Emma Newman staff writer
As the entire outside world shuts down, students have been forced to make adjustments, some drastic, to their day-to-day lives. In fact, according to a poll administered by Highlights, 55% of students have completely changed their routine as a result of these new conditions.
Ninety-four percent of students made adjustments to their lives, which include later sleeping times and less physical activity, according to the poll.
For students like junior Aasha Sendhil, these changes have affected schoolwork.
“I’ve been struggling with the changes because it’s hard for me to establish a schedule for myself like I used to have when going to school,” Sendhil said via text. “At least at school I know what to expect in terms of which classes I have and have some assignments due every day.”
Because of these new expectations, Sendhil has procrastinated more than she normally would, as most of her classes have work due at the end of the week. Therefore, there is “not much stability” in her work schedule.
Other students have also experienced changes in their workload. Sophomore Sofia Kirkland thinks that she is not learning as much from home learning as she did in school, while sophomore Taylor Fuchs feels as if she has more homework than normal. Junior Melody Kashani and sophomore Maxi Liker also think their teachers are assigning more work.
Many students also now have different sleep schedules as a result of schools being physically closed. Fifty-eight percent of students who responded to the poll mentioned changing their sleeping times, most of whom said they go to sleep later than normal.
Because of social distancing, students have adjusted to the new ways in which they must socialize. Fuchs has kept in touch with people via FaceTime, and she has taken walks to stay active.
“I’ve been trying to find the positive of it and do things that I don’t normally get the chance to do online,” Fuchs said.
Sendhil has texted and SnapChatted her friends. However, she still dislikes being socially isolated.
“I feel like my life has changed negatively in that I can’t see my friends in person anymore,” Sendhil said. “I know that as humans we need physical contact and interaction to survive, so now that I can’t see my friends or hug them I feel a little sad.”
However, there is also a positive side to her social isolation: being able to interact more with her brother.
“We have such different schedules between his work and my school that I used to go upward of three days without seeing him in person,” Sendhil said. “I can now see my brother every day and spend more time with him watching our favorite TV shows and playing video games after we’re both done with our work.”
Even though she is physically separated from her friends, Sendhil actually thinks her social life has improved now that she is in social isolation.
“It’s lonely to be cooped up in your room all day without your friends there to get you through it,” Sendhil said. “Some of my friends and I have been struggling emotionally now that we can’t physically see each other every day like we used to, so we check in with each other more often to make sure we’re all feeling okay.
