After returning from the summer holiday, I was hoping for greater clarity and structure.
Being more prepared for the impact COVID-19 has had on my University has made the difficult situation easier to comprehend. However, there are still many issues which I feel are having a direct effect on my degree.
Due to government guidelines, the start dates for the new term were staggered, with only certain courses having face-to-face teaching. Whilst I understood the reasoning behind this, I found that first year students were given priority over those of us returning to complete our degrees.
Within days of coming back, we were bombarded with an unrealistic amount of assignments, research tasks, and pre-lecture material, which was all scheduled to be completed within a short timeframe.
Deprived of the face-to-face interaction, this proved to be an almost impossible task which had a detrimental effect on my mental health and wellbeing, and which has left me feeling annoyed, frustrated, and as though I have been forgotten.
Due to COVID-19, the University has seen a decline in student admissions for the 2020/21 academic year. In order to achieve financial savings, the University made over 100 staff redundant, including my dissertation supervisor, who I had handpicked due to their experience in my chosen field.
I have been assigned a new supervisor by the University whose expertise does not relate to my dissertation topic. Although I have no doubt that she will be a crucial resource in terms of the research process, I have concerns about her lack of specific knowledge in my chosen topic.