Illustration by Cassandra Stewart
by R.J. HUNT
Editor
Let me take you back to March 2020. So much was going on around this time. It was my senior year of high school and I was preparing for prom, graduation, and my 18th birthday which happened to be March 6. During my birthday, many of my family and friends gathered together to have dinner with me. To us, this night became known as “the last night out.”
Less than a week after that birthday, my life and the entire world started changing. Schools and businesses were to be closed until further notice, which numerous people would deem as “lockdown.” Governments required citizens to stay home as the COVID-19 pandemic was starting to shake the world to its core.
I didn’t think in the middle of my final semester of high school, the day March 11, would be my last time in a classroom for almost two years. My first full year at WCC, I didn’t have any in-person classes. Then the fall 2021 semester came. Out of my four classes, one was in person. From one class went to all five classes for the winter 2022 semester. After nearly two years away, I’m finally back in the classroom full time.
I remember when things went to online/virtual format. It took a toll on me. It was hard adjusting from in-person to an online format. That was the case for many because this world of a virus hanging over our heads was new to us. What shocked me the most is how I had to adjust back to an in-person format. I mean I have been doing this majority of my life, how hard could it be? Of course it’s hard because I haven’t done this in a while. I know everyone has their preference as far as which method they prefer: virtual or in-person, but as someone who has now done both in college, I’m here to tell you each has its pros and cons.
Benefits of virtual/online
For starters, when people ask me what’s the best part about taking classes from the comfort of your home, my response is immediately, “Saving money on gas!” I could go a month without filling up my gas tank, but when I’m in-person, I’m filling up every week or two.
To be honest, I got used to my virtual school morning routine. I get up five minutes before class, brush my teeth, wash my face, set up my laptop, done. Now, I just listen to the lecture in the comfort of my pajamas. In-person, that’s the total opposite. I have to get up an hour before I leave, so I have time to get dressed and have a nice breakfast. On top of that, I leave 30 minutes before class starts to avoid any traffic. As a college student, those extra few minutes of sleep are needed.
For the online classes, there aren’t any Zoom sessions. You get your assignments and then you have a due date to have them done by. Obviously, your assignments need to be completed by that due date, but it’s helpful when you can go at your own pace. You don’t feel rushed by your peers because you don’t even know what pace they’re going at.
Benefits of in-person
Were you ever in a Zoom session where the instructor stepped away because their dog was barking non-stop? How about a classmate who has a lot of background noises and doesn’t know how to turn their microphone off? These distractions can be annoying, but for the most part they are not a factor during in-person classes. Usually you are more focused because you’re kind of forced to be, well at least act like it. It’s not like you can pull out your phone and watch TikToks while your instructor is giving an in-person lecture.
It’s hard to make friends, or if nothing else, gain a person to contact if you missed something in one of your online/virtual classes. In-person classes give you this ability. Even if it’s not on the level of exchanging numbers, you are still more comfortable asking the person sitting next to you a question or two about the lesson. I would miss things in my virtual classes and would just have to accept it because I felt weird sending a chat to someone I never met. I mean let’s be real, I’ve only seen their face on a square or their name in a gray box to this point.
Continuing off my last point, it’s so easy to ask for help when the instructor is standing right in your face. You don’t have to go through the trouble of typing an email and waiting on a response. All you have to do is raise your hand and there your instructor is to assist you. That’s the part I love most about in-person classes. Your instructor gets a chance to know you and learn what works best for you compared to online with an instructor who has never seen your face and you will never see theirs.
The verdict
All in all, adjusting back to the life of in-person classes hasn’t been so bad after all. Even though I like being in class in my pajamas and saving money on gas, I truthfully enjoy in-person classes more. At the end of the day, school is all about your education and I seem to have the most benefits being in a physical classroom. I will say this though, I only feel this way when things are safe. Now if the virus was to take another turn for the worse, then I would welcome virtual/online classes with open arms. Education is important, but my health is more important. In order to get an education, I have to be healthy enough to receive it. To all of you reading this, stay safe out there.
