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Manchester students are reading “help” on their windows while they are closed due to coronavirus cases PHOTO: Reuters
Applicants for higher education are the big losers in the pandemic and need support.
John-Russell Barnes works at three locations for several hours to help his mother raise him and his sisters. He is a typical 18-year-old white boy from the working class in Britain, of which, according to the Ministry of Education, the least young decide to continue their education at university. The reason is too high tuition fees or the desire to earn quick money to meet your daily needs.
However, John wants a different future than working in a bakery, small shop, and pub. That is why years ago he turned to a charity for underprivileged young people and thanks to its experts he was already accepted to study law, dreaming of a career as a lawyer. He admits to the BBC that he is afraid of the unknown, especially with no guarantees that he will get a good job after graduation.
It turns out that his position includes thousands of young people who have been shaken by the coronavirus crisis as to whether it is worth graduating from college. According to clinical psychologist Dr. Anna Colton, it is normal for them to feel anxious, stressed, anxious, and disorganized, as we all experience the most extraordinary time of our lives. “No one is affected by COVID-19. We are all in the same storm, but we are on many different ships. Some feel like they are on luxury yachts and others in a tin trough with holes in the bottom. It is important to remember that every experience is meaningful, ”says Colton. Because young people tend to be more optimistic about what’s going on around them, they usually admit later that they have a problem, especially if they are afraid of disappointing their parents or if there is a lot of At stake, for example, significant financial capital is spent to pursue it.However, Colton cautions that for whatever reason, speak up early, because mental health problems turn into mental health problems if one does not work hard. for overcoming them.
Sometimes it is enough to be more active in social communication, rather than leaning firmly on lectures. This is especially important for those who are going to study far from their places of origin and their friends. Of course, with all the limitations of the coronavirus, making new contacts is not easy. Some English universities have set up special support hotlines. Lily Margaroli, 21, works at one in Exeter. She is a student of politics and economics and ensures that as much as her colleagues are tired of lectures and exams on the Internet platform “Zoom”, it is worth gritting your teeth and continuing to show yourself on it. Video chats can make you feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable looking for friends, but they are a good starting point for meeting someone you can communicate with in a more pleasant setting, says Lily. Therefore, even if you are in a bathrobe, do not turn off the camera, because that reduces your chances of communicating with someone. And you make the other participants think that you want to hide something important to you and put yourself in a different position than them.
Roommates shouldn’t be “thrown away” a priori either, no matter how much friction you have regarding order in common areas and cleaning schedule. “If you don’t immediately connect with one or two people sharing your living space, you can easily separate yourself from everyone,” says Dr. Anna Colton. So you have to really be sure that you don’t like someone before you rule them out. Research shows that it takes at least 50 hours of active communication to move into a friendly relationship, so patience is an important factor, especially at times like these. Colton suggests doing group exercises, reading a book, or even varnishing their nails, since most young people need some form of normalcy when life is as emotional and turbulent as it is now.
Their parents, on the other hand, need to show more understanding and no longer burden them with high expectations. This means not constantly pressuring them with questions about how the conferences are going, if all the coronavirus prevention measures are being followed. Even if a student wants to go home because he is lonely and confused on campus, he should not stop. It is important to understand the reasons for your concern early and lend a hand. This is not a conciliatory approach to the situation, but an endorsement. It is not a lack of skills, abilities or qualities, but a very difficult situation in which mental health is a very key element. Just tell yourself that this is temporary and do not stop hoping that it will improve soon, experts advise.
Psychology professor Mark Mont-Williams from the University of Leeds believes that it is unrealistic to expect young people not to communicate with each other, and this is extremely important for their personal development. “I think we really need to think seriously about how we can help them have social interactions while maintaining the overall safety of the population,” he said.
Otherwise, we run the risk of facing angry and bewildered generations years later, who are experienced as victims of the coronavirus crisis. And entering it will not be difficult at all, because so far the students are not the center of the measures that are taken in almost any country. Although they spend most of their time studying online, their fees are not reduced. They are not offered benefits to cover day-to-day expenses, although employers’ interest in them has decreased. Due to the autonomy of higher education institutions, they are practically in the hands of their academic leaders, whose interest is to have more students and higher incomes, despite the fact that the quality of teaching and student life is much lower in a pandemic.
90% of Bulgarians prefer live lectures
90 percent of Bulgarian students want their lectures to be held at universities, not remotely, according to a study by the National Representation of Student Councils. However, due to social distance requirements, no university can offer this.
The situation is especially difficult in the large universities. At the University of National and World Economy, for example, the number of candidates registered for this academic year is about 20,000. Those in the first and second year will be divided into groups, alternating to study one week in person and the next online. For the third and fourth years, the training will be entirely remote.
A mixed approach will also be applied at the University of Sofia, but the individual faculties will decide what exactly it will be. Additionally, students infected with coronavirus will be required to undergo mandatory quarantine at home for at least 28 days.
However, during the first year, some students will be able to study for free, as the government has decided to pay fees for majors for which there is not enough interest. However, this is not due to the coronavirus crisis, but to the lack of certain personnel who are important for the development of the country. Among them are nuclear energy, metallurgy, classical philology and African studies. Some 7,000 students from 16 universities are expected to benefit from the right to free education, which will cost the state some BGN 375,000 this academic year.
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