SINGAPORE - Ms Diviya Vega, 23, is a history undergraduate at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

I started university at NTU in August 2020, several months after the Covid-19 pandemic hit Singapore.

It was very restrictive and I wasn't able to enjoy the full uni experience with orientation and camps, which are a big part of university culture.

So a lot of the time, I found myself figuring things out on my own. My experience was very much just me behind a screen.

I stay in the hall as well and that experience was very much confined.

A lot of events that they would typically hold physically went online and it did not feel the same so I wouldn't attend them. For example, I didn't attend my hall orientation camp which was held online. It felt very artificial and forced to me.

Meeting people and making friends required more effort because I had to take the initiative to strike up conversations with them.

It was less of an organic process. I think if it weren't for the pandemic, I would be able to make more friends from other courses as well. However, right now most of my friends are only from my course. Even in the hall, my only friend is my roommate and another girl I'd met before the pandemic.

However, home-based learning was ideal for me academically. I was able to perform well because I spent most of my time at home studying. In return, I got good grades.

I did not get Covid-19 but my friends did. This affected their health and they also had to deal with it alongside assessments.

My roommate tested positive for Covid-19 too - last November - and during that time, I went back home while she quarantined in our dorm room.

Hall life was greatly affected because communal dining was not allowed due to the limits on group sizes. Even if we did dine together, there was no intermingling. We were also not allowed to gather in rooms in a huge group due to Covid-19 protocols.

All these experiences made starting university very different from what I thought it would be like. I expected it to be more interactive and fun.

I thought I would get to go to a lot of events and mingle with people. I would say my experience was very dry, due to the pandemic.

But now that the Covid-19 situation in Singapore is improving and restrictions are lifting, I am optimistic that now I may be able to get the full university experience.

I'm very much looking forward to social events as well as taking part in competitions since these would now be in-person.

I'd like to get involved in debate competitions and also get a diving licence since NTU has diving as a co-curricular activity.

The pandemic has limited what I can do so far - I haven't pursued it because I wanted the full diving experience and that would mean going to Tioman Island in Malaysia.

Tioman is known for its beautiful and clear sea. Due to the pandemic, we were restricted to Singapore waters, not the ideal place for diving , I feel.

I feel like these things would elevate the whole university experience for me.

I've lost two years of what university life can be but I'm hopeful I can make the best of my next two years.