9 Ways COVID Has Made Us Better Students

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The coronavirus pandemic took everyone by surprise. We stayed closed at home, unable to attend college and see teachers and groupmates. Yes, studying like that was not easy and even lonely at the beginning, but society has changed a lot during this time.

Of course, all the skills acquired will be useful to us in the future, as the popularity of online education and digital solutions will only grow. So how exactly did the pandemic make us better students?

1. We Manage Time

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Perhaps the biggest trap of distance learning is the lack of control since no one monitors when you start working on your term paper or begin exam preparation. Of course, many of us left tasks until the last minute and then received lower grades due to a missed deadline. All this taught us the main rule: time management is key, and if you don’t organize yourself properly, then who?

So, we learned how to divide one task into parts, and complete them systematically. And the more detailed our plan for a day is, the better. However, even the most responsible learners claim that the study load became so overwhelming that sometimes they hardly managed it all. To make things worse, some professors were hard to reach.

In such circumstances, it’s easy to become anxious, as lack of time and knowledge gap are students’ worst enemies. Luckily, there’s a way out. Turning to a cheap write my paper service like WritePaper, you will greatly reduce stress and tension in your life. First, you can improve your grade as authors are experienced at what they do. And second, thanks to their assistance, your paper will be delivered right on time, so you can finally stop worrying about the teachers’ negative feedback.

2. We Follow The Schedule And Set The Goals

Those who constantly postponed assignments for later and studied from time to time realized that nothing good comes out of it. So, many began writing to-do lists for what they would learn today, with specific measurable goals. For sure, nothing can compare to the satisfactory feeling of all the tasks being completed for the day and the knowledge that you can finally have some rest.

3. We Find Balance Between Study and Leisure

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On average, a person is awake for 16 hours, and, of course, there’s no need to study during all of them to improve your academic performance. Because of the pandemic, the boundaries between the study, home, and rest were erased, so it was necessary to separate the types of activity. And only finding a balance between them helps us increase productivity and be less tired, both physically and mentally.

Students began using different techniques. Some prefer to study for one hour and then have an hour of rest. For others, 50 minutes of work and 10 minutes of leisure is much better. One of the popular methods is the Pomodoro Technique, the best tool against procrastination:

  • Make a list of tasks that need to be done soon (for example, in a week).
  • Select the ones you want to complete today.
  • Arrange tasks for the day from highest to lowest priority.
  • Turn on the timer for 25 minutes. Get started!
  • When 25 minutes have passed, take a break of 5-10 minutes – it will be your first tomato.
  • Take a full break of 15-20 minutes after 4 tomatoes.

4. We Organize Our Space in a Creative Way

Imagine a day in quarantine—the same room, the same walls, doesn’t it seem annoying to you? No doubt, lots of students lost all their enthusiasm due to the inability to change the work environment. However, sadness disappeared with the change of location.

As soon as learners started listening to the lectures in the kitchen with a cup of aromatic coffee, or in the garden, next to beautiful trees, they immediately rebooted. This shows how much the brain needs something new, especially when it comes to the atmosphere around.

5. We Are Less Distracted

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Can one focus on a class when there are hundreds of notifications from various apps or messages from friends? Willing to update the news feed quickly, we found ourselves stuck on social media for much longer than we planned. Therefore, many started limiting the time spent online, turning to applications for blocking social platforms, or simply leaving the phone in another room.

6. We Workout At Home

Sitting at the computer all day long, it’s hard to resist a desire to warm up. Even though the gyms were closed, many students turned their rooms into space for various activities. Yoga, dancing, fitness—even 20 minutes of sports a day will not only improve your mood but also increase your efficiency.

7. We Are Better At Online Communication

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Unfortunately, many of us felt depressed and lonely during self-isolation. Communication in Zoom or Skype was the best solution to stop these feelings. We talked with friends and classmates, discussed educational projects, prepared presentations together, and supported each other. Interactions are extremely important.

And seeing the eyes of the interlocutors helped us feel grounded and understood. And although distance learning has divided us physically, technologies allow us to stay in contact with each other, whatever’s going on.

8. We Make Notes

You can study online from practically anywhere: a cottage house, countryside, visiting grandmother’s house, or the terrace of your own home.

The main thing we can’t forget about is to write down everything that’s said or shown in a lecture. Many students claim that they remember the material way better when they make handwritten notes—but that’s not all. We’ve also learned to:

  • Use the suggested sources and literature (teachers always mentioned them);
  • Use sticky notes and leave them in places we often spend time at;
  • Structure information using mind maps.

9. We Discuss

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At first, it was quite difficult for many to speak during online lectures. Some of us were shy, some—embarrassed, while others weren’t simply involved in the process. But those questions helped lecturers pay attention to the topics that are particularly hard to comprehend. No doubt, now we feel more comfortable when speaking in front of an online audience. And from the lecturers’ perspective, effective feedback has become the key to successful e-learning.

To Sum It Up

During self-isolation, we have become more flexible and it’s a fact: adapting to new conditions is a skill that will be valuable at any time. Finding balance and constantly motivating ourselves, looking for a new approach to familiar tasks, planning our time, and organizing space—all this allows us to be effective students.

And of course, we can’t forget to add a cup of coffee with a friend to our schedule—such a meeting at Zoom will surely set a good tone for a few days ahead.