In-person learning takes a toll on students

 Hofstra students face burnout after returning to a fully in-person semester. // Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Ford.

As students and professors worry about the presence of COVID-19 on campus, they neglect to acknowledge another threat plaguing Hofstra University: student burnout.  

As the fall 2021 semester ends, students are mentally drained from running around campus to fulfill their busy schedules, in contrast to the sedentary past semesters online. While burnout is not new to college students, many feel that the transition back to in-person classes has added new stress to their academic lives.  

“I haven’t been to my 9:40 a.m. [class] in a couple of weeks because I just can’t wake up. I need to catch up on sleep, I need to keep my social life active,” said Beau Dragone, a sophomore public relations major. Dragone is one of multiple students who has spoken up about struggling to finish classes.  

Some students have found it draining to go back to in-person learning.

“It was [a] much harder adjustment to go back with in-person instruction and going back to traditional study habits and test taking, than I thought [it would be],” said Colin Fitzsimons, a sophomore business major.  

While feeling the effects of burnout, students have found it hard to take care of themselves whilst maintaining a good grade point average. 

 Fitzsimons remembered an instance this semester where he took a traditional written test with a very strict time frame, admitting that the abrupt transition from online tests to in-person tests was stressful. The results of the test reflected how unaccustomed the students were to in-person examinations, as “the majority of the class scored less than 20% on the test,” according to Fitzsimons.   

Other students emphasized the toll in-person learning is taking on their mental health.  

“Learning how to balance your mental health between all your classes starting back up again and having a social life is just a lot to handle,” said Alice McKay, a sophomore in the BFA directing program. As a student in the drama department, McKay has found it difficult to balance work, department activities and late-night rehearsals every day. “It’s just a lot to take on all at once.”  

While the student body is stressing over the inevitable week of finals, professors are now noticing the changes in their students. Ashlie Klepper, an adjunct professor of writing studies and rhetoric, said that she got much more enthusiasm from her classes when she asked how they were doing in the beginning of the semester. 

 “Now when I ask, there are a lot more shrugs and a lot less for them to share,” Klepper said. “It’s a clear sign that the burnout has arrived.”  

Although students and professors are finding the transition hard, it seems they all can agree that there are benefits to being back in person again.  

“I am feeling far less burnout now that I am back to in-person teaching,” Klepper said. “In a way I’m like a stand-up comic, I work off the energy in the room.”   

 Dragone finds that there are mental and physical benefits from having to go to class in person.  

“I see sunshine and take walks instead of sitting at my desk,” Dragone said. 

While Dragone feels his walks to class help him decompress, he still thinks there are ways Hofstra can combat their students’ burnout. 

 “A break once and a while to not have to worry about class for one day is something that helped a lot last semester,” Dragone said, reflecting on last year’s mental health days.  

McKay described a time where her professor had stopped a lecture to question the students about being so tired.  

“I think that it just takes understanding from the students and the faculty that everyone is really struggling right now,” McKay said.