Virtual reality and crash of expectations

First year college students have begun to lament online classes for a range of reasons — from boredom to lack of interactions, exposure and co-curricular activities

It has been nearly a year since Ghaziabad resident Anshika Singh enrolled at the Delhi University (DU) for under-graduation. However, with online classes continuing to be the norm due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been difficult for her to gauge how college functions or access the facilities on campus. For several first-year students like Ms. Singh, who are set to appear for their second-semester examinations next month, a lack of interaction with professors and peers, sans the computer screen, has meant that the “college life” they expected was in dissonance with the reality. Ms. Singh, a student of Miranda House, said: “After boards, we thought we’ll get to go out, explore an independent life which DU offers and meet people coming from different parts of the country. But we lost out on the chance. The exposure that DU offers, including extracurricular activities, is also why you want to join the university. But due to the pandemic, interactions got restricted.”