Student Life In Lockdown

I was fortunate to be able share my experience of studying while in lockdown with the College of Optometrists. The College is the professional body for Optometrists both qualifying and training them amongst a broader role of raising awareness of the profession with the public, commissioners, and health care professionals. You can find that post here!

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Looking back at how this pandemic has crept up upon us I think it would be fair to say that it almost feels surreal. One moment I was catching up with a few friends over brunch and the next thing I know two months of isolation have passed in a dissociative blur. It’s now the third and final term of first year and it’s proving a challenge to adjust into examination mode. I’ve been sleeping and studying in the same room for what seems like eternity – time around me seems to have come to a standstill but deadlines are fast approaching and I’m wilfully determined to keep a positive mind-set. As I’m sure all students have seen, Covid-19 has completely transformed the way we are engaging with our studies. Fortunately, at Aston University, the teaching staff have done their absolute best to give us clear support and guidance. Since practical assessments had been cancelled it was a relief to see that Aston had promptly modified all teaching and assessments. We received module-specific adjustments outlining how changes were going to be implemented providing a sense of relief amongst the uncertainty.

I want to highlight the importance of keeping contact with your personal tutors or module leads – they are there to support you both academically and personally – even if it’s a short message to keep them updated with what you are doing because it can be easy to fall into a bubble of solitude. The lockdown period has undoubtedly had an impact on all of our mental wellbeing’s to some degree, some have occupied themselves with new and creative hobbies whereas others may have not and that’s okay. Social media certainly has been filling up my lockdown time, it’s easy to feel like you aren’t doing enough and to compare yourself to others. I must admit my sleep pattern has been chaotic too, but remember there is no right or wrong way to cope with what’s happening.

For those of you who are succeeding in keeping productive and motivated throughout these testing times, kudos to you and keep at it! There are some fantastic study resources the College offers which I know I’ve been using to supplement my studies in lieu of absent lecturers. I have also forgotten how much I loved cycling - something which I haven’t done in years and hopefully something I will take forward from this pandemic. With some of the most recent lockdown measures being relaxed there is a glimmer of hope that things may start to return to some degree of normality – but for now we must stay strong and persevere.

Whilst this is not how I anticipated my first year at university to go, I am feeling wholly lucky that those closest to me remain safe and healthy, and that I am apart of a profession that I have seen come together to support one another in a time of great need.