After nearly two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, opinions on the merits of online versus in-person learning tend to be passionate. Having experienced virtual learning for multiple semesters, students have adapted to different methods of schooling. With public health conditions once again necessitating online school, McGill’s return to a virtual[Read More…]
The Viewpoint
Reconnecting with myself through recovery
Content warning: The following deals with topics centred around disordered eating. Between the ages of 16 and 20, I was missing a vital aspect of my health: My menstrual cycle. If this predicament ever came up in conversation, people expressed concern for my well-being, but I was quick to brush[Read More…]
Shooting your shot on Zoom
Remote classes are not an ideal learning method for anyone, but this does not mean you cannot have some fun with it. Beyond adjusting academically, adapting socially to remote learning is a whole other ballpark. Reaching out to strangers online is a challenge to be conquered. One of my classmates[Read More…]
Left behind: The impact of the pandemic on international students
The beginning of McGill’s remote semester has been especially challenging for international students, who faced the additional barriers of visas, study permits, and border closures. International students will continue to face unique hurdles throughout the rest of the year, as many struggle accessing courses, academic help, and course materials from[Read More…]
The unexpected irony of self-isolation
Before COVID-19 forced the shutdown of public institutions and non-essential services, my life followed a stable routine. On most days, if I wasn’t already gone for an early shift at work, I would get to McGill at around 9:00 am for my morning classes, spend my free time at the[Read More…]
Lessons from a fifth year: Fostering a healthier culture at McGill
Excitement and anxiety are the dominant emotions that I feel as I graduate this semester and prepare to begin graduate school in September 2020. Having spread my degree over five years, I have watched the McGill community grow and change over time, and there are a few things that I[Read More…]
The battle for a “clean enough” apartment
Festoons of random papers and crumpled piles of clothing peppered my apartment. A precarious wasteland of dishes inhabited my sink and a whole nest of wild dust bunnies roamed about in the dark corners of my apartment. Although I was perfectly content to live in utter disorganization, I came to[Read More…]
An existential understanding of love
As I spent the night before Valentine’s Day writing about the topic of being single, I struggled to find words for such a nuanced idea. The works of the great French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre come to mind; his idea of ‘projects,’ which are internal choices made from one’s individual[Read More…]
Fostering cats as an introspective exercise
The process of fostering a cat begins with reading a description: A female rescued from a kitten mill, vet work in process; a friendly grey female cat of two months—not yet vaccinated but treated for fleas. When you make the decision to foster a cat, you go in with no[Read More…]
The samosa-shaped hole in my heart
On Wednesdays last semester, I often found myself frantically rushing to get through the day. I didn’t have a lunch break in my class schedule and, admittedly partially because of my own laziness, I frequently forgot to pack a lunch. It was precisely in this situation that campus samosa sales[Read More…]
