Not allowed to go home at the weekend, not allowed to mix with students outside your bubble, not allowed to have parties, maybe not allowed for Xmas?

[chomalungma]

I really feel sorry for students at Uni in Scotland.

Those students who are feeling isolated. Those who just want some fun and to experience student life.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-54285720

And break these rules and you could lose your university place

[quote chomalungma]@thecatsthecats

That's an interesting perspective. I suppose it depends very much on the people you are with - and in the first year, that could be anyone.[/quote]
To be fair, this situation might also make things worse for students who are stuck with the sort of feral beasts my husband lived with with no escape!

But I hope that for some it gives them more stability and focus on their studies. First year was treated as something you just had to pass by some of my contemporaries, and had no contribution to your final grade.

My personal experience of this is that my arts degree had nine contact hours a week including three lectures and I think I'd have thrived on a bit more structure! As it was, my department closed two days a week.

(mind you, great practice for wfh)

I feel really sad for students and tbh find it tedious when people go on about how dreadful it is that they’re breaking the rules. All people who have been to uni had the great experience and now aren’t hugely affected by things like early pub closing etc. Uni was the best time of my life and it’s so sad it’s going to be so boring/difficult/lonely for them. When people say we are all affected this is literally the prime of their lives and what’s meant to be an amazing life experience and they won’t get it back. If I was a student I’d ignore the rules too (I am not I’m a rule abiding parent now who hasn’t been out past 10pm in 3 years but I feel for them so much)

Well, university is supposed to be a time for growing up, for discovering what you are capable of.

I know it's tough. My stoic 12yo spent yesterday evening in tears, cuddling me on the sofa, but students are adults. In these circumstances, they need to understand laws apply to them too and find a way through.

No large gatherings means them too. They are the internet generation, they should be able to use that to adapt, the same as the rest of us, or risk everyone's safety.

@ApolloandDaphne

Covid is currently raging round the student population due them having fun and experiencing student life. They were asked to stick to their bubbles/households and they haven't done this (although I do appreciate some have).

Yes the current restrictions suck but what do you expect the Scottish government to do? They cannot let the virus run unchecked. The students also mix in the general population and they cannot risk community transmission to happen if possible.

I know student life is not what this current cohort expected but this year hasn't been what anyone expected. As a resident and a student in a Scottish uni town understand why these restrictions are in place and I plan to adhere to them even though I don't live in halls or student accommodation and have not been attending any parties. Solidarity and all that!

Exactly this.

I’m worried about rates of depression and anxiety. And accordingly, suicides 😔

If it was my daughter going this year, I would have recommended that she defer her place and spend the year volunteering but I realise it’s a privilege to be able to afford to do this

I do feel sorry for them, many students struggle as they are away from home for the first time.

However, I thought they could socialise in their bubbles, how big are they? So is it the whole of the humanities faculty that is 1 bubble? And if so, isn't that who they would normally socialise with? Or are they much smaller? If so, that is much harder.

If students voted, perhaps they'd be better valued by politicians.

As it is, youngsters don't vote, in any way as much as the middle aged and elderly.

Or have I completely misunderstood?!?!?

As I understand it, if they are in uni halls their bubble is who they live with, which could be 5 people, could be 12. Nevertheless it’s people they’ve never met until a couple of weeks ago. It was hard enough for us all being locked down with our chosen husband / wife and children!

It’s been a rubbish year for a lot of people. It’s hard on them yes. But we’ve all had to deal with it!

I think it's ridiculous. They are basically being told to stay under house arrest by people who have enjoyed the freedoms thay are being denied plus not only free tuition and student grants. Just so Nicola Sturgeon can look good.

Scotland is going to become the place students avoid going to university to. Last year was already a farce with lecturing staff striking, causing there hardly to be any contact hours in certain courses and exams not marked, etc.. Why did lecturers strike? As part of a pay dispute where they were told to take a 10%pay cut and lose pension rights due to Scottish universities being short of cash.

Most students went home in April and are desperate now to do something other than sit at home doing nothing. But sitting in a small room in a hall of residence rower block, banned from meeting friends or going to the pub is worse.

I can see the Scottish universities closing again, and that might just about finish off any international reputation they have left. When they did close earlier, their online teaching was really disorganised and slow to kick in compared to the Dutch universities. Probably because in svoykanf they rely on a huge bank of part time, ad hoc teaching staff who are paid £20per hour and didn't have the funding and contracts in place to get them to prepare online learning materials and systems.

At this juncture, I must point out that I'm a university lecturer, and was supposed to start teaching this week. We all prepared for small tutorial groups as per Scottish government advice, but now this seems to be on hold and we don't know whats happening either.

The Scottish universities desperately need the money from halls as they are struggling to balance the books, due to lack of government funding and being unable to raise money by fees.

Edinburgh City Centre has been like a ghost town all summer and without the students, you do realise how few people actually want to live there other than in a very few select streets.

The restrictions in the UK are much harsher than the rest of Northern Europe and in Scotland, harsher still and have been for a longer period.

I think once Scotland gets an established reputation for not teaching students and actively locking them up, people will stop coming here to study.

I was on campus for almost 25 years as student and then staff. You may remember the fun but every single year there were outbreaks of freshers flu at the start of term and we had a terrible Mumps epidemic on the campus I worked on a few years ago. DH is a Prof and still working on campus.

Sadly we knew there would be outbreaks at all institutions.

[quote jasjas1973]@RedRumTheHorse

Well, we are always being told CV transmission is highest within households?
Thats all of us meeting up to see nan, grandad, friends family etc.

