Five tips for handling your virtual veterinary school year

With universities returning this fall as hybrid or completely online, everyone has to adapt and be able to successfully learn so much new material while watching lectures from home! Here are five tips that have helped me stay on track with virtual learning.

Class time is ONLY class time

I made myself put my phone away and shut off any electronic distractions during scheduled virtual meetings. It can be hard to focus when there are so many temptations at home (pets, phones, the fridge…. I digress) so I had to make a bigger effort to clear distractions from my immediate access in order to focus and give attention to my virtual classes because otherwise it’s hard to stay focused on my meetings.

Make yourself a schedule

This was one of the hardest for me, being someone who always is busy and fills her schedule hourly to make sure I get to everywhere I need to be in a day. Now that I am home almost all day every day, keeping a solid routine can be harder to follow. I use my Erin Condren LifePlanner that has an hourly breakdown from 6am-9pm everyday on a week to week basis. This way I can visually see everything I need to do – including fitting in time for home workouts and specific study times!

Avoid mindless eating

Don’t let the “ ‘Rona 15” sneak up on you! It’s so easy to consume way more than you realize when you eat during a virtual class or meeting! I let myself have a water bottle or LaCroix seltzer to sip on while im in a class, but food is left out of the room so I don’t accidentally finish a whole bag of lime Tostitos chips in a 2 hour lecture, trust me it is too easy. Separating school time from meal or snacking times allows you to focus more intently on what you are learning and breaks up your day as well.

Engage in active learning

This might sound silly, but the more you engage in virtual chat rooms or use the “raise your hand” feature to ask questions, the faster the class goes by and more often than not, someone else has the same question! There will still be confusion and questions on material just as if you were learning in person, so it is beneficial to clear the air when the thought is fresh in your mind!

Get dressed

I’m not kidding, getting dressed as if you were going to sit in a classroom before a virtual class is super helpful! It is a great way to simulate in person learning because when you look good you feel good too! It also helps your mindset get in gear to learn when you change out of your pajamas and rock that cute new top you’ve been dying to wear! Getting dressed also helps maintain that feeling of normalcy and routine that I found super important to keep my days productive.