Going to Harvard (kind of)
While I doubt I will ever wander the campus of Harvard University in Massachusetts as anything but a visitor, the headline is at least partially true.
As I’ve pointed out numerous times – it is the basis for this blog after all – education had to change during coronavirus-times. Tons of schools and universities have moved their teaching online.
And some universities already had online classes - open to everyone, not just their accepted and enrolled student body. And that is how I became a Harvard student… kind of.
With a lot of unexpected time on my hands due to my canceled internship, I was slightly at loss for how to occupy myself for the next few weeks and months. Then I found out that Harvard and a whole range of other universities (including other high-ranking ones) are offering a wide range of online courses. For free.
And what better way to pass time than by learning more?
Don’t get me wrong, I also spend a fair share of my free time playing Animal Crossing, watching shows, and scrolling through YouTube. But it’s nice to feel like I’m being productive and learning something new in the meantime. Having some downtime/time off after writing my thesis was fun for a little bit. But I quickly found myself getting bored and restless.
The time off was becoming a never-ending summer break – without any of the fun stuff, because most things were closed.
The course I opted for is called “The Health Effects of Climate Change”. As I said, there is a whole range of courses to choose from, but I chose this one because of its immediate relevance; because it was a subject I was a little but not very familiar with; and, most simply, because it interested me the most.
I won’t become a climate change or health expert (or both) anytime soon (… or ever …). But I have learned some interesting things I had never even considered before. So now I’ve learned how global warming impacts not just weather events, but people living on islands. In cities. How our food production could be influenced. Which disease outbreaks could happen where and why. And that if you think that where you live won’t be impacted – think again.
I won’t bore you with the details. If you’re actually interested, you could always just take the course yourself.
It’s cool that – even though my regular education has been put on hold for now – I can continue learning online. Though I’m definitely not happy with how things went, this is a nice opportunity I may not have realized under more normal circumstances.
Perhaps someone who is reading this is also struggling to fill their days. Or eager to discover new things. Or deepen their understanding of a certain subject.
None of us can change how our normal education has been impacted by measures taken around the coronavirus. But education, even if it is just for yourself and to expand your understanding of a topic without aiming for a fancy degree, remains valuable. And accessible.
That being said: after several weeks of learning about how climate affects people’s health, I finished the course and passed with 99%. I may not have accomplished much these past few months (though my Animal Crossing village is flourishing), but receiving a certificate from Harvard made me at least a little bit proud.
If you are struggling to pass time, go check out the edX platform. Contrary to how this might sound, this is not a sponsored post – I just like learning.
Might I also point out that not all education happens in school settings? Read my post “Life’s Education”, talking about educating yourself on the issue of racism, the Black Lives Matter movement, and recognizing racism in your own country.
