During the Studying By HILLARY HOPPOCK
nternational students pursuing higher education abroad faced a myriad of challenges at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020. Many universities shifted from in-person learning and interaction with teachers and students to virtual learning environments. As the pandemic evolved, so did changes to university enrollment systems and international travel requirements. However, universities and students worked in tandem to make the best of the circumstances and ensure consistent admission cycles, uphold curriculum requirements and support students’ search for postgraduate employment. To illuminate the experience of studying during the pandemic, four Indian students studying in the United States shared their personal stories of adaptability and resilience with SPAN. Adjusting to virtual learning Kusuma Nagaraja spent several years working in India as a family law attorney, and had initially postponed her higher education plans due to the pandemic. She joined the University of California, Davis, for her Master of Laws in 2021, and had the opportunity to spend part of her time home in Bengaluru, while attending her classes virtually. “I began at home as there were
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travel and visa restrictions in transitioning to the United States from India. Even though I missed some classes initially, they all were recorded so I could catch up,” she says. Pratham Jadav studied at Ryan International School and St. Andrew’s College in Mumbai before beginning his undergraduate degree in business analytics at Iowa State University in 2020. His classes were both in-person and virtual, depending on the need. “Labs and some other classes were inperson and maintained a strict policy of social distancing and wearing masks,” he explains. While the university enforced a 50 percent capacity rule in classrooms to ensure a safe environment, for Jadav, like many others, it was challenging to adapt to a new virtual study environment. “It took me a while to make friends with students studying the same course,” he says. However, “interaction with the professor or teaching assistants was not as much of a challenge as I was able to approach them after class or during their meeting hours,” he explains. Jadav found study groups exceptionally helpful in adapting to studying online during the pandemic. “We would collaborate online or meet in the library study rooms,” he shares. Throughout the pandemic, schools and universities recognized the importance of flexibility during these exceptional circumstances. Like Jadav, Shivna Saxena initially found it challenging to adapt to virtual classes. She began her graduate program in public health at Central Washington University in 2021. “The virtual classroom experience was new, but with all the technological advancements and amazing platforms like Zoom, it was easy to learn,” she
Courtesy Sonal Sussane
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Pandem c says. “My professors delivered lectures using breakout rooms for discussions and PowerPoint presentations, which proved very useful to me. Whenever I had doubts about my coursework, I contacted my professors on email and received a timely response. It was also helpful when they divided us into groups for writing assignments, which strengthened my involvement with my batchmates and learning from each other.”
Resilience under evolving circumstances Sonal Sussane was halfway through her bachelor’s degree in cell and molecular biology from the University of South Florida, in 2020, when pandemic lockdowns were imposed in the United States. “Fortunately, professors and teaching assistants were more lenient with coursework and deadlines in response to the challenges we faced,” she says. Besides the disruption to enrollment of students, the universities also had to think on their feet to ensure classes continued on schedule and were engaging enough for students adapting to
