Lockdown’s lasting effect on university social life
It is widely agreed that the worst of the pandemic is over for universities, but many students are struggling to adjust back to their regular social lives.
University life changed drastically due to Covid-19. The standard experience of clubbing, societies, sports socials and in-person teaching all suddenly ceased to exist. The pre-Covid world became a distant memory, with many students hoping and longing for a fragment of their former lives to return.
Fast forward two years and we are finally returning to normality. Restrictions have lifted, masks are no longer mandatory and universities are back open and running at full capacity. On first glance, everything seems back to the way it was, and the full university experience has returned, however the adjustment to normal life hasn’t been as easy as expected for some students.
I’m so much more content now with staying in with my flat mates as opposed to going on a mediocre night out with people I don’t even like
Many say that they do not go on nights out as much as they used to before the pandemic. In a sample group of 15 students, all studying undergraduate degrees at University of the Arts London, nine said that they do not go out as much as they did pre-Covid for several reasons.
‘It’s so much more expensive to go out than I remember it being before Covid,” said Elliott, a BA Fine Arts student at Camberwell College of Arts. “I just got used to saving money from staying in during lockdown.”
Other students admitted to their social lives drastically changing post-pandemic, with many saying that they have lost contact with their former friends with whom they used to go on regular nights out.
This loss of casual friendships was a prominent theme that came up repeatedly, with many saying that it was easy to lose touch with these friendships as they were dependent on convenience and proximity. Many of them failed to last over the course of the pandemic as a result of multiple lockdowns, and a majority of students interviewed said that their social circle is now a lot smaller.
The fear of missing out or ‘FOMO’, seems to be a thing of the past, with more now inclined to have a night in then a night out. One student studying BA Journalism said: ‘I’m so much more content now with staying in with my flatmates as opposed to going on a mediocre night out with people I don’t even like.”
A few of the students interviewed agreed that they are now a lot more particular about how they socialise and no longer go out just for the sake of it. Some realising that they don’t even like clubbing at all.
Maisie, who studies BA Textiles at Chelsea College of Arts, said: “Since Covid happened, I have become such a pub person, I love nothing more than going to the pub with my friends and talking. It is so much better than going to a club and not being able to hear anyone speak. I actually can’t even remember the last time I went clubbing and do not plan to go anytime soon”
So does this mean that the classic university nightlife experience is no longer as popular as it was pre-pandemic?
For the current class of students in which Covid is a very recent memory, possibly. Some may view it as a good thing, as young people are now valuing their solid friendships more than ever.
Feature image by StockSnap via Pixabay.