Everyone realizes college is more than just a degree
As someone who started my undergraduate in 2018 and will be graduating with my master’s degree this summer, I am part of a unique cohort of students who have lived university life before, during and after the Covid pandemic. The pandemic has of course changed all of our lives in infinite ways. It has been interesting to see, in this first uninterrupted year since the start of the pandemic, the mark that the pandemic has left on uniculture.
There have been several notable changes, some insignificant – baguette bags have permanently replaced fanny packs as the bag of choice for clubbing and hardly anyone uses Facebook anymore – and some more significant.
Here are all the ways uni culture has changed after Covid:
Being a third year is no longer an excuse not to go out
When I was fresher, on the rare occasions I encountered a third year, it would usually be in a club bathroom, and usually follow up with them telling me to make the most of my freedom and lamenting the days where they could come out halfway. -week like me. This year, seniors seem just as keen for a night out as freshmen, and more willing to hang out midweek, no doubt aware of the year we’ve lost and aware that our freedoms might be at our disposal. again withdrawn at any time. moment.
Pubs and house parties have become the new clubs
Before the pandemic, house parties sometimes felt a little underwhelming when you didn’t go anywhere afterward. But when the restrictions started to ease, we realized pretty quickly that it wasn’t the tacky clubs and VKs we wanted to rush to, but be back in a group of people we hadn’t seen for ages. Also, the lockdown ‘parties’ we were forced to have, in our living room playing Just Dance with a Lidl disco light, made us realize that it’s really the people and not the place, and made us recalled the unique chaos of house parties. .
Going out to pubs and house parties seem to have become much more popular after the pandemic. The summer of 2021 has made us all appreciate the vibe of a sunny trip to a pub, and being able to go out and hear your friends and have a good catch-up without having to resort to incomprehensible phone notes.
When you go clubbing, it’s a cultural reset in itself. Cargos and baguette bag are the new jeans and fanny pack, the playlist makes you feel like you’re living in a TikTok and if you’re really lucky there’ll be a cooler trying to start a mosh pit.
Everyone realizes college is more than just a degree
I vividly remember the summer of 2021 when the easing of lockdown restrictions coincided with a blistering heat wave, but also the start of exam season. But even though everyone was bogged down with deadlines, in some cases their final assessments, there was a fight to get a table at the pub and the parks were full every day.
People were ready to take the review afternoon or maybe spend a little less time on the diss because we could finally see people again and spend some time doing the things we haven’t done since so long, and it’s a mentality that seems to have stuck around.
Freshers’ has become more varied
Before the pandemic, social life as a freshman was usually organized around the same student parties. It was more sophomore year when we started trying new places like restaurants and varying the evenings to include more cold drinks with smaller groups.
Obviously, because freshmen during the pandemic didn’t have the option of going to clubs, they explored a lot more places. They got to know each other through different activities like going out to eat or relaxing in the park. As a result, the drinking culture seems to have become a little less central to Freshers. This seems like a healthy and hopefully lasting change, as it encourages people to make friends who aren’t just clubbing centric and could also make it easier for people who don’t like to drink as much.
There has been more chance to explore our college towns
Another positive outcome of the pandemic has been encouraging people to get out and explore their college towns more. Even though I had already been living here for two years by the time the pandemic hit, I definitely discovered places I otherwise wouldn’t have.
Before the pandemic the commute to college would be something we complained about but when the peak of lockdown hit and we lived for our daily walk like dogs and no in person college meant being locked down most time, it has become a fun activity to find new walking routes and venture into different areas to avoid it becoming monotonous. More and more people are also trying cafes as an alternative to working from home and opting to walk more places due to the fact that public transport is banned for a while.
The teacher/student dynamic has changed
Another thing that has definitely changed is the student/teacher dynamic. Watching your lecturers chat with their kids as they appeared in the background of webinars and parse their questionable taste in wallpaper felt like a weird boundary breaking I hadn’t anticipated. But the way Teams now allows us to discuss topics we struggle with face-to-face rather than through a confusing train of email has been very convenient.
Societies are more popular than ever
Since Covid there seems to be an increase in people wanting to join societies and be actively involved. Lockdown has made people aware of things they haven’t tried when they had the chance, and they now want to make the most of all the activities available at college that aren’t as easily accessible. in real life. Societies also gave those who were in their first year during Covid the chance to meet new people after a year of potentially only being able to mingle with roommates.
Student houses became houses
Anyone who has lived in a shared house during Covid knows it was not without its strains. Five and more people, all with different feelings about the pandemic, trying to compromise on issues like having partners stay and bringing trains home during high infection rates, this which resulted in several hours of awkward meals and a fair amount of beef in the group discussion. But in the long run, I think it encouraged people to become more open and aware of other people’s limits.
When household mixing was prohibited, there were months when your roommates were pretty much the only people you saw. With travel being discouraged and people not being able to see their family/partners, being there for your roommates has become very important.
Being cooped up in our student houses, and even now with less happening in person, means people have also made more of an effort to make their student houses feel like home. It’s been an excuse for us to take decorating a step further, maybe bring the Wii family to college or invest in a fire pit for garden parties.
