GSEM working from home: Vincent Pallud, Bachelor student

How do GSEM members & students experience lockdown and telework? Today, Vincent Pallud, third-year Bachelor student, shares his experience:

How are your studies going, remotely?

Time passes quickly I would say, even more than usual. I tend to lose track of the days. Without classes, I would get lost in my schedule.

Wifi problems aside, I think that on the whole, my studies are going rather well. We are in the final stretch before the exams.

What has the situation changed for you?

The noticeable change is the pace. I have seen my planning disrupted, both for my work and my now impossible extra-curricular activities. But now, I know my neighbors better!

What has been your biggest challenge during the lockdown?

Without a doubt, the major challenge was to overcome the lack of separation between my living, leisure and work places. Some people may enjoy working from home, but, for me, it is a bit tricky. The fact that I no longer have to go to work subconsciously affects my productivity. I am sure that researchers in sociology and psychology have studies about this.

What are the unexpected benefits?

Contrary to ex-ante fears, I would say that cohabitation, within the household but also in a wider circle, has been quite easy. Nevertheless, note that I do not have children, which greatly influences my answer.

What do you miss the most?

Human interaction, of course. I like to be physically present in class; hearing the professors without seeing them builds a kind of fourth wall like in the theater. Fortunately, the interaction remains possible through the chat function and audio interventions.

In the Honors Program, we regularly attend seminars and the pace of the seminar, the interaction as well as the learning process, are now very different for me. I tend to believe that some teachers also miss this fundamental interaction, which is for me the most important stimulus in my daily life.

What do you like best?

I do not have to take transport anymore! Being a border worker, I spend a lot of time commuting and I have to admit that the 7.30 metres that separate my home from my work place do not take me very long ... However, the return trips to and from the fridge compensate for part of this transport time ...

An advice to cope with confinement?

I think it is essential to rethink our lifestyle and not try to live 'as before'. Rather, rethink our daily life and see how best to arrange it.

Technology allows us to communicate at all times, so let's take advantage of this to perhaps renew regular contact with people who have become more distant from our daily lives. Let's think of our grandparents!

What is your current motto?

My motto: let's stay at home, help on our own scale and learn the appropriate lessons.

What will you retain after the lockdown?

I suppose that it is in extraordinary times, in times of crisis, that we learn more about people but also about ourselves. I would say that we need interactions with others and depriving ourselves of it can help us to put things into perspective.

My dearest wish is not only to learn about how to manage a health crisis, but also to understand more about how we got there.

The French President said that 'we are at war' with COVID-19: I tend to believe that this is a battle and that the real war is climate change. I hope that we will rethink some of our conceptions.

One final word?

I would like to highlight the work of the professors who have to deal with both their family situation and their teachings. In all the courses I take, they have made a great effort to try to continue their teaching in the best possible way.

More generally, congratulations to the IT, administrative, and other staff at the University who had to deal with partial daily information.

Congrats!

Thank you Vincent!

Vincent is a 3rd year Bachelor student in Economics and Management. He is also participating in the Honors Program of the Institute of Economics and Econometrics.