It’s officially exam time at UoM! My first semester studying the International Business & Management programme has flown by. In this month’s blog, I’m going to talk about how I adapted to online learning and provide some tips.
As we all know, the COVID-19 situation is evolving every day. Classes for my programme were originally intended to begin in-person in October, but due to government restrictions, this was not able to happen. Because of the lockdown restrictions, I decided to return home to the US for the time being. One of the things I was most excited about was getting to meet my classmates and make new friends in Manchester. I didn’t want to lose out on this aspect of school and found a number of ways to still feel connected! My programme has a group chat that all of us speak in. I made the effort to reach out to a few of my peers outside of class and now we talk every day. We organize game nights, have video chats, and a lot more. I’m also a member of the school’s Japanese Society, which holds many events and has a group chat where everyone can connect. All of us were looking forward to meeting each other and have been creative on how to still meet even if it’s not in person.
Adjusting to classes online was definitely difficult at first. All of the professors and faculty are working hard to make sure they give us the best learning experience possible in spite of the circumstances, but it takes some getting used to. I’ve grown to enjoy having classes online; lectures are pre-recorded with 30-minute live sessions during what would be normal class time, and seminars are held during normal class time. This online platform has made my schedule very flexible and gives me the opportunity to get ahead in my classes.
When it comes to class assignments, always get started sooner rather than later is my advice. For example, this semester I finished one essay over one month before it was due! By doing this, I gave myself buffer room so I had extra time to proofread/edit and wasn’t too stressed over the number of assignments I had to complete. I did something similar with my exams this semester and made my study guide several before the exam so I had ample time to review.
These past few months have been very different from what any of us anticipated, but it’s important to adapt and not allow these obstacles hold us back. In a pandemic, it is perfectly feasible to continue your education, get a degree, and meet new people.
