University and Mental health: how a global pandemic changed it all

A blog by Liam Campbell-Griffiths, Local Project Development Officer (Routes2Success), Action for Race Equality, for #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek

In early 2020, myself along with hundreds of thousands of students were gearing up to sit our A-Level exams. However, our studies were halted when a global pandemic ground society to a standstill. Our lessons were moved online, before the government decided to cancel the exams all together.

Luckily, I had received good grades throughout college and so my predicted grades which were ultimately used as our final A-Level grades were good enough to earn me a place at a top Russell group university, where I would study Law.

Despite all the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, I packed my bags and relocated from South London to the North of England.

My learning experience proved to be very different to the image that I had of university. Our lectures were all pre-recorded which meant that we could watch them whenever we wanted, making it incredibly difficult to implement a consistent routine. Most of us had been out of routine since March that year, when our A-Levels were cancelled, and so many of us struggled with this.

I had wanted to study Law for as long as I can remember, as I saw it as a means for me to better my life, and to combat issues that were important to me. This passion unfortunately began to dwindle in my first year and I soon lost all motivation. Something that once seemed so promising to me, a way for me to better my own life and the lives of others, quickly became something that I loathed.

Mental Health Challenges:

I had moved 209 miles away from my family to a city I knew nothing about and one that I wasn’t allowed to explore. Confined to my halls, depression and other mental challenges became an unfortunate reality. This truth was not exclusive to me, 63% of students reported that their mental health had worsened since the start of the autumn term in 2020.

A big issue for me was accepting the fact that I was struggling with my mental health. At the time, I remember feeling a sort of resentment towards who I used to be, and who I had become. I spent all day in bed, I could barely eat, and I had lost interest in hobbies that I loved. I struggled to engage with my degree and did a minimal amount of work. All these things were not characteristic of who I am, and yet I couldn’t see what the issue was. I often blamed myself for this, labelling myself as ‘lazy’, furious that I couldn’t get up and be productive.

It took a while for this rut to end. Before I started my second year, I knew that I had to get to the bottom of why I had become so unmotivated. I have had a lot of traumatic experiences growing up, none of which I had properly reconciled with. In a way, I sort of used my educational goals and achievements as a coping mechanism and when I was stopped from doing this by the pandemic, I began to struggle.

I knew that I had to reach out for help, but this is something that I had never done before. Being a young man from a mixed Caribbean background, it is not entirely commonplace to speak about your mental health. I had already internalised the fact that I was just being lazy and that I needed to “get on with it”, a sentiment that I thought others would share.

Of course, this was not true and when I shared how I felt, I was welcomed with open arms by my family and loved ones. I began taking the steps to try and overcome my mental health challenges, and I was optimistic that I would return to my old self.

This may have been a na?ve presumption of me, as in fact this was a long process that took at least 2 years to overcome but, in the end, I managed to leave university with a 2:1, something that seemed inconceivable at one point.

Everyone in education, no matter what age, would have been affected by the pandemic in some way. There is not one definitive answer for to overcome these challenges. The key is to recognise these challenges and how they affected you and your own journey. Trying to look at the bigger picture and where you want to be is fundamental. Instead of accepting defeat, use the lessons from the pandemic to your advantage. We live in a world where some of the challenges to our education are now part of everyday life.

Routes2Success is working with young people, aged 10 – 25, from Black, Asian, Mixed heritage and Minority ethnic backgrounds to build confidence, and help them realise their full potential through positive connections with mentors and role-models. Through this, we provide a series of inspiring workshops, designed to build resilience, and improve young people’s engagement with their studies.

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