This semester St. Lawrence could not have more than 1800 students on campus. This unfortunately left several students to make important decisions. Either take a gap semester (or year) and pursue their dreams of driving across the country (safely) or give remote learning a chance.
Some juniors and sophomores were given the chance to be on campus during the summer 2021 semester, however this is not always an ideal school year for everyone. Therefore, those same students who could be on campus in the summer chose to give this position up in order to complete a semester remotely. Bret Lunder, a junior in Missoula, MT, and I are just two juniors among the several students who chose to do the fall semester remotely. Although it is only the second full week of classes, we have realized the advantages and disadvantages to online school.
For Bret, it was integral that she finish school and graduate on time, so doing classes online was just one step in the right direction of accomplishing this goal. Online school offers Bret the ability to complete her coursework and be connected to St. Lawrence academically, but the luxury of being at home where she is comfortable. Being at home and learning remotely has several perks, especially since students might be able to keep working their summer jobs to save money, spend time with family and pets and possibly stay more focused on school work without the distractions of everyday campus life.
However, as much fun as learning from home is there have been some struggles. Bret stressed that the most difficult thing about starting junior year remotely is, “I feel nervous constantly that my workload plus not being on campus will result in me falling behind.” I equated this anxiety to the memory of my first day at a new high school, where it certainly felt like I was going to fall behind. However, like Bret said, “Everything has proved otherwise though.” She is comforted in the fact that professors are only an email or call away to answer her questions. Another obstacle has been trying to stay focused and motivated at home where we typically do not go to complete school work. In addition to this, we do not have the opportunity to just go to ODY and camp out for hours catching up on assignments. Bret expressed that she misses ODY the most from being on campus.
Some advice that Bret had for other remote learners was to “stay optimistic and realize that online school can be just as fruitful as it is in person, it just might require adjustment and effort.” This is especially important to remember considering the fact that quite a few classes are being conducted online even if you are residing on campus.
So far Zoom classes have been going well for Bret and I since professors have been incredibly understanding of the fact that some students do not have the same resources that they had on campus. Bret stated, “I hope professors are courteous to that and expect the unexpected just like we do.”