Anxieties Overload Amid COVID-19 Pandemic: Pakistani Final Semester Students & their Future Plans at Peril

Due to the havoc that COVID-19 wreaked upon us, students are uncertain, especially final semester students who are soon-to-be graduated. They are facing prodigious hurdles in completing their final year projects or thesis. Their careers and job prospect looks gloomy. Varsities and students are both fighting tooth and nail to cope with the surreal situation as much as they can in their capacities. They are all looking towards our scientists for developing Vaccines to save mankind once more from hunger and disease.

It’s my final semester and I am close to finishing my bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication at Riphah International University. However, working from home with low motivation to complete my final year thesis amid a global health crisis seems surreal. The varsity did its best to switch to online learning but it’s easier said than done. Students encountered innumerable impediments during their final semester projects or thesis. Unless humankind discovers a way to get rid of this contagious disease miraculously, our future looks bleak.

As I entered my final semester, my excitement was flying higher than the Himalayas. I set my goals even before I embarked on my bachelor’s degree in 2016. Since then, I have been working on it and now finally when I came to my objectives this close, the global health crisis wreaked havoc in our lives like a monster antagonist of Hollywood films. I have been in contact with my dream universities in Canada for my masters since last year, namely the University of Calgary, McMaster and McGill. Everything was going as planned until COVID-19 dropped a bombshell on our heads.

It’s all look and feels surreal. We all were reading the news – not long ago – of a novel coronavirus outbreak in China, however, who thought that it will bring the entire mighty modern world with all its scientific advancements into a standstill.

Indeed, we are grateful to the all mighty God for keeping us safe from this deadly virus yet; nevertheless, it did shatter our plans and dreams, at least for now.

One of my classmates and the brightest student of Media Sciences of Riphah International University, Remsha Farzand, articulated analogous disquiets. Responding to a question I asked during my conversation with her on the said issue, she noted “A disturbing routine caused hurdles in getting proper knowledge through a proper channel such as a university.

We, the final semester students have no idea how we are going to [manage] working on our final projects [amid COVID-19 pandemic].

Due to lockdown, it is not possible for students related to practical fields like media sciences to complete their projects. Other than that no one is talking about the final semester’s student and it is very much difficult for us to survive with such mental torture.”

“Yes! I am [very much] worried about my future as the situation is uncertain and we know how long this will last. We don’t know how we are going to survive after this situation. I personally planed so many things for myself but I don’t know how I am going to achieve all those goals. Concentration has been lost due to disturbance and I personally feel like it will take a lot of time to get back to normal” she noted.

Another very brightest scholar of our batch, Shayan Ahmed, was also uncertain and bewildered pertaining to the ambiance created by the global health crisis. When I asked for his comment on the incumbent unfolding situation of COVID-19, he noted “We are not sure about anything at this point.

Even our institutes are uncertain about the future of final semester students or those who were soon-to-be graduated. Should we go ahead with our final projects? Should we go out?” He was asking very pertinent questions as we all are doing so in one way or another.

Furthermore, he said “Definitely worried about future plans. As final semester students we are expected to get internships or jobs right after the degree.” “But with the downfall of economies what will be our future?” he asked.

We all are hoping that the surreal uncertainty caused by the pandemic will fade away with the development of the vaccine. That’s what we all can do or hope right now. All eyes are on the medical skills that mankind acquired since time immemorial to save us again as it has been doing so for ages.