• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

You are here: Home / Life / Mental Health / The Transition to Online Classes: A New Struggle or a Desirable Change? 

The Transition to Online Classes: A New Struggle or a Desirable Change? 

December 15, 2020 //  by Jake Tammara

FacebookTweet

This past March, we were all hit by surprise with the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus. People worldwide were forced to take a step back and create a new way of living. As businesses and schools started to close, people began to work and take classes online digitally.

With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging on, students find themselves gearing up to face another semester of online or hybrid classes. Though many people feel as if these types of classes prove challenging or intimidating, a good amount of students find this new set up to be far more beneficial than sitting in class all day.

Through the pros and cons, one thing that remains sure: online learning is here to stay, at least a little while longer.

covid gif
giphy.com

It was the spring semester of my junior year in college – the very beginning of 2020. I decided to take one online class at the start of the semester since the previous semester I took 6 classes, proving more difficult than expected. Halfway through the semester, I realized that I probably made a mistake taking less classes than I needed to graduate on time. I decided to sign up for two more classes that were going to start in-person halfway through the semester and squeezed into three weeks.  

The fateful day in March arrived when it was time for me to go back to campus to start my two new classes, one about dance and another about hip-hop’s influence on culture. After a few months of living at home, I felt more than ready to be around others during school. My first class was in a building that I never had a class in before and located in the very back of the building. It took me awhile to find the designated room, making me almost late to class. When the class finally ended, I felt overwhelmed with anxiety due to one of the required projects: create a live dance performance. 

At this point in the year, many schools already had begun closing their facilities to students due to the spread of coronavirus, which was still little known about at the time. The very same day that I started my new classes, every student received an email announcing that in-person classes were to be suspended for the remainder of the semester.

To me, this email gave me incredible relief since I no longer had to do a live dance performance.

zoom
pixabay.com

As the semester progressed, the online class situation began to feel like the new norm. Many people who I talked to about the switch from in-person to online classes felt that it caused more detriment to them than anything, for various reasons. One of these reasons included how many people found themselves able to focus better when the professor was physically teaching them.  

People also talked about having an issue forcing themselves to do work when not on a schedule. Many students grow used to waking up at a certain time and abiding by a routine on specific days, helping them complete their work in a timely manner. Because online classes do not necessarily require students to get out of bed, a lot of students’ schedules ended up thrown completely off balance. This curveball thrown at students’ agendas, along with what feels to many to be a much heavier work load than normal, helps to play into the mass hatred for online classes. 

The weeks flew by, with many people expecting the fall semester to be back in-person. In the very beginning of the semester there was a mix of in-person an online classes, with the in-person classes implementing social distancing and requiring face masks. After just one full week of in-person, classes moved back to one hundred percent online and remained that way for the entire semester.  

Unlike many other people, I found that taking online classes helped me to improve my overall work ethic and performance in every class that I took. I think since I do not like sitting in class for long periods of time, or paying attention for that long, going online helped because it gave me my own personal environment.

The classes that I took ended up being way easier than I expected. 

giphy.com

My live dance performance? It ended up as an essay on one certain type of dance style, a piece of cake compared to having to bachata in real life. 

I passed all my online classes in the spring semester and decided that since I didn’t need to go onto campus to take more classes. As is, I was already behind on credits; so, I would have to sign up for summer classes online. I took three classes in the first half of the summer, and three in the second half, all of which were either online synchronously or asynchronously.  

I continued to talk to more students, with a majority stating that online classes were incredibly tedious, and some people were even considering dropping out until classes were back in person. As for me, I went on to pass every class I took online with little to no issues, catching up on the credits that I was behind on and allowing me to be on time to graduate again.

Even though I do not have any issues with this new set up, I can understand how people find moving to online classes disruptive. 

world hug
giphy.com

While online classes are most likely to continue for at least one more semester, the hope that we will be able to return to in-person classes without the worry of getting ourselves or our loved ones sick remains strong.

Though this situation may not be a bother to everyone, being that many of most campuses’ facilities are closed, along with the fact that students cannot socialize with one another, getting back to in-person classes will most likely help everyone be at their peak mental health.

FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Academics Back to School Mental Health

About Jake Tammara

Jake is a senior at Temple University. Some topics he enjoys writing about are sports, politics, technology, and entertainment/music.

You May Also Like

It Won’t Last Forever: How I Got Through College with a Mental Illness

Woman sitting in a chair with a mug

Take a Break and Breathe: 10 Resources to Destress This Semester

woman anxious with head in hands

How To Overcome Imposter Syndrome

How Film Can Become Your Academic Clarity

positive instagram pages

Brighten Your Feed by Following These 10 Instagram Pages for Self-Care

15 Inspirational Movies You Should Definitely Watch in the New Year

5 Ways to Reach Out to Someone Without Asking “How are You?”

How Journaling Aided My Thoughts in Personal Growth

More Than a Furry Friend: CM’s Guide To Emotional Support Animals

mean girls

Is That You, Regina George? 10 Warning Signs You Have Toxic Friends

I'm on break

What Does It Actually Mean When You Say “I’m on Break”?

5 Reasons Why You Should Become a Morning Person in 2021

CM’s Top 10 Most Chill Colleges in the Country

It’s Okay If Your Grades Fall Behind During a Pandemic

winter blues

How to Help Your Friend Conquer the Winter Blues

Reflecting on Fall 2020: How to Recover from One of the Hardest Semesters

guy online

The Transition to Online Classes: A New Struggle or a Desirable Change? 

ADHD or the Enemy? At Least My College Helped Me

Counseling at a table

Seeking Counseling in College: Why Your Mental Health Will Thank You

Go Back or Stay Home? Impacts of COVID on an International Student

Woman stares out window.

How The Pandemic Made me Realize I’m Not Okay, and That’s Okay

10 Self-Care Tips and Tricks for Success: COVID-19 Edition

people worshipping jesus

What Finding a Church in College Taught Me

shy student, blonde female reading blue book

The Confessions of a Shy First-Generation College Student

Previous Post: «Community College Professor walks through the halls Higher Education: Why Teaching Community College Makes the Ideal Career
Next Post: How to Turn a Big School into a Small Community with Greek Life alpha phi girls posing»

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

dancing dreams
58

Saying Goodbye to My Dreams of Dancing

50

Stargazing in the Sand: My Trip to Terlingua, Texas

42

How My Childhood Bully Followed Me to College

9

Top 10 Covid-19 Safe Spots to Explore Near UCLA

Brass-colored 21 foil balloons inside a room.
8

10 Spots to Celebrate Your 21st Birthday Near UCLA

Featured Chapter: St. John’s University

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

Copyright © 2021 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.