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Hi, I am currently a student at UTRGV. I have been blessed that my family has not gotten COVID since we are always following the safety protocols and avoiding public gatherings. Despite this going on, we know that bills still need to be paid. Since I prioritize my education, I decided that a part time job would be suitable for me while taking my 6 classes online. My other family members are also began working so that there wouldn't be too much responibility on one member. I have been blessed that I have not been unemployed and currently my family is working together through this pandemic. 

Hello Maria, I am a student at UTRGV and I have not gotten COVID either, thank God. Unfortunately my family has gotten COVID but since I do not live with them I didn't contract it. I lost someone very dear and close to me in October, he already had a fatal illness so COVID advanced it. His passing was really hard because the 2 years I had with my person turned into days. The blues hit hard, I avoided and didn't even bother with school. Luckily, I had professors that understood my loss and allowed me to make up a whole months of work. I was drained metally and emotionally last semester so balancing school was rough and I had so many thoughts of dropping out right then and there. In the end, I pushed through because I know that the person I lost wouldn't have wanted me to quit. I lost alot but I learned how to overcome it, so this semester I'm coming back as an even better student just for my person to be proud of me. 

Hello Maria, that is good that you have not gotten sick of Covid which I am also blessed to say that I have not as well. I am currently a student at UTRGV and it has not been easy balancing the pandemic and school. Especially since I was always opposed to online learning and preferred traditional learning by being in the classroom physically, it has been something I had to adapt to of course like everyone else. Like you, I cannot imagine how students that have been sick with Covid had to balance school and their illness. I just stick to a routine and keep up with deadlines to be able to get through the semester successfully. I also have children that are distance learning that need my help as well so a routine has been very helpful but I still find myself stressed. As long as we all keep pushing through and keep a positive mind we will all get through this. I hope that you continue to stay safe and that you are able find something that can help you balance the pandemic and school. 

Hello Maria! I am currently a student at UTRGV, and never in my life would have imagined that we would be living through a pandemic. I thank God that my family and I haven't gotten this horrible virus and that we are healthy. However, learning through this pandemic hasn't been easy, I live with seven people and four of them have online courses, which always makes it hard to have a quiet space to be in. The internet is always slow too because so many of us are on it at once. The first months of online learning were the toughest because I was so used to going to school and working, and those were the only reasons why I would get out of my house and interact with people. I had fallen into depression and it felt like I was reliving the same day over and over again. Now that months have passed, I have balanced school and this pandemic better. I decided to buy a planner, research more about covid-19, read on how I could stay safe, workout and made hobbies that could keep me busy. I wish you well and stay safe!

Hi Maria! I am currently a student at UTRGV and I myself have gotten Covid, but thankfully I didn’t get it bad. I got it before the semester started so I wasn’t worried about balancing the virus whilst having Covid. I don’t know how I would’ve done it since it is very exhausting and draining, I would sleep all day and wasn’t able to think about anything else. I also have two little brothers that I have to help out since they are also distance learning and are not yet familiar on how to work everything. But they are now getting the hang of it just as well as I am because it is something we have to adjust to since we are so used to being in the classroom physically. I didn't like the whole distance learning at first, I didn't have any sort of motivation since I wasn't leaving my house and literally going to class in my room. I wouldn't leave my room! But once I got the hang of it and wasn't stressed anymore I started making time for myself to do things I enjoyed rather than just work and that helped me a lot. Now we just have to stay positive and get through this pandemic, stay safe!

Hello there!

I am also a student and I am actually in my senior year at Wright State University. It's kind of crazy because although it is my final year, I haven't actually been on the campus for classes. I have spent almost my entire college career learning online virtually. This has been a unique and sometimes difficult experience for me. It's a lot harder to concentrate when staring at a computer screen for hours during the day, especially when sitting in your own home. There are always lots of things going on around you which can be distracting. Sometimes you have bad connection and miss class content. It's also difficult to communicate effectively with teachers and other classmates when we can only rely on email. We are now in person for the last year, and although we can be in the classroom, we still have to wear masks which may make it more difficult to comprehend the professors.

Hi Maria, I'm a UTRGV student and have experienced exactly what you are feeling it is extremely scary to think about going back to traditional learning. I struggled a lot balancing my work and online classes I felt very alone and distanced from every possible resource. Teachers were giving out work but I felt like I was just doing the bare minimum to pass without really learning anything. Something I did to keep my mind focused and keep myself active was to start cycling this really helped me get out of the house without having any physical contact and possibly getting sick. I hope you have a fantastic semester stay safe!