How Glasgow Opens Despite the COVID Close

Normally, the typical first-year law student at the University of Glasgow would have 10 hours’ worth of traditional lectures and 4 hours of discussion-based tutorials in small groups each week within the university’s magnificent Gothic revival Gilmorehill campus located in Glasgow’s beautiful West End area. Over the year, they would also expand on their legal skills, knowledge and employability by participating in law student societies and attending law fairs. During final exams, they would sit under the stone archways of the university’s famous semi-outdoor Cloisters, attempting to translate their acquired learnings onto exam papers, as heedless as possible of any Scottish wind and weather that may come their way (after stroking the unicorn statue for good luck, of course).

Needless to say, I am yet to experience this romanticized form of learning. Online learning is not as engaging or fulfilling, but I must stress that it functions in our favour in more aspects than I had anticipated. As lectures are now available to watch anytime as pre-recorded videos, we are more in-control of our learning schedules than ever before, and being able to pause, rewind or rewatch them allows us to maximize the information retained. Tutorials take the form of group video calls on Zoom and continue to provide us with some (albeit limited by the occasional connectivity issues) human contact, and what I especially appreciate is the Law School’s introduction of study groups this year. We have all been put into 4-5 person groups in which we collectively prepare for the tutorials we attend together. Law societies, though no longer as active, continue to organize online events, and the university holds frequent meetings and workshops aimed at boosting employability. Exams will be online, open-book and have 24-hour time limits, which comes as a great comfort to many of us, given the sheer volume of reading this degree encompasses.

Classes aside, student life in Glasgow has also taken quite the turn. Tight restrictions have severely limited the options available for meeting new people, which would have otherwise been extremely broad given the wide variety of student clubs and societies. Many focus on academics, volunteering or culture and language, there are various sports clubs, but we can also find ‘exotic’ varieties such as the Shrek society or the bad movie society. However, in spite of the unfavorable situation, student societies have found a good way to send Zoom to the rescue and allow us to get to know who we share interests with at least in this way.

One would also expect it to be near-impossible to truly discover what would otherwise be an amazing city. While current restrictions on the hospitality industry are strong supporting evidence, my findings are that all you really need is Google Maps and a pinch of creativity to prove that the reality is not  nearly as bad (at least as long as Scotland doesn’t follow England with a lockdown). For instance, a great way to get to know the city is mapping out a trail among its famous murals. Simply mark down the ones you would like to see and let the city take the lead. Each mural leads to another attraction or curiosity. There will always be something new that catches your eye, beit the Glasgow lighthouse or the Duke of Wellington’s notorious traffic cone hat. Before you know it, you will have spent the whole day walking. Not too long ago, I myself embarked on such a journey with a few flatmates. We rented bicycles, started out in the beautiful Kelvingrove Park next to the university, wound through the streets of the vibrant city centre, and ended up in the dark at the historical Glasgow Necropolis.

Overall, I was quite baffled at how my impression of the first two months spent at a university that looks so much like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is entirely reducible to perhaps my favorite Harry Potter quote: “I open at the close”. When everything appears to be closing, Glasgow marches on with open arms.