A Look Back at Spring Quarter
By: Caitlin Jones, Q7 UWS doctor of chiropractic and sports medicine student
The Spring 2020 quarter was unlike any previous quarter I have ever had, even though I have taken online classes before. This was similar to previous doctor of chiropractic (DC) program quarters in that you’re constantly wondering how three months can seem like two days and five years all at the same time. It somehow goes by so fast, but it also feels like it just started. It was stressful, which is the norm, but a different kind of stress. One that was filled with constant change and having to adjust. These changes weren’t just school-related either. Travel was cancelled, hiking trails were closed, and most of my friends and both of my roommates went home for the entirety.
It was a lonely few months and I’m so thankful that I had school to keep me busy! Though there were a few weeks that it was a bit too busy. Thankfully, our professors were really responsive when they heard how crazy it was for us between the busy work and school load, so many adjusted their assignments to help. One week, a professor even told us that our assignment was to watch a five-minute video and go outside and enjoy the day. I literally cried I was so thankful. Acts like that truly saved my mental health as I was able to spend more time taking care of myself and picked up gardening, baking the quarantine banana nut bread, and going on a bazillion walks about the neighborhood – even walking by the old campus to make it feel a little more normal! Though I definitely had days where I really struggled, the activities that I picked up really helped me re-discover my passions and I’m in a better place mentally that I have been for the past year.
As I mentioned, I’ve taken online classes before and rarely got anything out of them in the past. It was always formatted to read something and then take a quiz. Although I don’t know if I would say that my knowledge on the material is what it would have been if we had class as normal, our professors are proficient in online lectures and making it interactive when needed. Even better, some professors are really slow talkers so that a 45-minute lecture can be watched in under 30 minutes! The hands-on portion was really tough, and I’m so thankful that we have a review the first week of next quarter. I know that our professors are going to do their best to get us up to speed as quickly as possible.
Though this quarter was extremely challenging and required everyone to shift their previous ways of thinking and doing, I’m really grateful for our professors that were with us every step of the way.