Regarded as one of the most tragic medical catastrophes of the 21st century, the spread of the coronavirus disease, commonly referred to as corona and COVID-19, has evidently had a vast impact on many aspects of society. From smaller, less impactful topics such as cleanliness and daily routines to larger, much more influential subjects such as politics and human evolution, COVID-19 was a disease that affected every facet of the world, including a prominent and highly significant matter, education.
It is already quite apparent that corona has had a broad effect on education by closing down schools and forcing both students and teachers to accustom themselves to virtual learning. However, many do not notice the true extent to which COVID-19 has impacted education, which can be seen through the global decrease in student participation. When corona cases were at their highest in 2020, students all around the world were faced with an issue to which the solution would depict their future: their education. As educational institutions shut down globally, scholars lost the tight grasp of their education that they previously had. Now that they weren’t learning anything, recollecting past material and curriculum was extremely challenging, as they had lost interest in education after realizing that the rest of their lives could be altered deeply. Once schools had finally begun to teach again through the model of virtual learning, the only sense of learning that students had was through digital screens. As students and teachers alike navigated the challenges of technological issues, learning and absorbing content seemed like a difficult, far-off goal that slowly made its way into the realm of impossibility.
Not only were students battling discouragement from themselves, but they were struggling with discouragement from their loved ones, too. Parents and trusted relatives demoralized students by drilling the idea into their minds that current students would be unsuccessful in the future due to their lack of proper education, emphasizing that students learned nothing from online classes and simply used artificial intelligence to submit assignments and pass exams. This resulted in the widespread belief that regardless of how much effort students put in to excel academically, they would never be able to do so. Thus, scholars all around the world began prioritizing their education less and less, the driving factor being their belief that caring about their education would get them nowhere and instead would lead to their downfall further down the path of life.
As students apply to universities and notice the COVID-19 Additional Notes Section on college applications, they are reminded of what they endured during corona and the adversities they overcame. From adapting to virtual learning and bearing discouragement from close friends and family, today’s scholars truly underwent a variety of challenges that strengthened their identity. Although it may seem that these challenges were trivial things, overcoming these difficult obstacles has helped to make today’s generation persevering and determined, two skills that will be of great aid throughout their futures.
Written by: Srinika Kanneganti
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