Completing my final year during a global pandemic

In this blog, final year student Shubh shares his experience of completing his studies during a global pandemic.

Being in the final few months of my university life I was facing a flurry of emotions. I was so extremely proud of the individual I had become thanks to WBS and the experiences it provided me, while at the same time I was sad that I was leaving a place that I called home for the past three years. The pandemic may have forced us from staying away from our spectacular WBS 0.004 or Oculus 1.05 lecture halls which have so many memories attached to them however to be completely honest the experience has not disappointed one bit. Not once was I in a position to complain that I wish this situation would have been handled better if the campus was completely functional.

Being in my final year I realised the importance of the relationships which I have built-in these three memorable years. I am extremely grateful for the friends and connections which I have made at WBS as they have not only been my support system but also the reason why these three years have been so memorable. Not being able to see each other makes us realise the importance of these relationships and the pandemic forced us into a situation where we could not spend time with these connections. When emotions ran high in these situations Zoom and Microsoft Teams became our best friends from group study sessions held virtually to group meetings, we found new and convenient ways of connecting.

Looking at the brighter side of life, this pandemic has allowed us more time to focus on ourselves, sort our priorities, clear our headspace and prioritise what is important. Being a finalist I had a lot of work on my plate, balancing applications with coursework, taking necessary health precautions, handling social commitments it was definitely an experience that has taught me a lot. In these situations working from home has been a blessing as I did not have to worry about my commute, food, or getting ready every day. I could stay at my study table and complete all of the above without wasting any sort of time.

Since I was not the only one in this situation everything was forced to be online from our lectures to seminars. My.wbs has been a lifesaver as it had all the content which I was looking for from lecture slides, recordings to external readings. Thanks to which I never felt the need to be on campus to get the same enriching learning experience which I would have expected pre-pandemic. We could schedule meetings with our tutors through Microsoft Teams in case we had any doubts which definitely gave me reassurance. All information was communicated in a seamless manner on my.wbs where we got regular updates and daily emails to keep us updated with any latest development regarding our coursework, governmental guidelines, or any important university policies which eased our lives by allowing us to not look all over the place for these important announcements.

Staying away from campus did take a toll on my social life. The joy of going to the lecture together with your friends, relaxing in Rootes Learning Grid, and grabbing our daily lunch from Bread Oven are some of the things which I miss the most. These are normal routine chores as a Warwick student but these are the ones I miss the most. Playing at the Cryfield pitches post lectures and hanging out at the Piazza have their own set of memories attached to them.

Since graduation was postponed my friends and I decided to come to campus one last time in our graduation robes and celebrate the 3 best years of our lives. As we walked across campus we were faced with a tsunami of emotions. Every place we came across had some sort of memory attached to it. The room where we had a society election and we made friends with some of the best people we could wish for, the Library where we stayed up the whole night trying to finish an assignment which we procrastinated, and the WBS lecture hall where we entered as strangers in our first year but leaving that same building today with the same people who have now become family. I will miss the University of Warwick campus as it has played a huge role in making my university experience so memorable and I will cherish these memories throughout my lifetime.

Find out more about Shubh's course.