From the US to Ireland: First Year in a Pandemic

By Marcella McGuinness, JF Law and French My first term at Trinity has been a blur. It almost seems like I didn’t truly move from America to Ireland, and I can’t be the only first year struggling to wrap their head around the fact that Trinity is their new reality.

Even when the pandemic began, it never occurred to me that my entire first term would take place within arm’s reach of my bed. After studying philosophy at Tulane University in New Orleans for two years, I chose to restart my university degree because of my desire to attend Trinity. The thought of moving to Dublin exhilarated me. My Irish heritage is a large part of my identity, and it was all I would talk about to anybody who would listen. Because of my previous experience at third-level, I understand how crucial the first term is: my favorite memories and friendships were formed in the initial months at Tulane. I assumed that moving to Dublin would be similar in that regard, but as I write this, I’m packing to leave Ireland for an indefinite amount of time and have yet to feel grounded in this new environment.

First years have an unusable social framework for making connections. Just as I cannot draw upon my experiences at Tulane, upperclassmen advice is rarely helpful. They structured their lives in Dublin with the offerings of a normal social scene. Comradery, whether amongst peers or professors, is distinctly faint this year. Although I am dependent on technology for daily activities, social media is hardly a preferred or meaningful method for making friends. While I have visited campus on occasion, there is an unavoidable layer of anxiety added to approaching strangers during this pandemic. As someone with a pre-existing health condition, I have rigidly been abiding by social distancing guidelines. This decision has come at the expense of my mental health, as it is difficult to watch students socialize with little fear. We are all given a choice: risk our health, and the health of others, or stay indoors. Whether living at home or alone, this term was isolating.

Despite my long-time desire to study law, I have struggled to fully engage in classes this term and optimize my potential. Although true, “we are all doing our best right now” are words from professors that ring hollow when they are accompanied by a system demanding our highest efforts during a mentally-taxing pandemic. Adjusting to online classes has uniquely impacted everyone; some face challenging family dynamics, while others like myself feel alone and like their world lacks structure. One specific obstacle I have faced while crafting my routine is that many classes are not offered live and are often uploaded behind schedule. Despite these inconsistencies, professors continue to expect a high caliber of work from us. Professors are not entirely blameworthy, as I cannot speak to how difficult teaching must be at the moment, but students have not been given the opportunity to communicate with them about their needs. Consequently, it has been easy to feel left behind by this academic environment.

The reality is that, on top of adjusting to university, first years are experiencing the struggles of Covid-19 at the same time as everyone else. However, their issues are unique, as they must simultaneously adjust to third-level itself - and this pandemic. This makes finding guidance difficult, if not impossible. It is necessary for everyone, from faculty to students, to recognize the full scope of Covid-19’s impact on mental health. Because there is no telling when “normalcy” will return, we must all do what we can to make our current situations livable.

Samantha Tancredi

Orla Murnaghan

Olivia Moore

Public Relations Officer Zoe Timmons

Editorial Board Blake Stephens, Doireann Minford, Dylan Krug, Ellen Hyland, Emma Bowie, Eoin Gormley, Jacob Hudson, Katharina Neumann, Lucy Mockler, Muireann McHugh, Matthew O’Shea, Michael Archer, Rory Hearn, Scott Murphy

The Eagle staff strives to practice ethical journalism and to promote integrity in its work. The editors and staff reserve the right to publish only those articles which they consider accurate and not injurious. All articles must meet these criteria in their inception and execution. The opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views of the entire staff, faculty, students, or administration of TCD.

The Eagle wants to be inclusive of the entire Trinity College Dublin community, and we welcome submissions from students, faculty, and alums. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at our email. We do not guarantee that every article will be published. Every article sent is subject to be edited for content and size.

Connect with Us: Facebook: The Eagle: Trinity College Law Gazette LinkedIn: The Eagle: Trinity College Law Gazette Instagram: tcdeagle Twitter: tcdeagle Website: https://eaglegazette.wordpress.com/ All of the opinions expressed are that of the author and not of The Eagle.

Design and Cover by Samantha Tancredi