by Giselle Overy with Izzah
A lot of us give up our teenage years - precious time, freedoms and energy to study hard in order to get into university. In the hope it will make us better able to carry out our life's mission on this earth. But how is university life like at the moment when the physical lectures, seminars and even many campuses are under quarantine? Recently the City Bugle Team were asked to leave the outdoor Campus of Bradford University, security flagged up COVID-19 - shocking really when one considers the pub down the road was open - is this the final end of sanity? But let's move onto more pleasant matters. One of the key inspirations behind City Bugle is the humble Giselle Overy, and she is currently studying at the famed Faculty of Classics at Cambridge University. Giselle's association with us goes back many years and she is considered an honorary life member of the City Bugle. We are delighted to present her photo journal on life as a student under lock down.
"Saying goodbye to friends felt strange and sad to say the least. We all hated the uncertainty, but I did not want to think about that. I took one last look around my room (below) and gathered up most of my belongings..." Giselle Overy
By Giselle Overy
At the end of most terms, I leave Cambridge ready for a proper break, but am happy that I will come back in a month or so. I say goodbye to my friends, trusting that I will see them fairly soon, that I will hug them and socialise with them in no time. The end of last term in mid-March felt completely different, as you might imagine. I had noticed how the number of tourists at first gradually, then very quickly died down. My college (King’s) normally has a lot of tourists visiting it and it can be hard to get in and out the main entrance, but not at the end of term. Some open days, concerts and other events were already being cancelled. The university had not yet speculated about the upcoming term, but I just knew that we would not be coming back. Saying goodbye to friends felt strange and sad to say the least. We all hated the uncertainty, but I did not want to think about that. I took one last look around my room, gathered up most of my belongings – this year, I’ve been able to leave them in my room over vacations – and took out as many library books as possible. I thought I would be able to get a lot of reading done with a term of studying at home.
Therefore, it was no surprise to me when the university emailed us shortly afterwards to announce that next term would take place online. It was then that it really hit me: I wouldn’t be seeing my friends for the foreseeable future, nor go to lectures and supervisions (small group teaching) as normal. Not only that, but I would miss the Cambridge buzz, the extra curriculars (I sing and play violin in an orchestra) and the particular quirks of the final term (‘Easter term’ at Cambridge) when most students take exams, after which there are a week of celebrations known as May Week. Colleges plan their own balls or alternative events, which committees work towards throughout the preceding year. Despite all their hard work, their events would not take place. Final year students would have to sit their exams at home and would not graduate together in Cambridge. Lockdown would affect all aspects of university life.
I was very lucky when it came to exams: mine were cancelled! I had been worrying about them for a while because they would have occurred at the start of term (in late April) so I would have had less time to prepare for them. Instead, I was able to relax (and recover from what I am sure was COVID 19…) and prepare for the term ahead. This year of my course is somewhat of a misnomer in Cambridge: not only are our exams at the start of term, but we then spend the rest of it on next year’s work. In full knowledge of this, I made the most of not using my laptop before eight weeks’ worth of online classes and lectures, before Easter term started in late April.
...when I can properly experience student life again, I will never take it for granted. I will be thankful for every class where I can see my peers in person, for every walk from my college to the Classics faculty, every visit to the awe-inspiring chapel, and much more besides. I will relish studying from real books (!) and being surrounded by friends and students once again. I will walk along King’s Parade and delight in being there rather than fearing being run over by a bike, and will soak in the sights around me whilst cycling, rather than getting annoyed at people walking in the road and slowing me down.
For my course (Classics) we study Latin and Ancient Greek in small classes, so I knew I would be using Zoom for them every weekday. I normally had one or two a day and they would start at 9am or 10am. Luckily I am a morning person but many of my peers were not so happy about this! Fortunately, our lecture timetable was more flexible. All lectures were pre-recorded and uploaded online according to when they would have been given in person had we been in Cambridge. As I found out, however, this was quite dangerous! I did not follow the lecture schedule because I prioritised my other work (language class preparation and essay writing for supervisions) because I had proper deadlines for that. When I did have time for a lecture, I would constantly pause it to make a note of absolutely everything, and replay parts when necessary. Lectures usually last for 50 minutes but many of my lecturers went well over their time limit, which meant that I took even longer to listen to a lecture. As a result, I am still catching up with lectures even though Easter term strictly finished two weeks ago!
