Not gonna lie, Miss Rona turned the whole world upside down. 2020 is full of surprises for all of us. A couple of weeks ago I saw a post, which stated: “so far 2020 is like looking both ways before crossing the street and then getting hit by an airplane”, which happens to be very relatable for GZAAT alumni. Several students from the Class of 2017 and Class of 2018 got interviewed about their life during a Pandemic.
The first student I interviewed was Nuki Toradze, a Junior student at Franklin University Switzerland (who took a gap semester for 2020 fall), who studies International Management with an emphasis on marketing.
Nuki: “Due to the sudden spread of Pandemic in Lugano in March, I returned to Georgia and I had to attend online classes for 3 months. Those 3 months of online studying I found that my classes and my study sessions were not as productive. As a Junior, I have to attend crucial lectures and seminars for my major, and I felt like studying online would not profit me in any way”
Interviewer: “Pandemic did affect a lot of people's plans, and I can see that getting a gap semester wasn’t your priority if it wasn’t for the pandemic. Can you tell us what other plans you had that were postponed or canceled because of the virus?”
Nuki: ”Well... I was planning to go back to the university in September, take an academic trip to Spain, and focus on my studies, but due to ongoing pandemic presence, my plans were demolished.”
Apparently, Nuki is not the only student who goes through this; her classmate from GZAAT Nutsa Kurdevanidze a junior student at Archip university in Prague also took a gap semester. She is majoring in architecture and she thinks that online classes were not as profitable for her, as well.
The next student that got interviewed was Keti Kvatchadze, a Junior student in Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, studying faculty of law.
Interviewer: “So I see that you are a student at Tbilisi State University, which is very interesting since GZAAT is mostly focused on sending their students abroad. My question is, how do you think GZAAT helped you or prepared you to study in Georgian university?”
Keti: “The faculty I'm studying on, requisites developing logical thinking skills essential to various legal decision making. During my years in high school, GZAAT played a huge role in the refinement of my thinking and logical reasoning skills which highly contributed to my studies at University. Thus, on the contrary, it was actually a pleasant surprise to have been able to utilize important decision-making skills I had acquired during my time at GZAAT in legal studies.”
Interviewer: “Keti, can you tell us how your university is dealing with Covid-19, and what are your thoughts about it. “
Keti: “ Universities are closed at the moment. Nobody knows what's going to happen but the study process is going in an online format. Getting used to online classes wasn't easy; however, after more than 6 months of staring at my computer screen 24/7, I think I got better at dealing with them. Furthermore, online studying actually got a lot easier over time. I learned time management, made timetables, and a lot more stuff not to go off track, so that's a plus.”
The next student we interviewed is Natia Kurdevanidze, a sophomore student in Colgate University Hamilton, NY, who is studying Liberal Arts on campus.
Interviewer: “How was transitioning from high school to college? “
Natia: “Colgate is pretty similar to GZAAT in a way classes are structured. It offers liberal arts education. It is mostly small classes where the discussion among the students is strongly encouraged. Therefore it was not difficult to adjust to the new system. Colgate is a relatively small school. The student body consists of not more than 3000 students, which I personally like a lot. It is easy to feel a part of a community. Professors know you by name, and are always eager to talk to you outside the class time.”
Interviewer: “How is university dealing with covid? Are there any restrictions? If so,what are the restrictions?”
Natia: “My university has prepared a strong plan when considering to reopen university, and so far it appeared to be successful. There are four stages of reopening. The first one was quarantine. Once all the students arrived they were placed under mandatory quarantine for two weeks. We have been tested twice during the quarantine period. Those who had covid-19 were moved to isolation along with close contacts, such as roommates. Then we reopened and were able to go to some classes. It is still not very normal. Everyone is wearing masks. No large gatherings are allowed indoors, so no parties are allowed and no sports games, which constitutes most of our entertainment in this little town.”
Interviewer: “ In March all of the schools had to shut down, and switch to online. Can you tell me how this process went for you? Did you like studying at home ?”
Natia: “I personally was not a big fan of online classes, so I am really glad I came back and have a chance to attend classes in person. Besides, I almost forgot about covid, since our college is so isolated that we do not really have any cases here.”
The last student we interviewed is Nutsa Khidesheli, a 3rd year student in IE university Spain, who studies Bachelor of business administration.
Interviewer: “ How was transitioning from GZAAT to IE university?”
Nutsa: “Transition from GZAAT to IE university was easy because I was well prepared for university life. GZAAT helped me to gain communication skills, and IE is a university that is based on innovations, communication, and teamwork.”
Interviewer: “Nutsa, tell us how are you doing so far? Was transitioning to online school hard?”
Nutsa: “ I was studying in Segovia, a small town in Spain, where my campus is located. This year I had to move to Madrid, but unfortunately, because of covid19 I stayed here in Tbilisi and I'm studying online. For me transitioning to online school was hard. I had to meet new students and live in a new city and online it is very hard to communicate with people most of your time in front of the screen.”
Interviewer: “Currently you are in Georgia, doing online classes, how does time zone work for you?”
Nutsa: “Well time zone is not a problem for me because between Georgia and Spain it is just 2h difference and instead of having classes at 9 am I have at 11 so it is just perfect. :))”
Interviewer: “One last question for you Nutsa, what are your future plans?”
Nutsa: “I am planning to return to Spain in January. For the second semester. I am not sure if it will be safe at that time but I hope I will be able to return back.”
Interviewing GZAAT alumni was very interesting. I hope this information was helpful for some GZAAT students who are interested in college life. A very big thank you to GZAAT graduates for engaging in this interview!
Edited by: Elene Jakhutashvili
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