Mid-Semester Melancholy

graphic by iseabail kelley

Students have officially hit the midway point of the semester; although, it feels more like a brick wall. With the imminent threat of final exams and projects quickly approaching, you get less and less sleep, the energy quickly wanes, and your social life all but disappears. While this mid-semester melancholy is present every year, the addition of virtual classes seems to intensify this feeling and it shows… in our semester participation grades.

The current state of the world, the US in particular (thanks Trump!), has cast a shadow of despair since last spring when students were sent home. At first, there was a naïve sense of optimism that things would eventually get better, but this hope has gradually faded as the summer came to a close and the chill of winter closes in. Eight months later, we are still in the midst of a global pandemic and we’re not sure if you’ve heard, but the most important presidential election of this generation is coming up in less than a month. We don’t know about you, but we’re exhausted from the lack of change our efforts seem to make. Adding to that, the stress and anxiety of classes on top of this shit show known as our current reality makes getting out of bed an award-winning achievement.

Unless it’s a large lecture class, many professors factor in participation as a portion of about 20% of your final grade—an aspect of the pre-COVID world still in function almost a year later. Even under normal circumstances, class participation is only dominated by a few students sitting in the front row and a virtual setting only seems to escalate these issues.

Even worse, on Zoom, the monotone drone of a professor’s voice and the visible ticking of every minute on the clock, coupled with the ability to turn off your camera, literally allows students to sleep during class (and still be marked present). It may be incredibly tempting to finally catch up on a few hours of sleep that no amount of coffee can replace, but in some last-ditch effort to save that 20% of your grade, your best option is to sit and stare at the screen.

Participation used to be a way to show professors your devotion and passion towards a specific class or subject. Now, it’s merely an extraneous task that requires more thought, energy, and frankly coffee than available at the moment. 

When behind a computer screen, students are even less inclined to participate out of both exhaustion and pure awkwardness. For some reason, participating in classes on Zoom is painfully uncomfortable (and even worse for hybrid classes). The inevitable lag makes us talk over each other, masks make it difficult to hear and understand professors, and then there’s the uncomfortable question of do I raise my hand, or just unmute (this of course is all considering that the system is working perfectly, which let’s face it, never happens with technology).

So, instead of sitting alone in your room, with one hand annoyingly hovering in the air, you just sit there in a limbic trance, staring at the screen, wishing you were asleep, and praying that 20% won’t make or break your grade. What a productive learning environment, right?

Moral of the story: don’t beat yourself up if the mid-semester slump is hitting you a little harder this year. It’s rough out here at Zoom University, and your teachers will likely be sympathetic to the challenges that come with being a student this semester. So, grab a coffee, your laptop, and some blue light glasses, and let’s finish this semester!