Health crisis impact on studies choice

#0120

30/05/2020

How do the 12th graders feel after the different announcements by the Education Secretary Jean Michel Blanquer? No exam at the end of June but the continuous assessment of the first two terms will count to get their degree. Schools remain closed up to June 2nd but remote schooling work goes on. So what's next?

Several students from 12th grade at Jacam High School have been interviewed on how they see their future studies in September in the midst of the Coronavirus crisis. How has the health crisis and long two-month lockdown influenced their perspectives on their future regarding their studies? Has it changed their views? Has it reinforced their choice or questionned it?Read their accounts, page 2

Jacam Seniors'concerns"What's next?"

JACAM NEWS

Nobody expected this coronavirus crisis and surely not me: this crisis has had several effects on me. At first, I had a lot of time to ask myself about my future studies and to be sure of my choice. The lockdown also allowed me to spend a lot of time with my family before leaving. I wonder a lot about how life is going to be after this health crisis: could life return to normal? Will the coronavirus have disappeared before the start of the school year in September 2020? The biggest problem I encountered during this lockdown is a decreased motivation: the way of working is different from usual, so getting used to it has been complicated. That worries me a little for my university studies in which we will really have to manage by ourselves. Sanah

Could life return to normal?

When we talk about the Coronavirus crisis, the first feeling that comes out is regret. For a student who’s about to graduate, I feel it’s such a shame to end high school life this way. After high school, it will be a new chapter of most people's lives. We have become adults, and we begin to think seriously about the path we have chosen.So I was thinking of enjoying my friends the best I can not to regret these last moments with them. Of course, the same goes for studies. I can’t afford to let the studies behind and not to think about the future ! But it seems that the lockdown has changed a bit the end of things.

It does make me think about my future!

We ended up with online studies, it does change and it’s different from usual. A a lot of people have become lazier but actually, it hasn't changed my goals or my perspective about my further studies. In the same way, I don’t plan to change the path I have chosen, but it does make me think a lot about my future. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a bit weird to finish a year this way, we will miss a lot of events, which usually finish a year happily like the DJA (the arts day) , the soccer tournament, the parties after the high school diploma etc etc, but I guess it’s how things go. Loïc

During the lockdown, it was difficult to stay at home since we couldn’t go wherever we wanted, whenever we wanted. This period makes us aware that freedom is essential in our society. What’s more, the lack of relationship with the others was complicated even if the new technologies allow to communicate easily. With this epidemic, of course, I have concerns about my future in September since nobody knows how this epidemic will evolve in the future.We don’t know if there is going to be a second wave of epidemic, if we will be locked up for a second time. That’s why now, we must respect the social distancing and the emergency measures in order to stop the epidemic and have a “normal” return in September. Lauryne

During this epidemic, I discovered a new method of work: remote schooling work. At first, it was really strange but thanks to this, I learned to work alone, with more independence. However, working remotely doesn’t have only advantages since it doesn’t replace high school. The closure of schools by the government was essential since the corona virus is very contagious. Thanks to this emergency measures, the spread of the virus has decreased. However, now, we don’t know when we could go back to school, we don’t know how the barrier measures will be respected….

I have concerns about my future

I’m a little worried about next year, I wonder if measures will be taken in charge to attend classes or if everything will remain as before the crisis. This crisis made me realize that our health is the most important thing and we must be more vigilant in the future. It has also strengthened my wish to work in the medical field, seeing the important role of medical staff makes me want to follow this path even more and to do everything to get there. I hope next year will be different and that we all will be able to go back to a normal life. I also hope that the crisis ends so that we can all be safe. Working remotely was a bit complicated at first but you get used to it and since there will be no exams at the end of the year, I’m less stressed. Finally, the hardest part during the lockdown was being away from my friends and family. Yousra

Will everything remain as before?

I want to be part of it!

