Written by Michael Palomba
The transition to virtual school has been difficult for many. As someone who has personally had to transition to virtual school, I’d like to share my experience.
San Diego State officially moved all classes online as of March 13, and for me, it’s been great. I’m a third year business major with a minor in political science. I also have senior standing and will be graduating in the fall.
The transition was very smooth. My professors have been very proactive in notifying us of changes and have been extremely accommodating of everyone’s different situations.
In addition, online school has drastically freed up my schedule and made finding a job much easier. I was able to find employment, despite the massive number of unemployed people at the moment, and my flexibility is one of the reasons I was hired. If my employer had to accommodate my school schedule, I don’t believe I would’ve gotten the job.
So for me, online school has been a major plus and I wouldn’t mind if it stayed like this for the remainder of my college career. Not everyone has had that experience, however.
My roommate is a first year chemistry major and the transition to online learning has not been a pleasant one for him. He is a very good student, but the lack of physical instruction and office hours has made school a lot more difficult for him. This seems to be the case for many STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) majors. These fields are generally a lot more complex, which warrants the need for hands-on, in-person learning.
Luckily for STEM majors, the coronavirus will not last forever. It may be a rough semester for some, but all will return to normal in time. For the time being, everyone will have to settle for online learning.
I would hope that professors of all majors practice a policy of accommodation and give the benefit of the doubt to students. This was an abrupt and difficult change that no one saw coming, and the transition has certainly been smoother for some than others.
