Students and lecturers talk about the social slump post-pandemic

This March semester saw campus life for most varsities nationwide quickly springing back into action. With the percentage of face-to-face tutorials and practical classes increasing, more students are stepping foot on campus again to attend them. Their return is a sight to behold after the Covid-19 pandemic unexpectedly brought the entire education sector online. The initial two-weeks of classes on Zoom ended up becoming the new norm, even until today.

While this sense of normality is much welcomed, the effects from two years of remote learning still looms around and weighs heavy for some students.

‘Socially Overwhelmed, but Glad To Be Back’

Digital Media Production student Shamiella Baziella has been looking forward to in-person classes, but the only downside is that she will be a semester behind all her peers from the same batch. The Sarawak-born 23-year-old was forced to drop a pre-requisite module in the fourth semester because she couldn’t fly back to Kuala Lumpur at last minute's notice.

Shamiella speaking her post-pandemic university life in an interview.

Back to pick up the module she dropped, Shamiella had to brace its physical classes without her batchmates or knowing anyone: “I had to start all over again, so it has taken quite some time for me to establish a connection with people who already have their own group of friends.”

Being tucked away in an isolated cocoon for almost two years can have its detrimental effects. Shamiella shared that socialising this March semester has been mentally draining for her.

“After doing online learning for two years, I somehow became an introvert even though I have always been an extrovert, so when this time around I’m meeting new people, it has been very socially overwhelming for me,” the 23-year-old explained.

Despite the feelings Shamiella is currently going through and how the pandemic had caused her to delay her education, she would much rather have in-person classes than attend them online.

“At times during those two years of online classes, I wake up feeling sluggish because I’m sitting in front of my laptop almost the whole day…and I was struggling to juggle the different modules which caused me to jumble up my quizzes and assignments,” she said.

‘Students Are Still In That Sleepy Snooze Mode’

Raja Imran Raja Azhar also agrees that it is the returning students who are the ones struggling post-pandemic after spending a significant portion of their university or college life online. The senior lecturer who teaches Diploma in Interior Design (DID) at Taylor’s College has noticed that his students are having a hard time adjusting to life on campus. Some have yet to regain that muscle for being a student.

Raja Imran Raja Azhar guiding his DID students in one of their practical classes.

“They aren’t energetic about the fact that they are going back to physical learning even though everything has been prepared for them already.

“It is just that they are somehow still in a ‘sleep mode’, so I really hope that they can wake up from that and pick up the pace from there,” he expressed, adding that 30 per cent of his students have chosen to remain online since hybrid learning is available.

‘Socialising Isn’t As It Was’

Fortunately, the socialising slump that Shamiella and many other students might be going through is justified. Research with isolated populations such as soldiers, astronauts, and prisoners tells us that social skills can deteriorate, just like muscles that are not used. Clinical psychologist Sam Jeng Mun who is also a senior lecturer from the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Taylor’s University explained that it is most likely tiring because they have learn to make an effort again after not socialising for some time.

Sam Jeng Mun (Left) and inkSlingers journalist Lynelle Tham (right) speaking in an online interview.

“They also might have realised that socialising isn’t like what it was before, and maybe those people whom they are socialising with are also facing the same problems,” she further said.

In the mean time, students should take it easy on themselves as they try to catch up on social activities and readjust to campus life. Socialising, she said, must be done out of willingness.

“What they need to know is that they should not force themselves, but instead, take the time to do and practice some deep breathing to feel relaxed…If they were socialising well previously before the pandemic, then just remember it’s just a matter of time that it will go back to the way it was,” Sam advised.