Because of the Coronavirus crisis, schools closed and so the classes changed extremely. Indeed, we and the teachers had to adapt to this unusual change. Working alone and with less compulsory work strongly resembles the way the university works. This allowed me to start getting used to getting organized for next year, because next year the work won't be compulsory unlike in high school.The crisis of the Coronavirus hasn't changed my choice about my future studies, on the contrary. Since childhood I have always wanted to be a paediatrician and this health crisis has shown me even more that the medical staff is very important. I want to be part of it, even more than before, to heal people. For my future in September, I have found out that the classes will not all take place at the university, some will be online, as it is now, so , quite different from what I imagined! As for the lockdown, it had a good side for me. Indeed, I was pretty worried about leaving my parents and my brother next year and the lockdown allowed me to spend a lot more time with them than I expected. Clara

This lockdown has allowed me to ask myself a lot of questions and I was able to start looking for an apartment where I would feel good for example. It has enabled me to ask myself the right questions and to be even more sure of my choices than before.I regret a little bit that I had to leave school overnight, because when we left school we didn't think that it would be the last day we would spend there. In the beginning, distance learning was a bit complicated but you get used to it. What I missed most during lockdown was my family and friends. But I ask myself one essential question... will life return to "normal" in September 2020? If not, what measures will be taken? Judith

The coronavirus crisis has worried me but I took advantage of this lockdown to be able to think about the essential points of life and that helped me a lot. For me, the confinement was a good thing, it helped me to think more deeply about my choice of studies, it allowed me to strenghten my choice of studies in medicine. Indeed, this crisis has shown that medicine was very important. This lockdown has allowed me to ask myself a lot of questions and I was able to start looking for an apartment where I would feel good for example. It has enabled me to ask myself the right questions and to be even more sure of my choices than before.

It has allowed me to ask myself the right questions

It hasn't changed my choice !

That's too bad to spend this last year in high school in these conditions. But finally the hardest part for me during this coronavirus crisis is not seeing my family and friends. I wonder how much longer this coronavirus crisis will last and if we're going to be able to resume a normal life in September. Romy

The coronavirus crisis hasn't really changed anything for me in terms of studies. Certainly working at home is not simple but we have passed our exam in continuous assessment so we are less stressed. As for my studies for next year, my choice has not changed on the contrary, this lockdown period has allowed me to look a little at my future lessons and to get a little ahead.

I can understand that my classmates could be stressed about the upcoming Parcoursup results (website used for university entrance) and the problem that Covid-19 could cause.However I think that everyone has a similar mind set right now, and being worried won’t help anything. Hoping that everyone will get the studies they want. Paul

Starting in advance on my studies

I’m hoping to become an orthopedic surgeon and to be honest, the approach these studies have is completely different from high school work. Becoming a doctor and then a surgeon has been my life time's dream so no, Covid-19 has not affected my vision of my future job or even made me question my choice, it may have even reinforced it.

In September I am hoping to go to Paris to study medicine. The work they are asking throughout the first few years of medical studies is enormous. I am really not worried about the end of my senior year, the program we are currently studying doesn’t have much in common with the program next year. In fact I see more of a positive aspect from not « working » in a normal way. The next two years for me are going to be stressful and full of pressure, so having some time to prepare myself and start next year’s lessons on my free time is a way of starting in advance on my studies.

One of the negative aspects of the lockdown was being confined to the house and not being able to hang out with my friends. However I didn’t live it as a tough experience, since I m fortunate to be able to enjoy my garden and my house. Regarding my studies next year, I don’t feel worried. I feel like I learned as much during the quarantine as if there hadn’t been any. What’s more I’m planning to work on my own on next year syllabus during the upcoming weeks since I finally know what’s s going to happen next.

I didn’t imagine high school to end this way, however this crisis allowed me to experience what studies will require next year, which is motivation and precision.This crisis and quarantine reinforced my choice about my study in high education. Indeed I became aware of what interests me and what doesn’t. I also appreciated the way working from home which enables us to organize our schedules as we please. What’s more I didn’t waste my time anymore, for instance in public transportation. This situation also made me realize what really matters to me, such as health, education, friends and family.

Denis

I don't feel worried

With the global pandemic, we will not take our final exam! It’s really disturbing because we will never have taken exams in real conditions, which is maybe going to be an obstacle for the next years. I have applied for several nursing schools , and home economics classes, but I’m still waiting for the answers ! My only fear is to lose my working habits, which would be very bad for my future studies. I don’t think that the coronavirus crisis has influenced my point of view on my future studies, because I have always wanted to help people who are in need (as a nurse or a social worker). On the the contrary, it has reinforced my idea of helping people in difficulty. But I think that if I work a lot, there will be no problem. Yanis

It's really disturbing!

