By Matthew Wynn
Students have been adapting to their new learning environments at home since the news came out Nov. 5 that University of Maryland students living in dorms would not be allowed to come back to campus if they went home for Thanksgiving.
Martin Blurton-Jones, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, said “I would say that it’s definitely changed how I study because the finals themselves have changed so much.”
Blurton-Jones said he believes that a significant amount of the stress he felt studying for take home finals more-or-less disappeared, but studying feels more natural to him in an environment that he feels more familiar in.
Feeling the exact opposite of Blurton-Jones, Rhia Soni, a junior information science major who is still living in The Varsity, feels that being at home detracts from her being able to learn.
Soni said that when she is at home, she would rather sleep all day than get any work done. Being around the campus helps her focus, as she says she feels she is in a more academic place.
Andrew Doran, a junior economics major, said he finds that being home also cuts into his time to do classes as he has more responsibilities to attend to; particularly mentioning having to do plentiful yard work.
“There’s a lot of my parents asking me when I have class when I’m in the middle of work,” Doran said.
Joey Monaghan, a junior mechanical engineering major who lives off-campus but left for the holidays, said that leaving was much more beneficial for his focus than staying in College Park.
Monaghan finds far less distractions throughout the day with his parents allowing him to focus on his work.
Some students have reported increases in their performance overall working from home.
Katie Norden, a sophomore chemical engineering student, said that she only had a physics lab in person this semester. Since going home, her grades have taken an upswing, she said.
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