As i said, CV numbers were rising before Uni and only 1 in 5 told to isolate or quarantine are actually doing so, which of course inc Cummings, backed by Johnson and Hancock et al.

All this blame game is being done to divert from a shockingly bad testing regime.[/quote]
So if all of us meeting up indoors to see the family is spreading CV, can you not see that throwing parties with 40 attendees might not be a good idea? CV numbers were indeed rising before universities returned, principally among exactly the same demographic, again thanks to house parties and pub crawls (usually following the same activities in Spain or Greece). I hope that all 40 idiots at St Andrews get kicked out.

My friends daughter is just going into her second year at uni with one hours contact time per week. One hour!! For 9 grand?!

I missed in the article where it said they couldn't go home for Xmas as per OP?

Yes the current restrictions are hard, but if they're in a bubble with someone positive, they have to isolate. Whether they're 6, 18 or 80.

They aren't locked in individual room's, they're with flatmate and in the first few weeks that's the only people you know anyway. They're unlikely to otherwise go to a bar alone to make friends.

My only concern at this point would be if they can get food deliveries ie Tesco if none in their flat is allowed out. If they're not isolating then obv they can go into town, but food and a bottle of whatever if the need to drink is so strong. Lots of theme would have got through the last however many months since turning 18 without getting drunk, it isn't a bad thing if that partying gets delayed

Yes it sounds rubbish, and I really hope universities have support mechanisms in place for those who are struggling. I suppose at the moment the sad reality is that even if they deferred in the hope that next year would be a bit more 'normal', there wouldn't be many opportunities back home to find a job to save money, go travelling or enjoy some time with friends really. I do feel for them, hopefully some sort of headway is made soon so that they can have at least a bit of the academic year as planned.

They aren't allowed to go to the pub. Surely a human rights case.

@Dillydallyingthrough

I do feel sorry for them, many students struggle as they are away from home for the first time.

However, I thought they could socialise in their bubbles, how big are they? So is it the whole of the humanities faculty that is 1 bubble? And if so, isn't that who they would normally socialise with? Or are they much smaller? If so, that is much harder.

Students living in halls where someone has tested positive are confined to their flats under self-isolation (just as other people would be if someone in the house tested positive). But confined with 11 strangers you only just met last week. Bit like Big Brother and we all know how well that often worked out.

On top of that, they've been told that these 11 strangers are their household now like it or not. And households can't mix. So they are not allowed to go home to their parents. Or visit friends inside. And now they have been told not to go to pubs and not to go to restaurants either, or face being kicked out of Uni.

As for the "they're all adults" well most of them are. But due to the differences in the Scottish education system and the fact you can leave school after your Highers, some might not be 18 until next summer. Some could be even younger. As the cut off is the end of Feb, the very youngest will still be 16 and won't be 17 even until Jan/Feb 2021. Most of these very youngest will be staying at home and travelling in, but there will be 16 and 17 year olds in first year at Scottish universities right now.

, Valkadin* I put my robust ability to shrug off viruses (including covid-19, apparently I had it and had no idea) due to being exposed to all sorts of regular flus, colds and bronchitis over the years as a lecturer.

You could guarantee that a few weeks into the autumn semester, you would succumb to a particularly nasty flu, and many of you would spend a few weeks struggling g to be heard with a croaky voice. Then after the new year, we would all catch a nasty cold lasting approx 2 weeks. We just struggled through it all.

My flatmate at uni had really bad bronchitis from December that took until the end of march to get rid of completely. I used to hear her hacking cough as she struggled to breath all night. Her gp was unsympathetic and refused to give her anything, describing it as "freshers flu".

My immune system is great now! I barely suffer from anything that completely floors other people! I do wonder how poor the immune systems of people who have been avoiding others for so long will be, and would expect flu deaths to rise massively.

@contrmary

No they don't all, many are English. My DD's friend is in Glasgow and could be banned from going home

@jasjas1973 students in halls are often live in flats, houses or on floors which comprise of one household. If transmit is like you acknowledge in other sections of the population then a student flat/house/floor of 8 students mixing with one or two other at a house party will spread the infection.

They are not being scapegoated as this isn't about testing and tracing this is about minimising transmission.

I feel so bloody sorry for them all, I want to go round and give them a hot meal and a hug.

I feel for them, but I feel for every age group tbh. Yes they are having their freedom restricted but they don’t have the worries of losing their jobs or homes like a lot of working adults have right now. Younger children are facing the winter in freezing classrooms with no fun outside of school. Old people and the vulnerable are facing winter in potential isolation. It’s shit for everyone and I don’t feel any more sympathy for one group over another. Unfortunately the situation is such that we are all having to deal with restrictions.

I know the thread has moved on but I have to correct the idea that university education is free in Scotland. Not all Scottish students are exempt from paying fees.
My daughter (like her whole family) was born in Scotland and decided to study there. Her course was 4 years long (honours take an extra year there) and we had to pay - upfront at that time - every penny of the fees as her home address was in England.
Had we been resident in Scotland at that time (and several years prior) or if we lived elsewhere in the EU (what a joke!) no fees would have been payable.
So no, They get free tuition though still don't they? just isn't true.

It's pretty rubbish and I so feel for the kids who are feeling homesick and a bit trapped. Some won't even have turned 18 yet. That first term at uni is the toughest emotionally. I hope the restrictions help them to bind quicker but I can imagine some freshers didn't make it into halls and are stuck in a flat with maybe 4 other people - hoping they get on or at the very least don't hate each other as there's no escape!