An anxious experience for college students

The two years of college play an instrumental role in shaping the lives of young students. But the pandemic has led to impediments, with many beginning their college life at home, online.

"Initially, I used to attend classes attentively, but as the re-opening of the education institutions kept postponing, I began losing interest. I barely attend my classes now. My experience is nowhere close to how I imagined it would be," shared Samiya Arefin, a first-year student of Holy Cross College.

Prithul Haque, a student of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, added that receiving academic guidance while sitting at home significantly decreases exposure to newer surroundings, interactions, and life lessons.

Second-year college students regret missing out on different opportunities. Rakib Hossain Pranto, a student of Pabna Cadet College, could only do five months of physical classes before educational institutions were shut down. "My college highly appreciates spontaneous participation in different inter-house competitions, along with extracurricular activities. I was mentally preparing for those," he asserted. Rakib viewed online classes as a weak alternative, as his syllabus sometimes remains incomplete, due to limited time or connectivity issues.

Moez Uddin Ashrafee, a student of Notre Dame College, set out to harness and expand the skills that he learnt in school into his college life. Making new friends in college during these unprecedented times has been difficult for him.

On the other hand, Hamim Islam, a student of Notre Dame College, brought attention to the recent rise in Covid-19 cases and deaths. "Things are just going to get worse if we re-open institutions at this time. Even if we stay safe, our families might have to suffer as a result of us going out. Education does not outweigh the value of life," he asserted.

As most of the students explained, without in-person classes, they are struggling to prepare for their HSC exams, and having to rely on self-learning more than ever before. Yet, they do not wish to attend classes physically, as we are battling a health crisis.

The authors are freelance journalists. Write to them at mislammonamee@gmail.com and mormeemahtab23@gmail.com, respectively.