Graduate students adjust to return of in-person classes

Ashley Grimmer
Thu, 23 Sep 2021 01:52:21 +0000
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More in-person opportunities are available this year for grad students and have provided them with better class experiences, study routines and engagement with learning. Credit: Molly Schmitz | For the Lantern

The return of in-person opportunities this year has provided graduate students with better class experiences, study routines and engagement in learning.

While some graduate students prefer online classes, Sydney Robbins, a second-year pharmacy student, said she believes there is a correlation between in-person classes and academic success.

Robbins said she took all of her classes online last year except for a lab which only met in person every other week. This year, Robbins is attending classes fully in person.

“I think there’s a lot more student engagement,” Robbins said. “I think people are a lot more interested in what we’re learning.”

Building better relationships with professors, meeting students in her classes and cohort and being away from distractions at home are all reasons Robbins said she thinks in-person classes are better for learning.

“When you’re in person, a professor is looking at you,” Robbins said. “They know when you’re on your phone. So, it makes you both pay attention more and actually know the material.”

Anitra Karthic, a first-year medical student, said she has the option to be in person for all her courses this year, but has yet to attend an in-person lecture.

Karthic said she watches her lectures online via Zoom while many of her classmates attend class in person because she finds her room a better and less distracting work environment.

“I’m in the comfort of my room and sitting at my desk,” Karthic said. “I get easily distracted in a lecture hall because I sometimes look at what everyone’s doing on their laptop screens and for me, at least, that’s very distracting.”

Despite not attending in-person lectures, Karthic said she believes live classes, whether in person or on Zoom, have helped her create a sense of routine.

“It’s really forced me to create that routine and forced me to create a structured schedule every single day,” Karthic said. “I’m not pushing things back, I’m not trying to cram everything at the last minute, so it definitely has helped me manage my time.”

Karthic said she is also appreciative of the many other in-person opportunities that have returned this year, such as attending club meetings, office hours and study groups at the library.

“Last year was definitely very, very tough, but I think coming into this year it’s really made me appreciate the opportunities to do stuff in person,” Karthic said. “I think it’s definitely given me a greater appreciation for those sorts of things. I’ve definitely tried to take advantage of that in-person time with my classmates and, you know, faculty as much as possible.”