With attendance at Zoom university being at an all time high, the team at The Undergraduate Scientist would like to share some tips of how they’ve been adapting to the online term. These tips range from study advice to self-care.
1. structure your day
Many students have complained about the lack of structure to their day due to most courses being asynchronous and recorded. This leads to a loss of motivation and a sense of aimlessness. We encourage students to attend live lectures, or to schedule set times where the students plan on watching the recordings. The goal is to simulate what it would be like if classes were in person, and hopefully having allocated times as to when you’re going to engage with classroom material will give you a sense of direction for the day.
An advantage of online classes is the flexibility, however this does not mean you should only be watching lectures when you feel like it. Often times, one ends up playing catchup on lectures a few days out from an examination, which is not only very stressful but also ineffective.
2. Find a hobby that doesn’t use a screen
I remember at the end of the term, my eyes became so tired and I couldn’t focus on the words displayed on my computer. Remember to take breaks and rest your eyes. Try to schedule 2-3 hours away from the screen each day. Find a social-distancing friendly hobby so you won’t be tempted to check social media on these breaks. For me this is golf, but some suggestions for other hobbies can be jogging, skateboarding, cycling, walking your dog, etc.
3. invest in a secondary monitor
You can get these for as low as $40 dollars for used models or $300 for high-quality ones. This makes computer work much easier as there is more space to work, as opposed to squinting at my laptop all day. You can also put reference material on this screen, which minimizes clicking through tabs to find things, only to be lost as to where your original tab was located.
4. don’t overload yourself
It’s tempting to take on more jobs or extracurriculars, because there is now more available time. This is especially true for commuter students who might gain 10 more hours a week, since now they don’t need to travel back and forth from UBC. This being the case for me, I decided to take on more than usual this school term, resulting in burnout in the middle of the term. You can definitely add one more commitment than usual, but I recommend allocating most of the extra time as breaks. Trust me, your eyes and your back will thank you.
5. Stay in touch with family and friends
A big drawback of virtual learning is that people feel out of touch with their peers, leading to a dwindling sense of community. Quarantine and social distancing accentuates loneliness, even when we don’t actively realize this. Make sure to call or contact your family members and friends regularly not only to check up on them, but to alleviate loneliness. Always make time to attend to the relationships in your life, because these relationships are much more valuable than school.
Hope this was helpful!