The coronavirus crisis has really influenced the way I think about my studies. First, we can't currently go to school, but we have still homework to do. However, it doesn't take all my time. So during my free time, I have begun to work on next year syllabus because it's never too early to do that. I have been lucky to be accepted in the college I applied to, so that’s something I don’t have to worry about and I don't need to stress about it. I keep the same goal for next year, but there are nevertheless some things which are going to change. I know that next year won't be a usual year because there still will be some restrictions about the way we can learn. I think there will be video-conference classes again. I feel a bit concerned about my future in September because it's something new, and moreover it will happen in a strange and difficult situation. Despite the fact that studies are hard, I really hope that I will enjoy them and keep being joyful. Julien

Some things are going to change

We have already missed a large amount of lessons!

Currently, we are going trough an extremely tough situation, with the coronavirus. The new virus which took over the world in a few months, is also bringing down the economy. Due to this, nations decided to lockdown their population to avoid a massive contamination. But the economy isn’t the unique sector affected. Concerning education, classrooms are small confined places, where all the students are close to each other, so, it would have led to a faster and deadlier contamination if we hadn't closed the schools. Since the virus is still there, schools and other public places can’t be totally re-opened, and we have already missed a large amount of lessons. If the lockdown continues, we won’t be able to go to our new schools to begin our studies in higher education, and everyone knows that a lack of knowledge means lowering the chance to have the job they want later. Plus, since the Minister of Education cancelled our final exam and based our graduation on continuous assessment, we may fear that our future employers could reject us, 2020 high-school graduates, because this degree will have no value. Moral : always keep working even if you don’t have work, this is never a loss of time, you can just improve your knowledge. Théotim

I think that the corona crisis will be studied next year since it has led to a new way of looking at the economic system and the functioning of each country and its institutions. It has also impacted the vision of globalization and I find really interesting the questions it raises. Maybe the questionings during this unusual time will influence my future choices. I have heard some people say that it’s the perfect time to start something new and I want to think that way. I hope that we will seize this opportunity to think and act in order to improve our future life. Estelle

I feel different about September. For my part it’s difficult to picture next school year with the feeling that this year is not totally finished. I really regret the last months of this important and symbolic year, the events that we missed, and all the cancelled activities of this summer like the music festivals. I believe that we will enjoy more the moments spent with our friends or family or at least we will see them differently.The lockdown was a good time to realize what really matters and what I enjoy learning, reading or doing most. It has reinforced my interest into some subjects and thus made me more confident concerning my studies’ choice. I have tried to take advantage of this free time by starting learning for next year.

I would say that the coronavirus crisis hasn’t changed my choice for my further studies. However, by working remotely it has changed my perspective concerning the way of working and learning since I didn’t find it surprising anymore to work from home. Teaching had to reinvent itself and I am quite sure that it will have impact on the next years. Remote schooling work will develop and perhaps exams will take place differently from before.I find it an opportunity to become more independent and develop skills that are required in higher education. The corona crisis changed our daily life and our habits so quickly that we had to develop adaptability, working methods that are closer to what we will experience next year.

An opportunity to think and act to improve our future

This pandemic made me realize the importance of school, family and friends. This crisis helped me to consider the opportunity I had to go to school and to have access to the studies I had chosen, because it is often taken for granted. It has also allowed me to realize the real subjects that I appreciated and that I wanted to pursue in my future studies. Indeed, my wish to work in an organization for humanitarian relief has increased during this health crisis. However, I am a little sad to have finished my last year of high school so suddenly without having been able to take full advantage of my last moments with my friends. Moreover, this lockdown period has still helped me to prepare myself mentally for the next year without having the stress of the baccalaureat exam. I had never imagined starting my student life in such conditions that are still vague at this time. Finally, I think that in September the situation will be complex but it will be the case for everyone, so we will have to adapt to the new measures for everyone's security. Alis

It has helped to prepare myself mentally

Thanks to the students of TS10 and of TES5 who have willingly shared their feelings in this project!

We wish all Jacam High School seniors a bright future!