Kelly Holsinger is a senior majoring in entomology in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. This student view is repurposed content, and was originally featured on the Department of Entomology website.
While spending very little time indoors during my childhood helped inspire my interest in entomology, during the pandemic, remote classes were ideal for me. I was feeling very burnt out from school and while MSU being a “big school” is nice sometimes, having an hour-plus commute due to traffic on and around campus took so much time and energy. I felt like I could bring so much more to discussions when I had the extra time back and was able to have regular meals and take a break between classes, even if it were only 15-20 minutes. That time would have normally been used on a very rushed and stressful run across campus.
I also had the opportunity to attend clubs for the first time in my college experience because of remote schooling! I never had a car on campus and the buses were unreliable after 6 p.m., not to mention I still had to make food, clean the apartment and do homework. Attending a club after dinner was not an option for me. Because clubs were over Zoom calls, I was able to try out a bunch of clubs and meet new people. I always regretted being unable to attend clubs, and I'm glad I had at least one year to try that part of campus life.
Remote classes also helped me learn more effectively than in-person classes. I struggle with focusing and sitting still in lectures and, with online classes, I was able to stand up and move around or oblige tics like tapping my foot or my desk without disrupting the class in any way. The class I did best in was the lecture I was able to listen to on the treadmill. I also have trouble speaking up to ask questions, which was much easier with Zoom's chat options. Zoom also generated closed captioning, which I very much appreciated.
I hope MSU will continue to advocate for online options even post-COVID-19 to help students like me who are more comfortable in a virtual space than in the classroom, and have these accessibility options to make lectures less intimidating to students with different learning needs.