Why so many students are dreading the return to university this autumn

For Grace Cooper, a second-year student at the University of Birmingham, the prospect of going back to university in September is frightening. Grace has arthritis, is immuno-suppressed, and is vulnerable to catching the coronavirus.

Having spent the past few months completely shielding with her family, the thought of returning to her busy student house and attending lectures and seminars with strangers is terrifying. Now, Grace is considering deferring the year.

“Although deferring might be necessary,’ says Cooper, ‘it makes me frustrated. I feel like I’m being forced to put my life on pause for a year –  but I’m fearful for my safety.”

The term ‘corona-phobia’ has been used to describe the deep-seated fear of returning to normality once lock down is lifted. For university students, ‘normality’ couldn’t be more different to lock-down life. Instead of being isolated with a few loving family members, they will be rejoining student life in a city amid thousands of strangers – many of whom will be naturally inclined to socialise as often as possible.

“One of my main concerns is the prospect of house parties – or just loads of people getting together in one place,” says Cooper. “Whenever my friends and I speak about going back to university, I notice that they have different outlooks to me and that they expect me to be more relaxed about government guidelines. They’ve been talking about going to bars and pubs and I just know that doing that sort of thing can be really dangerous for me.”

Rosie Cohen, a second-year student at the University of Nottingham, says she is anxious about carrying the virus back home to her loved ones. “I’m less concerned about myself,” says Cohen, “but more so for my family. Going back to university probably means that I won’t be able to return home and see my family for a long time, which will be hard for me.”

On top of this, many students are worried about their ability to learn with new safety measures put in place.

The University of Cambridge was one of the first to outline its plans for online lectures for the next year, with plans for seminars and tutorials to be decided at a later date. The outlined plans pose challenges, not just settling back into university life but also adjusting to new ways of teaching.

Maverick Fraser, a first-year student at the University of Cambridge, points out that up until now, no lectures have ever been recorded for any of his modules. Fraser says, “I’m really apprehensive about the transition. I’m worried that the whole process of online teaching will be a unfamiliar experience that may compromise my ability to learn.”

In order to circumvent many of these issues, universities are working hard to provide safety measures and ensure that the quality of teaching remains to a high standard. At a briefing outlining universities’ plans for exiting lock down, Julia Buckingham, the Vice-Chancellor of Brunel University, said universities are planning to offer students a “blended” education, combining both online material and small face-to-face teaching.

Socially, it is expected that university students will be grouped into “bubbles” to live and study together, divided primarily by their course. This could carry forward into halls of residence allocation.

Universities are also planning to replace the annual freshers’ weeks with virtual events to enable students to meet each other and learn more about what the university has to offer.

Rafi Brooks, a student from North London, planning to join the University of Birmingham in September, said that he has considered deferring his place, amid the uncertainty of going to university at such a time. Brooks said, “The concept of a virtual freshers week makes me extremely apprehensive. I have no idea what it entails, and I don’t understand how it will give me the opportunity to interact with other students and make friends –  it just sounds lonely.”

In an email sent out to students, the University of Nottingham’s Vice-Chancellor, Shearer West, said that student areas will be closely monitored, enforcing social distancing measures that include a “one-way system” and “distance markers”. It is likely that other universities are planning to adopt a similar system.

According to counselling psychologist Dr Michelle Benson the transition back to university is bound to cause anxiety and dread for many students. “University students face the uncertainty of returning to a very different form of student life to what they have previously known,” Dr Benson says. “It’s important that those who need to can gradually ease back into their university routine at their own pace, and should seek professional help if they feel unable to cope.”

Despite widespread university efforts, it is clear students should expect a different ‘normal’ to what they’ve known. Traces of the coronavirus will not just be imprinted in the economic and social spheres, but inherent in the university experience.

But clouded by fears of isolation, health concerns and the ability to learn, students will be forced to adapt and settle into the new post-Covid lifestyle –  a prospect that will be frightening to many young people. Whether this is something they will learn to accept remains to be seen.