The impact of the Covid pandemic A few wrote about taking an additional year or more In some cases, this has affected their confidence in However the pandemic was not a negative experience to complete their A-levels or equivalent, or mentioned relation to university. for all. Some were neutral about it and few experienced taking time out of education altogether. a period of calm and self discovery. Mental health impacts were also mentioned frequently, especially anxiety. A common theme was the loss of social opportunities, leading in some cases to ongoing social anxiety and isolation. Words such as “lonely”, “shy” and “introverted” were used to self-describe the I think I became more anxious and found way they have felt since the pandemic. public speaking more difficult afterwards. I’ve become more religious and I used that I became less social too so I’m a bit scared time to get to know myself, my roots & my for uni. values which helped me to figure out what I wanted from life and where I want to go. It The prevalence of these comments suggests that this definitely helped me mentally as well because I think it made me more shy and less cohort may find it particularly challenging to make I got a break from the pressure of school. comfortable around many people because social connections when they first go to university. I didn’t have contact with other people for Although they are not the first cohort to have their Sadly, comments like these were very infrequent. a long time. social development interrupted, previous cohorts were older and had more established social skills when the lockdowns began. Additionally some struggled with health anxieties, including OCD, both during and after the pandemic. Others had experienced temporary or ongoing ill health directly relating to Covid, or had lost loved I now prefer to work and study at home rather ones in the pandemic. than outside. Not as social/few social skills so more anxious about socialising. Unite Students | Applicant Index Report 30