My Thoughts on Returning to University

Hey guys,

I hope that you’re all well!

Today I wanted to share with you my feelings about returning to university. 

As I have Cerebral Palsy, at the height of the pandemic, I was initially told to stay inside for 12 weeks. Due to this, even after the 12 weeks was through, my family and I took it upon ourselves to be extra vigilant. You’d think that because of this I am apprehensive about returning to on campus learning, but I’m much less worried about it than you’d expect.

Luckily, I’ll only actually be on campus once a week, as two of my seminars alternate between being online and being face to face. One of my other modules is completely online and one is my Dissertation. Obviously being on campus in any capacity has its risks, but the fact that the seminar groups are tiny helps to eliminate these risks even further.

Also, apart from meeting with a friend once, I haven’t actually seen anyone my own age since March. I need to see my friends in person, even if it’s only for a hour a week. It’s not even an excuse for my to hang around and go out for drinks afterwards because I don’t drink. I just need some variation in my human contact.

In terms of my thoughts on teaching, it frustrates me that there seems to be a growing rhetoric around the idea that teaching online means that it will be of a lesser quality. Obviously this could be true for some departments, but I don’t feel that way about the teaching that I will receive in the Film and TV department. I’ve seen how hard the staff are working to provide us with a high quality education in these strange times and I will be supporting them all the way.

As you can see, this post is just a bunch of my ramblings. How do you feel about returning to university (or attending for the first time)? Let me know down below! However you feel, I hope you have a great start to the term and continue to stay safe and well.