Youth in an Age of Destruction - Part 2: The Student’s Perspective

By Joh Covington, Skyline Desk Chief

While many wouldn’t consider this to be a post-covid world, we are seeing the aftereffects on society of the last three years. Every generation has had that event that has shaken it to the core, with ripples changing things for years to come. In the last few years this generation has encountered more than what is due. The toll will surely be made evident tomorrow and again further down the line.  

There have been multiple studies done on the effect that these events have had on the young college-aged generation but going to the source to understand the issues on a deeper level is essential to prepare for the unknown future.  

Near and far, COVID was the word heard ‘round the world, and students in every country felt the effects. 

In an interview with FSU Tyler Tice, a junior at Florida State University, said, “the biggest challenge for me has been the reduction in face-to-face connection.” 

Tice believes that isolation had a major effect on student motivation. 

“Students have a hard time interacting with instructors and other faculty members virtually. Under normal circumstances, students ask questions during class, engage with the lecture, and a few might even stay behind afterward to talk with the instructor,” said Tice. 

This isolation pushed students to become independent during a time in their life when asking for help and direction is paramount to success. 

“Essentially, I see that the ‘online culture’ cultivated amidst this pandemic has led to a secondary effect of students just wanting to figure everything out themselves or reach out to peers for the most part. 

It shifted many faculty members between home and office locations and morphed the entire campus into a socially distant version of itself,”  

Sul Ross students also had strong opinions about the effect of the last three years on the college experience. 

Sul Ross freshman Nathan Thompson said, “I lost all motivation after lockdown started and classes went online. I dropped all those classes too. I took more classes online, but still had no motivation, so I failed those.” 

While some students pushed through their studies in the difficult lockdown days, most are still recovering from the mental toll.  

“At this point my mental health took a nosedive. I took a gap semester and worked then started on campus again last fall period. Now, I avoid online classes like the plague,” Thompson said. 

“I think not finishing that first semester on campus was a big mistake, especially looking back,” Thompson said. 

Motivation is in a deficit these days, many that lost it are still searching. 

Sul Ross senior Caleb Wood shared his thoughts about remote learning, “I blame COVID for introducing me to online classes because they’re so much easier and non-limiting in a scheduling sense. But it's also difficult to get motivated for an online class because of the general lack of human communication and interaction in a face-to-face setting.” 

But living off-campus has also taken away from their college experience and limited their social interactions with classmates. 

In an interview with Ascend, students across the globe aired their concerns of the effects of COVID and isolation on the college experience. 

One student from India, Athar said, “I am also unhappy with remote learning. I feel more anxious for some reason, and I’m not able to ask questions easily.” 

This feeling of added difficulty isn’t unique, many who suffer from social anxiety relapsed during the days of remote learning and are still overcoming the struggle. 

Many decided to put their education on hold. One student in Vietnam said, “On the one hand, I’m glad that my studies will not be delayed. But I frankly have considered putting my education on hold until things are back to normal.” 

Back in the U.S., an anonymous student believes that the quality of higher education is not worth the cost, “If the quality of teaching is not the same, why are they expecting the same quality of work or performance from us students? I am the type of learner that needs to be in-person. I learn best by doing, but that’s impossible right now. I’m concerned that I’m not actually retaining any of the information I should be. I feel as though I’m constantly catching up, doing assignments, and I have no time to take a break and study. I’m concerned that, with my school getting rid of breaks during the semester, I will continue to struggle with feeling overwhelmed and stressed.” 

Canadian student, Kevin agrees, “The online classes are not worth the time and money. We are not getting the same quality lectures as we were getting on campus. Also, there are irregularities and too many technical issues. Paying the same amount of fees is quite unfair for us students.” 

A consensus among the students however, is a desire for time and for the world to adjust its expectations in accordance with today’s circumstances, “I wish my professors knew that we needed time for ourselves. I know school is important, but so is our mental health. We need to have a better balance between both,” said Kevin.  

In that interview, Australian student, Lily, was disappointed by her university’s reaction, “The support has been non-existent. There are long waiting times for support, and people assume that because you’re at home you must have nothing to do. I have many friends struggling at the moment just to get out of bed, let alone do coursework. It’s a strange time. People react differently. Just empathize and give people space.” 

Before entering the college experience, these potential students hear that these will be some of the best years of their life, that these are the old “glory days.” However, the recent years in the lives of these persevering students were not only difficult but will most likely leave scars that will affect their adult lives. 

On the difficulties that the average student faced, Sul Ross graduate, Lupe Perez said, “The isolation was not the best. I didn't have Wi-Fi where I lived, and it was difficult to attend class sometimes. It was an easier course load, but I felt like I didn't grasp much information. The isolation was just depressing, I made sure to go and be active but sometimes it wasn't enough. I also got laid off from my job, so I had to get a new one.”  

These grievances concerning remote learning are fading now that most have returned to on-campus classes. However, the side effects of isolation remain.  

One article published by Houston Methodist’s Methodology, stated that “The mental health of this vulnerable demographic of college students needs to be monitored carefully. Concerns related to mental health need to be immediately addressed to minimize the likelihood of secondary complications such as depression and suicides among college students.”