Distance Learning Student Interview

So far, how has your experience been with remote scheduling?
Actually it’s been pretty good. I can’t even complain; I feel like I am on a good schedule and everything. Especially being at home, it has been much easier but a little weird as well. I actually thought that it would be super hard because of teachers and Zoom. The combination can be a bit of a mess sometimes, but actually it's been much easier for me because although being at home for school can be really really hard for a lot of people, I just feel like, at home, I have a set schedule that I can make and I’m in my own place; I can do things on my own time.

So what made you decide on remote learning as opposed to coming back?
Two things; the first thing is actually going to sound really bad, but I was really afraid of getting tested. I heard horror stories of people’s noses starting to bleed, and that's just not my thing, although I will have to get tested eventually. But the other reason was actually that I went to the doctor because I was having super weird health problems. And then I took a blood test, and the blood test came back, and the results were just… weird. The thing that the doctors thought I had would compromise my immune system tremendously. So I decided and was like “you know what? If I actually have this thing, I’m going to stay home and get the blood tests that I need.” But then I took a test last month, and everything came back normal, so I’m kind of here for no reason now.

Does the remote setting that you’re in suit your learning style? I know for many students, the transition in March was very difficult, especially because they were not used to doing all of their schooling online and having the venues mixed so forcefully. 
I would say that it does, and I am very privileged that it does fit my learning style. In March, it wasn’t really the best, you know? I’m sure for anyone if they moved into a place they didn’t think they were going to move to all of a sudden––mentally and physically, everything would just be off. But now, after being at home for this long and I was taking summer classes over the summer, I kind of created my space so that it is my learning style better. And I know a lot of people may not be able to do that, so that’s why I say that I’m privileged to do that. I would have never thought this place could ever fit my learning style.

So with that being said, what would the trade-off be? Although it fits your learning style, What were you willing to forego in order to stay safe?
I don’t know if this would ever make sense, but noise. So I think because I’m living with three people in my house, it tends to be a little noisier, and I feel like it… let’s say I was in school or something, then I would just have my own place and it would be quiet. But I don’t know; I just had to make this work.

How has your approach to remote learning changed over the past six months since the pandemic started?
In the beginning, I really thought, “okay, everyone is at home, so they’ll do much better,” you know? I actually even thought that since they were at home, they’d have more space to do whatever and that everything would be ok, but honestly, I took human interaction for granted. Because when this first started, I was like, “I saw my friends before, but I’ll be ok,” you know? But I think after a while when you don’t see people for a while, and the only people you see are the same family members all day… you kind of miss that element because you can’t talk to your family the same way that you would some friends, and that element can take a significant toll on your mental health.

Is there anything else you’d want to say about your experience in totality?
As a whole, sometimes, I wish that I would’ve gone back to school. But at the end of the day, I think I taught myself how to make things work, and I don’t think that I would take a physical touch and staying and learning in a classroom for granted because all of those things make my school experience and that’s the way I like it.