I Survived First Year in a Pandemic: Medical Sciences at Western University— How COVID-19 Affected Campus Life
In this article, I detail my experiences living on campus during a pandemic. Learn about how the pandemic influenced social life, extracurriculars, and residence living. To read about What to Expect in your Five Online Courses and Strategies for Academic Success, click here.
Are you debating whether you should live in residences? Unsure of the safety and risks involved? Wondering if you’ll get to explore campus or meet friends?
First, let’s talk about residence living. To ensure social distance, Western included upper-year residences as options for first years to live in. I lived in London Hall — a suite style residence previously reserved for upper years. With bathrooms and a kitchen included in the suite, residents typically live the most private lifestyles. You may be least likely to encounter large group gatherings. However, I must say that suite-style residences are typically harder to connect with others living around you. I barely knew anyone living on my floor and majority of my new friends lived in other buildings — a stark contrast to traditional and hybrid style residences who become friends with their entire floor. For me, being on residence was immensely beneficial for my studying. I enjoyed the privacy and quiet time I had during studying/sleeping, but I do wish my floor had been a bit more social.
I’m sure you’ve heard of residence Covid-19 outbreaks. Unfortunately, there were quite a few over my year. Even the quieter residences (like mine) had outbreaks. So, while I enjoyed my time on campus and do not regret my experiences, be mindful of the risks at hand. Follow protocols, pay attention to the covid exposure app, and get covid tested if necessary (especially if you are going to visit home). I did roughly 7 tests this year — thankfully all were negative!
As frosh, you will likely participate in O-Week. O-Week was a mix of in-person and online events. This included hypnotist shows, volleyball, laser tag, online karaoke, and more. A few campus eateries were open at that time, but as cases rose in Ontario, campus shortly became more closed off. However, libraries and classroom buildings remained open for most of the school year. I found that by changing up my study environment from time to time, I was able to explore campus buildings, get some exercise in, and be able to meet up with study friends outside.
How else can you make the most of your first-year experience? If you are leaning towards staying home because classes are online, do not fear. Quite a few of my friends and study buddies are ones I made online! Join your class Facebook/Instagram pages to look for frosh group chats. Be active in your group chats — you’ll be surprised by how many amazing people will interact with you. I got through the toughest parts of the courses by sharing resources, getting advice, and laughing at the numerous group chats I was in. Join every synchronous tutorial you have, as you’ll slowly get more comfortable and be able to joke around with your peers and TA’s. Actively seek out those friendships! It may be harder to do online, but friendships will always require work and your own initiative.
In terms of extra-curriculars and clubs, I highly encourage you to get involved no matter if they are online or in person. Join causes that you are passionate about, or activities that you love to do. I recommend applying for an executive position so that you can get the most interaction as possible (given that it is online). In the clubs that I was a general member, I barely had any interaction with the rest of the team. One of my favourite experiences this year was being on the Science Student’s Council’s Events Committee. The entire team had great chemistry — I made a few new friends and looked forward to our meetings each time. I think my experience on SSC was one of the most impactful times of my first-year experience. You can check out a list of extra-curricular activities available at Western here: https://westernu.campuslabs.ca/engage/organizations
Wrap up
Well, that wraps up my experiences on campus during the pandemic! I thoroughly enjoyed my time and would recommend to anyone looking into residence to really consider the possible new experiences they may acquire. Be sure to evaluate your own financial, physical, and academic situation to make the decision on what is most worth it for you.
Thanks for reading “I Survived First Year in a Pandemic: Medical Sciences at Western University”. To read other instalments of this series, click here.
