In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve been in a pandemic for over a year and a half now. Since I took a year off, I haven’t been in a classroom in over two and a half years. By the time I’m in-person again, it’ll have been three years since I stepped foot in a classroom. With Waterloo’s announcement that they’re aiming to be fully in-person next semester, like pre-pandemic times, I find myself a little worried. It’s been forever, and I haven’t had to write an actual exam in ages. Not to mention, the last time Waterloo announced the same thing, we went into lockdown again — but despite this fact, I’m going to be optimistic. As excited as I am to have the opportunity to be in a lecture hall and meet people from my classes, I’m also super nervous. There are so many unknowns for me, and stresses that come with the transition.
First, let’s talk about how nice it is to be able to watch your lecture on your laptop and pause and play at your leisure. Who knows how fast I’ll be able to type when the Professor is talking a mile a minute! It will be nice, however, to see my Professors in person instead of through a screen.
Plus, I’ve barely had any exams as most of them were turned into final assignments, which means I could devote hours and days to perfecting them. Exams mean memorization and a time limit, which creates a lot of anxiety, especially when the few exams I’ve had have been open-book. On the bright side, maybe my memory will improve because of all the memorization I’ll be doing!
Another thing that worries me is the social aspect. Don’t get me wrong, I love meeting new people; making new connections and learning about people’s personal experiences is something I adore. However, with that comes the social anxiety of interacting with a lot of new people for the first time in a couple of years.
On top of that, instead of waking up, powering on my computer, and starting my day, I’ll have to keep so many other factors in mind. Now I’ll be thinking about how far the buildings are from my place, and how long the lectures are, and how much time I have between classes. At least I’ll be getting more exercise, though!
One last thing that’s crossed my mind is the COVID restrictions that will be put in place. I don’t want to have to wait three hours until the end of my lecture to have a snack, and I want to actually be able to see people’s faces.
Despite all of this, I’m so excited to be in person and meet new people, and undergo a full university experience! University students have been doing this for years — and with a bit of an adjustment, I know we can, too!