7 Tips for Navigating Virtual or Hybrid College ( YOU_NI SERIES)

Updated: Sep 7, 2021

Welcome, Queens & Kings to this second iteration of this YOU-ni Series. There will be 3 blogs in addition to accompanying YouTube Videos. The series will provide tools and advice for how to handle virtual or hybrid college. It is coming from the perspective of someone who has gone through a fully virtual first-year university. And Just like last year, there will be a giveaway from Do Good Paper Co.

How was my first-year experience?

It was intense, overwhelming, and tedious to say the least. However, I made use of tools I had researched about prior and sought resources in my school to help me navigate the issues I had. Here are some advice I have garnered:

1. Seek Out Help

My first advice is to highlight the fact that there is help out there, you just need to dig a little, ask around, send emails and you will get help.

2. Other Tools that helped with studying

Grammarly- great for grammar text whilst typing & sending emails

MyBib Citation- useful for citing sources & references

Speechify- a tool that reads texts aloud to you,

Krisp(limited free option)- great for blocking background noise when doing an interview

OneTab- gathers various tabs into one tab that can be easily accessed at a later date.

Highlighter cursor- an extension that can highlight web pages

Momentum- aesthetic web home screen with daily motivational quotes & a to-do list box

3. Accountability

One thing that hit me hard when starting university was the sheer independence. Everything is your control, from picking courses to accessing help to staying on track. With the virtual setting, you have more freedom choosing whenever to watch lectures. This freedom can be beneficial to some and detrimental to others. You have to know which of the two groups you are in and how to adjust.

For me, it was more of a detriment and so I kept track of everything in my planner and scheduled periods to watch class videos for pre-recorded ones. For classes that had live virtual lectures as well as pre-recorded videos, I'd ensure to watch the videos before the lectures. Even if I had videos left unwatched at the end of the week, I’d know the amount and plan accordingly to complete them.

4. Fellow students can act as accountability personnel.

If I have labs or assignments due, I'd connect with a classmate to work on that assignment. I worked to create study groups by asking on the class platforms. When I got responses, I made an IG group (you can do WhatsApp or FB), then suggested dates & times for study sessions. I then used Google Meet (because it was easier to use for virtual meetings (you just click “create new meeting” & you have a link to send to all). NOTE: I got over 30 students that joined the IG group but only a total of about 10 attended sessions overall and about 5 consistently. So, if you try this, gather as many people as you can because only a small amount will end up attending, which is still good because there is better coordination in small study groups than large ones.

5. Male use of School Resources : Academic Coach, Career Advisor, Office Hours, TAs

Here is the thing, no matter how big or small your college is, there is a student-centered department that is focused on supporting students whether it be through personal counseling or workshops. They are usually underutilized, so I encourage you to go searching. The centers usually offer academic Coaches which is amazing! You have your personal coach that is focused on helping you develop the best study skills to excel. If you get confused about your career path or need help seeking a job, I encourage you to visit the career advisor if your student center offers one.

Professors usually offer office hours- a time period to have a one-on-one or small group discussion with the prof. Make the best use of it. Go there with questions or with the intent to learn from the questions of others.

Professors are usually assigned Teacher Assistants who are older students that have taken the course- so it is best to engage with these students, ask them questions about concepts you don’t understand, ask them about how to best study for the course, use them as guides for that course.

6. Outside tools:

To supplement my learning, I made use of external learning tools that either catered to the general topics in my program or specific details about my course. I ensured to access past papers to use to prepare for tests & exams.

I made use of Wize (for which I was a brand ambassador) - an online educational platform that caters to high school & college students in North America. They have learning & study tools for specific courses in a particular university. For example, they have McMaster on there and had content for some of my specific courses like Chem 1A03 & Bio 1A03. I encourage you to check on them and see what they have for your university or college.

7. Developing a routine

This is pivotal for structure & discipline. One thing that fully real-life school gave us all was structure, with the virtual or hybrid situation we have to create a semblance of such using routines. Identify what you’ll do in the mornings to help you prepare for the day, the amount of time you’ll dedicate to studies and your break periods, what you’ll do to unwind, and such. This video can help you better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiPnKa8wFew

You might have to try a few times to see what works for you & what doesn’t. Don’t just copy it but use it as a guide to curate your best routine life!

We’ve come to the end. Ensure to CHECK OUT the accompanying YouTube Video. Comment below you’re favorite tip.