Chinese international students and others share tips and experiences for COVID-19 college
Article by Linda Li and Jin Wen Xie
Photos by Zachary Lutzky
Authors’ note: As remote learners ourselves (Jin Wen is in Fairfax, VA; Linda is in Vancouver, Canada), all of the interviews were conducted via Zoom or text. We greatly appreciate the interviewees for speaking with us.
Students mentioned:
On-campus: Ashley Sun ‘24, Sarah Bengston ‘24
Off-campus remote: Sristhi Nadar ‘24
International remote: Joanne ‘24, Yijing Gao ‘24, Zhang ‘24
On weekdays, Joanne ‘24 (who asked to withhold her last name) goes to sleep at a time between 8 and 10:30 AM, after the previous night’s work of Zoom lessons and meetings. She is one of the many William & Mary international students studying from their native countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic has not only impacted the daily schedules of international students, but domestic students (both on and off campus) as well.
From the start of the fall semester, both international and domestic students have had to adapt to new methods of learning and lifestyles associated with said methods. Students, whether on-campus or remote learners, still share common struggles as health protocols have limited their abilities to undergo the initial college experience of social interactions and peer-based growth.
Unique Challenges
Students on and off-campus have to face social distancing rules and the impact of attending classes on Zoom. Overall, the experience among both international and domestic students taking classes this semester has enabled them to find common ground with their fellow peers.
“Campus has definitely been strange, but the fact that we aren’t allowed in other dorms means I’ve gotten really close with the people in my dorm,” Sarah Bengston ‘24 said.
For international students attending school virtually from their home countries, the differences in time zones can be a source of difficulty. It took Joanne, who lives in China, a couple weeks to become familiar with her flipped schedule. She takes two remote synchronous courses late into the night and catches up with sleep and work later in the day.
Similarly, Zhang ‘24 (who asked to be identified by his surname) also lives in China and said “I don’t feel mentally awake until midnight,” which is when he usually has classes.
Domestic students, whether on or off campus, also experienced their fair share of issues associated with the distinct characteristics of restricted learning. It’s “confusing to be on campus with restrictions on [the number] of people in a room. Sometimes it's hard to find a private place to study,” Ashley Sun ‘24 said.
It’s “confusing to be on campus with restrictions on [the number] of people in a room. Sometimes it's hard to find a private place to study,” Ashley Sun ‘24 said.
Students not only have to adapt to the new virtual learning environment where it might “feel really weird and unfamiliar,” according to Joanne, but they have to adapt to the workload of a shortened fall semester.
Sristhi Nadar ‘24, an off-campus domestic student, said “in the beginning, I felt that I had more free time. But then it all caught up to me later, and I had to actually do all the work and not procrastinate... [A] lot of my deadlines are a week long and it’s not like daily assignments.... but still I have to keep working on it.”
Regardless of the new challenges found with a mostly online semester, students have created new ways of tackling these unfamiliar learning situations. According to Nadar, “in the beginning, I felt that it was harder to communicate with people, but I felt that GroupMe has helped me for that.”
Although remote learners don’t have the same degree of opportunities in terms of social engagement compared to on-campus learners, they can still participate in extracurricular activities. Joanne said she “signed up for many clubs and participated in many interviews to get to know [her] peers.”
Bengston suggests taking breaks, going on short walks to manage stress levels, and finding study buddies in order to focus on your work—plus it’s a great way to be social.
With online learning comes what may seem as a mountain load of work. It is highly advised for students to write all assignments down onto paper and/or planners. This way, it’s easier to stay organized and on top of all assignments. If certain workloads appear overwhelming or just daunting in general, Nadar advocates for assignments to be broken down, so that work is easier to manage and completed a little at a time.
Mindset Readjustment
There’s no doubt that studying remotely can compound the senses of loneliness and isolation. Depending on where you are, you could be facing financial insecurity, visa restrictions, and separation from loved ones, all on top of an unfamiliar environment. But students also demonstrate admirable resilience.
“For a whole week, I [might] never step out of my home, not once,” Joanne said. “I have to say, it’s a dull life, and I experience it every day.” To compensate for the lack of socializing, she recommends increasing contact with the peers around you, such as high school friends.
Yijing Gao ‘24, a remote learner in Shanghai, China, also encourages doing this as a much-needed break from studying. In China, where COVID restrictions have been relaxed, it’s much safer to grab brunch or watch a movie with friends.
“You cannot really build a connection with your classmates and professors [over Zoom],”
Gao said. She added that the existence of remote international students is not exactly common knowledge. “They [didn’t] know about us,” she said in reference to the domestic students in her orientation group, and “were surprised when I told them about the 12-hour time difference.”
“They [didn’t] know about us,” [Gao] said in reference to the domestic students in her orientation group, and “were surprised when I told them about the 12-hour time difference.”
On the other hand, Zhang is less bothered by the disconnect from campus.“Social networking doesn’t require face-to-face interaction; socializing can also be DMs, likes, and comments on social media,” he said.
Despite the uncertainty brought about by the pandemic, the students also expressed cautious optimism for the overall college experience.
“It’s true that there aren’t as many interactions with the William & Mary community, but I think everything will be fine once we get back to campus,” Joanne said. “For now, it’s more important to keep a healthy mindset and get through this uncertain and difficult time.”
With the discussion-based nature of college courses, Gao finds herself more at-ease when approaching higher-level material.
“[In high school] it was mostly the teacher telling us ‘you should remember this’ and then moving on,” Gao said. “Now, I will focus more on the content. I won’t take as many notes. And it’s especially good with the recordings, [since] I can go back and catch up.”
However, having an optimistic mindset does not mean pretending everything is fine.
"I don’t think any student is having an easy time right now, and it’s perfectly normal to feel exhausted and burned out—it’s William & Mary, after all.” - Zhang
“Everybody is struggling during this time, although the compounded pressure could stem from college itself or remote [learning] owing to the pandemic,” Zhang said. “Nonetheless, I don’t think any student is having an easy time right now, and it’s perfectly normal to feel exhausted and burned out—it’s William & Mary, after all.”
At the end of the day, there’s no predicting when a sudden bout of anxiety or loneliness will hit. But don’t resign yourself to these negative emotions because you are not alone.
Zhang said, “We should all be looking out for one another. Reach[ing] out to others can be a huge relief, and we all need assistance and communication—it’s nothing to feel ashamed of.”