How to make the most of your time as a student during lockdown

Emma Seton·4 March 2021·5 min read
How to make the most of your time as a student during lockdown

At last the road map has finally been set out for the end of all the restrictions that we’ve been living under this past year. If you’ve not seen it already June 21st has been set as the date when all COVID_19 restrictions will be lifted. However, as students, it’s hard not to miss your valuable social life and its easy to dwell on your current predicament of being under lockdown. Although the restrictions won’t be eased until April (yes you can finally go to a beer garden), at accommodation for students, we’ve put together some tips and tricks to help you make the most of your time as a student.

Be as social as possible while staying socially distanced:

Something of an oxymoron I know, but one of the best ways to embrace student life is to make sure you’re staying connected with other students. Although societies can’t meet in the usual form, many societies are still having virtual meet ups, whether it’s just a coffee morning over zoom, or whether they plan a quiz, once you start looking you’ll probably find that there’s plenty of things for you to be joining and taking part in. You may also find that your school are doing virtual meet ups too, for example my course has a virtual common room that anyone can join at any time to catch up with classmates and peers.

You also might want to consider going on a regular socially distanced walk with a friend, this way you’re catching up with the people you might usually see day to day and getting your exercise in.

Do as much as possible with your housemates:

Sometimes it’s easy to want to stay in your room all the time, especially when you’ve not got much reason to leave. Planning things with your housemates can help give you all the motivation to get up and do something fun. Maybe you want to plan a night when you can all cook together, or maybe a quiz or board games night, or even have a party just with the people you live with. Just because you’ve got to stay inside doesn’t mean you’ve got to stop partying, it’s just a bit more low-key and only with your own social bubble.

Use the library:

During the lockdown, many universities have made the decision to keep library spaces open and allow students to utilise this facility. Using the library on a regular basis, even for just a few hours, can help you to feel like you’re living your usual life. It can also help to create some separation between your house and the spaces where you study. It’s also a great way to get you up and out of the house and to add some structure to your day. If you’re struggling to stay motivated and keep up with your work during lockdown, see here for some tips.

Make use of the outdoor spaces on campus:

While there’s currently no requirement for students to be on campus, going for your daily walk near the university campus and making use of the spaces provided by the university may help you to connect more with the student life. There’s often plenty of green spaces on campus that may be suitable for a walk or a place to sit on a sunny day. If you have a favourite coffee shop on campus which is offering takeaway coffee, it might be nice to visit here when you have some free time.

Make plans for when the restrictions are lifted:

One of the best ways to keep up your motivation is to make plans for the summer. Whether this is as simple as just agreeing with your friends that you’ll all go to the pub once you’re able to, or maybe you want to book an event or a festival. Booking something to look forward to can often help to boost your mood and remind yourself that lockdown isn’t forever.

Although nothing’s set in stone, it looks like we’re finally going to see the back of COVID_19 restrictions, but until things are finally lifted these are some helpful tips and tricks to help you stay connected with university life.