Study abroad during the pandemic

For a lot of students, their adolescent dream is to study abroad. The experience of being independent in a new environment is something most teenagers see as a welcome adventure. And like every year a lot of students were in the midst of their higher education endeavours overseas, only this time 2020 came with a global pandemic. The emergence of Covid-19 has reshaped everything and it has had a big impact on those studying abroad.

The transition from normalcy to pandemic induced isolation has been unpleasant for a lot of students. Abdullah Al Rafi, a junior in Ryerson University majoring in Accounting and Finance, shares this sentiment. "It's been rough honestly. The transition to online school was difficult in and of itself. And topping it off with a hoard of cancelled plans and events did not make it any better. Not being able to see friends despite living in the same city is also kind of depressing," he shared. A lot of students like him have remained in their dorms in 2020. For them, being away from family is usually hard; and isolation without any close one nearby takes a huge toll on mental health. Rafi also added that he had plans of attending a lot of networking events, boot camps etc. most of which were cancelled or moved online, which essentially diluted the point of these events. "I also lost the part-time work here because the business I worked for has shut down," he added on his frustrations over the situation.

Rafi represents the situation of hundreds other Bangladeshi students studying abroad. However, he is optimistic about a better tomorrow.

Some students came home when their classes went online. Understandably the pandemic has been a lot smoother for them in comparison to people cooped up in their dorms alone. Research Assistant and Undergraduate Student at Mcgill University, Syed Shabbir Ahmed returned to Bangladesh in August. "Classes are online but in Canadian time. So if I have any till 12:30 at night here, I attend those. The classes that are scheduled later into the night, I download those for later," he shared his situation. Augmenting that, he mentioned that live classes are still understandable but it becomes tricky when viewing a downloaded lecture as there is no interaction with professors. Since professors are not writing what they are saying during an online class, it also becomes hard for them to express their ideas, especially because conveying engineering concepts without illustrations is a challenge. "Professors are improving over time. Very slowly though," he further added. However, real struggle comes during the exams, according to Shabbir. Since exams are now online and open book, things have become different and harder as well. Very small time given to submit the tests compared to scanning that takes a lot of time. This becomes even more difficult if internet connection is not stable or someone faces attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a minor mental disorder that causes trouble in focusing or concentrating on something for a prolonged period. But, for Shabbir being with his family during these trying times is a much bigger gain in comparison to the slight inconveniences caused by online classes and exams.

Akif Sadman on the other hand-- a student of Western Sydney University-- is a huge fan of attending university online. Like Shabbir, he also returned to Bangladesh and has continued to attend classes from the comfort of his home. He said, " I find online classes a joy. If I zone out during any part of the lecture, I can re-watch it from the class recording. I also find presenting online without having to fully suit up as a big plus point." However, despite its upsides, Akif does not deny the hurdles online classes bring as well. "Getting group projects done is a bit of a pain. Since everyone is not online at the same time, especially because now most students are scattered across different time zones, getting everyone together is a challenge. Organising and dividing work is even more difficult," he shares. From his experience, reaching out to teachers is not difficult as they are just as cooperative as they were during physical classes. The discussion problems arising from a group Zoom conversation are also absent when talking one on one with a teacher. Still Akif would prefer to go back to the physical classes despite being happy with the online classes. "Classes and presentations may be convenient but I would like to graduate under normal circumstances and spend my last semester fully immersed in my university's experience," he sighed about his wish to spend the last days of campus life with friends.

Foreign education is different for everyone even in normal circumstances due to the sheer amount of variables. The experience takes on an even wider spectrum during a pandemic. But it has undeniably been the most difficult for students who were forced to stay away from their family during this difficult time. For the lucky few being able to come home, the experience has been similar to university students enrolled within Bangladeshi borders, with the exception of having classes at unusual times.

The writer is a third-year student of BBA programme at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka. He can be reached at [email protected]