So suddenly university seems "just a dream"

The pandemic robbed her of the chance to sit A levels. But she ended up with three As and is now studying journalism at the University of Brighton (Eastbourne campus).

Here is her latest contribution.

"My first term at university amidst a global pandemic was never likely to end in the most conventional manner. As the travel window for students opened three weeks before the official end of term, I travelled home from Eastbourne last weekend with ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ blasting through the car’s speakers and a boot loaded with twice the amount of clothes I had brought with me in September. It’s fair to say my parents weren’t too pleased when they saw the number of bags and suitcases waiting for them in the hallway. I imagine that for any student spending Christmas at home after their first term at university it feels like a strange time, but of course in 2020 everything is ‘strange’ times ten. What felt like coming home to a time of relaxation at the end of term has been overridden by the studying and online seminars that continue until the 18th December, alongside the feeling that you are missing out despite everyone now having travelled back to their respective homes.

"I remember waking up rather groggily to the sound of my mum getting ready for work on the day after returning (something I have not missed) and feeling an overwhelming sense of derealisation. Being in Eastbourne I began to study for a degree, lived in a new place, and met people I had no idea of in September, yet part of me struggles to realise that it really happened and was not just an incredibly vivid dream. Of course it is easy to blame everything on the coronavirus and for once I don’t believe that I can pin this lack of memory on the pandemic, but it has made me dwell on how I will remember my university experience. Everybody at least once in their life has experienced FOMO (fear of missing out) and to an extent 2020 has very much reflected this particular phenomenon, however nobody has been able to continue life in a way that would be considered ‘normal’. It is very much the same experience for students. Of course nobody had the first term they might have hoped for, but somehow it feels frustratingly unfair knowing that for the majority of other year groups this would not have been the case.

"When I look back on this year, how will I remember 2020? I already reflect on my A Level exam cancellation with a sort of optimism, managing to see the advantages and not dwelling on the times that I was worrying excessively over the number of hours I had spent revising ‘for nothing.’ University is often considered the best time of an individual’s life and I would be lying if I said I hadn’t made some amazing memories but considering what this year may have looked like had 2020 panned out very differently is a hard pill to swallow. As cliché as this may be, finding the positives in every situation can be surprisingly settling and there are many that spring to mind when I consider the last couple of months. It really has only been one term, and with eight to go until I finish my degree there is so much more that lies ahead that I cannot wait to experience"

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