Day 121: First Semester in University Turned Online

Day 121: July 25, 2020
Global Cases: 16, 189, 203; Deaths: 647, 574
Egypt Cases: 91, 583; Deaths: 4, 558

Mai Hany
Freshman

As we approach the fall semester, I can’t help but reflect on my feelings about last spring – my first semester at AUC.

I was flying over the moon when I heard the news that I had been accepted in a Liberal Arts Scholarship at AUC and received my acceptance letter. That was because I didn’t expect that one day I would study in one of the most prestigious universities in Egypt.

Undoubtedly, this feeling of happiness and excitement was mixed with fear and confusion. However, I  couldn’t wait to go to university for many reasons.

Believe it or not, I love to learn, and now that I am in college, I will be able to spend most of my time learning about topics that genuinely interest me. So, every class I signed up for sounded incredible, and I couldn’t wait to learn as much as possible.         

Additionally, I had heard so much about all of the fantastic activities and clubs that AUC offers, so I was eager to become a part of it. As a result, I considered it a new and exciting stage in my life. But getting used to a unique learning environment was often challenging; at the beginning, I found it difficult to adjust.

So, I still remembered that when I woke up to get prepared for the first day of my first semester at AUC, there was uncertainty: “Where are my classes?”, “Will I make friends?”  “What will my professors be like?” and “How will my first day be like?”.

I was thinking about more and more questions and trying to find answers to them. But in real-time, my first day had been a fantastic experience for me.     

The biggest obstacle that I often encountered while I was at university was making new friends. Leaving high school and starting university life was not an easy mission for me because I used to meet my school friends five days a week and talk with them during break time. So, supposing that I am not going to meet them every day always made me uncomfortable.

I felt that I was in dire need of my school friends to share what was happening with me throughout the day. But, I started to participate in many extra-curricular activities to overcome my fear and make new friends.

As I slowly started to make new friends, the coronavirus hit our country, and AUC decided to transform face-to-face instruction to an online format. I was a little bit disappointed and upset when I knew about AUC’s decision. That was because nothing was worse than spending the rest of my first semester in my university life at home instead of attending my lectures, university events, and live concerts with my friends at AUC or hanging out with them after attending class.

I couldn’t deny that transformation of the learning system had its own negative and positive effects. In the spring, I didn’t have to wake up early for the lecture to catch the bus so that I wouldn’t be late. All I needed to do was set my alarm before the Zoom conference started by ten minutes to open my laptop and access the internet.

I could drink my coffee and attend the lecture from the comfort of my home.

On the other hand, I couldn’t refute the importance of interactions between the professor and students because they played a vital role in understanding the lecture correctly.

At present, I miss my friends and going to university. Although I have had a relaxing summer, there are more than a few things that I am looking forward to doing next semester. I am excited about going in-depth in my classes, making new friends, and participating in more activities and clubs. I am eager to return to our campus to enjoy university life.

At the end, I strongly recommend that all students participate actively in extra-curricular activities, and teachers provide freshmen students with adequate support to adjust to college life quickly.

For The Caravan‘s previous diary entries in Arabic and English go to our COVID-19 Special Coverage page.