On the 23 March 2020, (then) Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the first of many lockdowns in response to the developing COVID-19 pandemic. The barren supermarket shelves and lockdown breacher reporting hotlines are only a few of the bizarre occurrences that would follow.
Yet, some even grew to enjoy this new lifestyle, relishing the ability to join a Zoom call from the comfort of their blankets in lieu of a gruelling commute to attend in person. Others remained adamant that a “return to normal” should happen as soon as possible. Whether it was an enjoyable or detestable time, those dramatic changes were not without consequence. It was only after we had left this era of chaos, however, that such changes to our lives could be observed.
Five years on, the lingering impacts of COVID remain, and it seems that they won’t be shaken any time soon. The profound shift to an entirely online existence fundamentally changed how we experienced the world around us and has only been partially reversed.
The most significant impacts of COVID on student life were undoubtedly those felt by the classes of 2020-2024. The poor planning of the lockdowns deprived students of an effective learning environment which hindered their education and compromised their university social life.
The majority of COVID measures that universities had implemented have now been completely repealed. Online lectures are mostly a thing of the past and in- person workshops, labs and tutorials with more effective methods of teaching have been reinstated. Studies show that in-person learning is conducive of better academic performance, a fact well-known by students. Aside from a few skipped 9AMs, students evidently prefer to attend in-person. Students have stated that the act of going to a lecture in-person helps them engage better with the subject, compared to having a lecture play passively in the background of their room.
Online examinations, however, remain salient in discussing the various stances held by students on the COVID measures which are seemingly here to stay. Whilst not as evidently isolating as the other measures, it still impacts upon students’ lives, for better or for worse. When interviewed, some students showed their support for the university to continue the use of online exams as they believed they benefit students.
The consensus was that it relieved some pressure of the exams through the ability to complete the exam at home, a preferable environment to an imposing exam hall. Additionally, online examinations were also seen as beneficial to international students who could return home earlier and avoid the expensive flights during the summer dash to the airport. Yet, some students argued online examinations failed to treat students fairly due to the fact that the same conditions are not shared by everyone. Edinburgh students still living at home or students in shared dorms may not have access to the focused, quiet environment that an exam hall provides, a factor which could impact their final score.
In discussion with students about how they feel COVID had affected their social lives, many shared the sentiment that they feel much less social in a post-COVID world.
Interviewing two students, they both agreed that lockdown had negatively impacted their lives. They felt that they had become “much less sociable” as a result of being deprived of human interaction for so long. They expressed their irritation towards how poorly the government had handled the pandemic. Another student recounted the first two weeks being “awesome” as it gave them time off school, a sentiment shared by many other students. Yet upon reflection, they found that their sociability had been impeded by the lack of human connection. They reported becoming “more introverted” than they had been before the lockdowns.
University was previously heralded as the place of boundless connections but students at the University of Edinburgh feel that these are now hard to create. With many students feeling that lockdown had negatively impacted their social skills, it is no wonder that these connections do not develop as easily as before lockdown. Students feel that Edinburgh University Students’ Association is not doing enough to tackle the disconnected student body and should play a more active role.
One student commented that Potterrow pales in comparison to the popularity of other student unions across the country and how it fails to fulfil its purpose of bringing students together. On campus, the severe impact on communication caused by the pandemic is evident. There is a reservation when it comes to spontaneous social interactions, ultimately giving students a feeling of isolation even whilst they are surrounded by thousands of people. People reportedly feel “lonelier after the pandemic than before it” and this is an issue that must be tackled collectively.