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On Friday 19 March 2021, I went for a walk to the Museum Studies building. Earlier that day I had completed the last formal taught class of my Museum Studies masters’ degree without once stepping foot inside the building I thought I would know so well. It was a bittersweet moment.
The last six months have had a lot of ups and downs, none of which I foresaw when applying for the course back in January 2020.
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The ‘Downs’
Spending hours in class can be pretty exhausting at the best of times. However, I found the digital aspect added a whole extra level of tiredness and burn out to my studies. It could be very hard to find motivation for further reading and studying when I’d already spent most of the day sat in the corner of my bedroom, staring at a screen.
Thankfully, the majority of classes were live rather than recorded which did make it a little easier to engage, and quite a lot less isolating. Being able to chat in a text box is never the same as in person but it was nice to know there were other people somewhere on the other side of the screen.
The digital nature of all classes and tutorials (except two or three sessions back in October) also left me with a feeling of missing out. Virtual fieldtrips just don’t have the same charm as visiting a physical museum. While I really appreciated the effort that went into creating packs of museum-grade materials to practice handling and packing, throwing a boxed egg down my student house stairs didn’t quite seem as exciting as being in the museum studies’ labs handling genuine collections.
The ‘Ups’
It might sound like a cliché, but doing groupwork, curating an online exhibition, writing assignments and overall working on my masters’ degree during the pandemic has really given me greater confidence. Twelve months ago, hearing the words ‘virtual interview’ would have filled me with deep fear and anxiety. While of course I’m still nervous about interviews today (as well as the risk of technological crashes), a year of virtual class and online groupwork has proved strangely valuable in normalising digital interactions.
While having classes online has definitely not been ideal, there were aspects of it that I did prefer. Having a chat box available during lectures and tutorials enabled a lot of wonderful debate and discussion to take place. As someone who can suffer anxiety when speaking up in class, having the option to type thoughts and opinions and engage textually felt surprisingly easier.
One of the best things to come out of this year is the friendships and connections I’ve been able to form with other students on the course. Going through such an intense and challenging time together has, I think, brought us closer. From commiserating together about a particularly difficult assignment over text, to the joy in finally being able to meet in person, we’ve all shared such a unique experience.
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Although this year has undeniably thrown up a whole lot of challenges, it has also been a lot of fun. Overall, the positive experiences have outweighed the stress and uncertainty, and one thing is certain: this year is one I will never forget.
Written by Laura May Bailey
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