Students share expectations and hopes for Spring semester

By Gracyn Shulista (gshulist@jccc.edu). Shulista is the editor-In-chief for The Campus Ledger. This is her fourth semester at the college. She enjoys covering different students and clubs on campus. She spends most of her time taking care of her dogs and reading about politics.

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If you are struggling with classes or just need some extra guidance you can visit the Student Success Center online or in person. Photo by Sidney Henkensiefken.
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Welcome to your first day of the Spring semester. Students are beginning to find some steady ground with online courses and professors are more adapted to online teaching this semester. For students like Isabella Duckworth, learning online was shocking, but she is learning how to adapt to being home and learning on her own.  

“The pandemic has completely changed how I do school,” Duckworth said. “When I was in person, I was more social and participated more, but now I’m reserved and keep to myself. I find that this pandemic has made school seem harder because it feels like I’m on my own.” 

Many students have high hopes for the Spring semester despite courses being online. Aaron Winter knows it’s important to make connections with other students and professors even though it is hard with online courses.  

“My hopes for the spring are to have more human connections through classes, having an okay workload, and to do well in my courses, Winter said. “My expectations are to have engaging teachers and classmates.” 

The Fall semester brought its own struggles from having professors and students teaching and learning online when they never have before.  

“My Fall semester was a little bit rough due to everything being online and some of the teachers not being able to fully teach online,” Austen Kelley said. “At first the pandemic didn’t really change anything but the few classes that I was in where the teachers weren’t really putting in that much effort, so it made me not want to put in that much effort and I think that is where I was falling behind.” 

But all students have learned from the fall and are bringing new mindsets, hopes and advice to the spring. Winter provided some great advice for new students at the college and even students who have taken courses at the college before.  

“Advice I would give to those starting their time at JCCC is to try to maintain a positive outlook on life while going through courses,” Winter said. “Try to involve yourself more at JCCC through clubs and organizations but know your limits. JCCC has very rich experiences for student involvement, and you should take advantage of that.” 

Most importantly, remember to relax and try to separate home and school the best you can. It is important to take care of yourself during this time.  

“Dredging through courses, looking at a computer screen for hours every day can be mentally exhausting, Winter said. “Take time to relax and change things up every day. If you can, take courses in a separate room other than your bedroom, go outside, or even go to a coffee shop. Change of setting can be refreshing. Also don’t forget to take care of yourself. Workout when you can, budget your time to allow for breaks, and try to get a decent amount of sleep. As you go through JCCC, just know that it will get better.” 

 By Gracyn Shulista

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