Alumni of AISG: Learning in Different Ways

The Class of 2020 of AISG graduated in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and many have left or stayed in Guangzhou to start their first year of college. Let us see how students in different situations are dealing with the unideal situation.

Sam J. graduated as the Class of 2020 this year and is currently studying at New York University in Shanghai due to the pandemic hindering him from going to the main campus. He will be majoring in political science and pursues a dream of becoming a lawyer. 

Although the pandemic has directly and negatively impacted his last year at AISG, his freshman year in college does not seem to be affected as much. “The pandemic has honestly mostly fizzled into something of a mild inconvenience and the effect is long gone here in Shanghai,” claimed Sam J. He decided to move to Shanghai to take on-campus lectures in-person instead of taking virtual lessons like many of his peers because the privileges are obvious: you can learn and establish more meaningful relationships with your professors and fellow peers.

However, Sam J. does feel melancholy leaving all his friends and family behind in Guangzhou, although he usually is a person “who doesn’t dwell too much on the past.” 

Unlike Sam J. who is currently taking his lectures at an actual school campus and environment, Arete S. is taking virtual lessons in the University of Michigan. She is undecided with her major but is involved in the school of Arts, Language, and Sciences. 

She describes her current experience as “fine at the moment, but definitely could have been better if the learning experience was on-campus. The synchronous lectures are a challenge to keep up with as it twists my sleeping schedule,” exclaimed Arete S. She also misses all the real-life interactions that she has been missing. Due to all of the disadvantages, Arete S. has made up her mind to fly to Michigan next semester, if the pandemic progresses. 

With the ongoing pandemic, freshmen are placed all over the world, whether they are taking lessons virtually or on-campus. Let us all wish our alumni to flourish their first year in university, though situations are not ideal.