When the World Paused for COVID-19, We Finally Caught Our Breath: Students’ Schedules, Stress, and the Busy Time of the Semester

Abstract

Life as a postsecondary student can be extremely busy especially as many students combine academic studies with volunteering, employment, and personal commitments. Students become even busier at the middle of the semester with midterms and assignments due at the same time, which can lead to stress. This busy time typically continues into the end of term. Our qualitative study with nine university students captured what happened when the busy time of the semester coincided with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The stress students felt during this busy time in the semester was paused while the university adjusted to online learning. Although the pandemic was stressful for many, the pause it created for students was appreciated as they were unsure how to manage all their commitments – both academic and non-academic. These findings suggest that the structure of university schedules and academic timetables may have harmful effects on student well-being.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• stress
• well-being
• post-secondary education