By now, I am obviously used to zoom meetings and seeing my peers’ faces lined up on a screen. My reaction to my first zoom class was so different though; it seemed so novel and was particularly strange because I had not met even met one teacher in person! Inevitably there were various technological issues throughout the term. Our internet is not that reliable, so I would often lose my connection and have to re-join my classes. On one occasion my laptop completely froze, and I had to find my phone – it was turned off and in another room – quickly download zoom onto it, and re-enter the class, by which time I had missed quite a lot of it! There were also occasions when meeting codes did not work, when other people’s audio and webcams packed up, and when the sound was delayed. On the whole however, I am grateful that there were no major interruptions for me. I found it no harder to speak in zoom classes than in real life, and I am lucky that I do not live in a different time zone and did not have to work around that. At the end of term, we were also asked for feedback on lectures and classes, as the university is very willing to learn from the online term in case there is need of another one.
I never took for granted my beautiful old room with a view of the River Cam (above), over which there was always a picturesque sunset, and the fact that I would walk out of the block (below) and immediately behold King’s College Chapel. I always love walking through the town itself – even if there are lots of tourists and students in a rush – and I delight in the buzz. Every day I would eat lunch and dinner in the dining hall with friends, and often attend formal dinners which were always exciting to get ready for and to experience. I love finding different places to study, although I normally choose the college library, but this term, I worked from my desk every and communicated with friends over messages or via zoom calls. Despite the significant changes, my overwhelming feeling is one of gratefulness.
Of course, I really missed the social side of university. Cambridge is such a vibrant place, and I normally have talks, concerts, rehearsals and the like scheduled for every day. I am so used to walking out of my room and immediately running into friends, conversing with them before and after timetabled activities, laughing with them during lectures and discussing what we have just learnt. I never took for granted my beautiful old room with a view of the River Cam, over which there was always a picturesque sunset, and the fact that I would walk out of the block and immediately behold King’s College Chapel. I always love walking through the town itself – even if there are lots of tourists and students in a rush – and I delight in the buzz. Every day I would eat lunch and dinner in the dining hall with friends, and often attend formal dinners which were always exciting to get ready for and to experience. I love finding different places to study, although I normally choose the college library, but this term, I worked from my desk every and communicated with friends over messages or via zoom calls. Despite the significant changes, my overwhelming feeling is one of gratefulness. I am so lucky to have the technology to carry on communicating with others, to still have work to provide me with a schedule during this disruptive and uncanny time, and I am grateful that so many books and other resources could be put online and we could study as normally as possible. I feel incredibly lucky to have such lovely memories of university and to look back on them with fondness.
In a few days, I will be travelling back to Cambridge collect my remaining belongings. I cannot wait to go back to the town, walk through my college and see the River Cam and the chapel again. Even so, I know that it will be so, so different without students – only a few remained in college over lockdown – and the life will be almost sucked out of the place without its community. Instead of seeing people I know at every turn, I may only see the college cat Freddie in his favourite haunt, a particular courtyard. Nonetheless, just being back in Cambridge will give me a boost. Over lockdown, I have appreciated more than ever how crucial place and environment are to studying. Being around like-minded people in a stimulating and intellectual environment really enhances your studying. Whilst that environment will not be quite the same when I return soon, I will appreciate it being back in the beautiful town.
I also know that, when I can properly experience student life again, I will never take it for granted. I will be thankful for every class where I can see my peers in person, for every walk from my college to the Classics faculty, every visit to the awe-inspiring chapel, and much more besides. I will relish studying from real books (!) and being surrounded by friends and students once again. I will walk along King’s Parade and delight in being there rather than fearing being run over by a bike, and will soak in the sights around me whilst cycling, rather than getting annoyed at people walking in the road and slowing me down. University life under lockdown has taught me much more than just academic content and I am so grateful that I was able to carry on learning and communicating with others.