university life

The Ulster University Coleraine Campus was a very different place two years ago. Since the pandemic started it’s caused a massive uprooting of the students’ lives. I spoke to first year student, Amy Staunton to find out how the pandemic mixed with university life, has affected her. “The big change in my life of moving away on my own and the pandemic has not been easy on my mental health.” According to an article by Tim Vizard and Theodore Joloza, the diagnoses of depression in adults have risen by 1.3%.

Second year student Rory Johnston said that the pandemic has made his university experience different to what he had imagined, “It’s been different to what I had imagined, I expected to be in person and on campus a lot more than I am.”

The social experience at university has not been majorly affected, there are still opportunities to meet new people and create a little bubble for yourself- Ava Gardiner said this has helped her, “It’s been a tough adjustment but it’s been manageable because of the amazing people I’ve met here.”

The university also helps in making students feel safe, even after the restrictions being lifted on Tuesday, 15^th February, the university still encourages students to wear a mask and maintain social distancing. Whilst these measures are not what ‘normal’ feels like, but in doing so they creating a safe environment in which students can feel at ease.

There’s no denying that the Coleraine campus is a very different place since the pandemic, but after two years it may be starting to feel manageable. This may be our new ‘normal’ and maybe that is the light at the end of a two year, fear filled, tunnel.