In their own words: Students share how coronavirus has impacted them

Campus Reform spoke with students about how the coronavirus has affected them.

Many students lamented online learning, and talked about the costs associated with vacating campus.

As the coronavirus has caused college and university closures across the country, many students are now faced with the reality of online learning, returning home, and finding alternative housing. 

Campus Reform spoke with several students who explained how their lives have been affected by the pandemic. 





“For me it is a little difficult, because I do learn better in person,” Syracuse Campus Correspondent Justine Brooke Murray told Campus Reform

“I purposely picked in person classes because I learn better that way,” Florida State University sophomore Kayleigh Mohr told Campus Reform. “I’m taking difficult classes like upper division accounting classes, which already I struggle with in person.”

“It’s almost like you’re being cheated of your education because you’re simply not going to learn the things you would have,” a different student added. 

[RELATED: LIST: Nation’s top universities cancel commencement ceremonies amid COVID-19 pandemic]

“We long to be in the classroom, we want to be back in the classroom,” Arizona State University Campus Correspondent Cameron Decker said. 

Students also discussed the financial impact that campus closures have had on their lives. 

“I’ve worked at the Subway on campus for the past four years,” another student told Campus Reform. “Now I find myself without work and without pay because we’re not allowed to be on campus.”

“Part-time students are being laid off,” one student added. “I used to work on campus. Now I won’t have an income for a couple of months.”

[RELATED: Penn tells students who live OFF-CAMPUS to return to parents’ homes]

Other students pointed to the expenses from having to leave dorms and apartments.

“I signed a year lease, [it] goes through August, so I still have several months on that lease that’s left to be paid,” Liberty University Campus Correspondent Addison Smith told Campus Reform. “And you know, I’ve got to honor that contract. So it’s really unfortunate that I have so much more left to pay on a lease that I am essentially not going to be using.”

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