. If you don’t schedule your life, what was once a smooth and happy life can start feeling robotic. School and work become all that you know. I had to learn to make time for things that I love to do and also make time to do nothing. As funny as it sounds, through balancing many things, especially this year, I have found that every second of your day doesn’t have to be occupied to feel like you have been a success. In planning my days in this manner, breaks included, I learned a lot about mindfulness – being in the moment. Mindfulness saved me from feeling robotic. School doesn’t last forever and remote learning is not a curse. The most important thing is to enjoy the moment and take all that you can take in because these moments are here today and gone tomorrow. Seeing the importance and the value of each moment helped me to appreciate the times I felt overwhelmed or felt like I was in an impossible situation. Now , I can say it has molded me into a better person.
PLEASE NOTE: THE VIEWS OF OUR STUDENT BLOGGERS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE UALBANY ACADEMIC SUPPORT CENTER OR THE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION AND GLOBAL STRATEGY.
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