The Future Graduates & COVID-19

Guest writer Morgan Berry discusses the effect of COVID-19 on Graduation from a Third Year perspective…

By Morgan Berry

The thing no one tells you when starting university is that your first day of First Year won’t be your scariest day, it will in fact be the first day of your Final Year. The past 2 years of hard work and all-nighters in the library all ride on these next few months and for anyone that’s an enormous amount of pressure to deal with, then throw a global pandemic into the mix and all expectations you once had are completely blow out of the water. I know for myself I’ve lost planned placements, vital experience and teaching time due to COVID-19, but here’s some insights from other soon to be third years and a few short tips on how to remain calm and put a positive spin on the things that might not have gone to plan. 

Second Opinion

Sometimes in moments like these we can feel like no one else understands what we’re going through. To understand how others are feeling going into graduation year, I spoke to a soon to be third year student Grace to get her insight on reaching the end of university: 

@gracesguide 

‘For me third year was the year to prove myself, spending days working hard and long nights in the library to graduate and achieve my dream job. Now, with two train journeys, potentially reduced university days and contact hours I’m not sure if making the journey is even worth it. How will I achieve my true potential without the support and structure a traditional university day gives me, and will I even have the chance to work in my dream role after graduating when large companies are making redundancies due to a predicted recession? Before the Corona virus my third year seemed straight forward, armed with industry experience and 3-years of knowledge I would be a confident graduate by the end; now I have no idea how it will turn out. The one thing I do know for sure is it won’t stop me from doing my best.’

Be Positive

If like Grace, you feel a bit lost as to how this year will turn out mindset is everything! Although it sound cliché a positive attitude can make a world of difference, for every 100 no’s in life you might only get one yes BUT make sure you see that yes as a positive and always persevere to get where you need in time for third year. Whether you need placement time, interviews or primary research, keep positive, don’t take no for an answer and make sure you have everything in place to smash third year. 

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

The best piece of advice I’ve ever received from past final year student is if you think you’re prepared, prepare some more. Dissertation is hard work and a lot of research, so use this extra spare time you may not of usually had, to put in that extra bit of work to make your dissertation flourish, or maybe even enrol yourself into a course that will benefit you going into this final year. Whether it’s a creative course or something more practice, use this time to explore options that interest you and will help you in your final push to make your final piece of uni work stand out from the crowd.

Placements 

I’m sure like me, there’s are lots of students out there who have unfortunately lost their placements. Although this can’t be helped and it can be disheartening, there are still plenty of brands out there dying for some help! Reach out the different companies via social media, email or a phone call (this is always appreciated) and see if you can arrange some remote working, this doesn’t have to be full time and will not only add that essential experience to your CV but massively set you apart during interviews to show you took that initiative to be proactive during lockdown and make the most of this free time.

Know you are not alone! 

All over the world so many students like you, me and Grace, are all going through the same emotions and having all the same thoughts and feelings but just know you are not alone! Just think in a few years’ time this blip we call COVID-19, won’t half make a story and seem like a distant memory. Keep doing what you’re doing, working hard to adapt to new learning environments and keep a positive outlook, it’ll all fall into place!

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