It’s no surprise that the COVID-19 virus has affected a lot of the world’s population in various ways. One group of people affected a little bit more are students, especially high school students,  in particular because they are in the process of learning the information that the next school year will build off of.

Colleges look at the grade point averages for high school students as the main determining factor for acceptance. This information has to be maintained for the SATs, which are already stressful enough for students. 

On weekends and breaks, students used to be able to go out to eat and see friends. This wasn’t too much of an option this year, and students have been mentally affected by this. This has caused a decline in happiness and grades in many students; the latter falling due to the former, or the lack thereof.

It’s also not only the moods of the students; it’s the lack of accountability. Students can wake up and choose to distract themselves with a variety of things. It’s not uncommon for a student to procrastinate on an essay that might take them 2 hours. Now turn that 2-hour essay into a 6-hour online class dat they have to do while at home. 

Combine these 2 problems and you have an extreme deterrent for anything related to school for those “learning” remotely.

An anonymous student said, “I’m basically teaching myself everything and have to go at a slower pace due to this. I know for a fact my mental health has suffered this year but I know a lot of kids our age are struggling,”. Having access to the internet helps with getting a little assistance for material that students are stuck on, but shouldn’t be used to cover entire lessons.

Another student said, “I feel as if I’m not getting the academic (help) I need to thrive with this 2 days a week system,”. Being fully online would give students a consistent experience every day, and they begin to know what to expect; while some students struggle with going half in person and being half online. 

In a serious case of struggling to adapt to this new version. 

“I went from being an A student to failing every class and having to drop 3 classes and had a mental breakdown and went to (a) psych ward,”. This student made the effort to try this new type of schooling.

Many other students are failing, both academically and mentally, leading some students to drop out because of the constant pressure to adapt and succeed.