how does everyone feel about students going back to university?

[CrowdedHouseinQuarantine]

I feel fairly ok about dd
somehow,
less worried than in March when most students came home.

I'm supposed to be going but will most likely have to give up my place. I'm vulnerable to Covid and I just can't see it being safe to be in lectures etc. I may also have to home educate my DC's.
I'm gutted as it's something I've wanted to do for years .

will you defer?

Beebityboo check with your Uni before giving up your place, the one I work at are not doing face to face lectures, they will be online. Tutorials and seminars will be a mix of on line and small groups on campus and we fully expect there to be students that are unable to attend in person.

Obviously this will depend on the course, if there are lab classes or similar then those would not be online.

I feel ok and one of mine is (hopefully) going abroad. Both are sensible and will be careful. Eldest is going somewhere safer than here anyway.

My university are apparently doing a mix but I'm taking History so no lab work etc. I've emailed them and asked how much attendance will be necessary over the next few months and just waiting on a reply.
I may try to defer if all else fails.

My university are doing it online.

It sounds like a lot of students really might as well be staying home doing OU for less money than paying huge fees to sit alone listening to online lectures. Really feel for some of them and how they are missing out.

Many Students have had to pay up front for accomodation (5k for the year), so in my DD case, she'll be sharing a house with 5 others from all over the country, the Uni has said it will be a mixture, if schools & the work place is open, then no reason for Uni's not too.

So unless the uni's shut down any form of face to face learning for a year, there is going to be a lot of mixing in September/October.

and freshers?
that will be diferent.

Maybe they'll be generous and increase the amount of Internet data you get in halls of residence

My son still doesn’t know if it will all be online or not. The communication has been awful. He had already signed his contract for a house share in March so he has to stay there for a year no matter what, now. I feel so sad for him as he’s missed what should’ve been such an exciting time. First year cut short, now second year, who knows.
He’s started considering ditching it which would just be awful but it’s so much money just to do what basically could be an open university course.

my dd is same @Realitea but wanted to not stay at home, had a taste of freedom for the first year

Worried, we're on the isle of man which is covid free but dc who asthma is supposed to be going to uni in September, we still haven't decided what to do

Im dreading it, we live in a large university town that Has over 20k students, because the students all packed up and went home in March the area has had a really low number of cases and deaths which if and when they return is bound to go up. The flip side is the university is really good for the local economy and many small businesses rely on student spending but I'm still not looking forward to an extra 20k people descending on the town.

I'm worried. My daughter is doing PhD with two face to face meetings a term but uni is insisting she lives there. She'd prefer to stay here. But uni wants the accommodation fees. It seems to be all about money and not about safety.

I feel sad that I think it will all be shut down by end October and we will stay pay ££££ for unused accommodation. Universities are taking on huge debts, not their fault.

Delighted for my DC

@lljkk

I feel sad that I think it will all be shut down by end October and we will stay pay ££££ for unused accommodation. Universities are taking on huge debts, not their fault.

Exactly this.

I am not nervous, or excited, or scared, just resigned that it is likely to be very few weeks before DC are home again - if indeed the later ones to start ever get to leave, I suspect the results of schools going back will be so bad that the advice will change for universities, meaning that they will be remote only for the coming academic year. For those doing science or medical subjects, or things like performing arts, there may be some 'in residence' weeks in tiny numbers, but I anticipate virtually everything being delivered remotely to students living at home.

Universities just will not to have to in any way police, be responsible for the infection of, or have in their care, students with Covid, and will not have the powers to compel infection control measures, so they will disperse them home again.

'Universities will just not want to have to...' in last paragraph, sorry.

those not in halls will be able to stay in their houses,
in fact those in halls were able to stay in halls,
they never were dispensed home

Universities just will not to have to in any way police, be responsible for the infection of, or have in their care, students with Covid, and will not have the powers to compel infection control measures, so they will disperse them home again.

How depressing.

My daughter is at university in the US and they're making huge efforts to ensure Covid is kept under control, so no, I'm not really worried that she'll get sick or that university will have to close down.

Covid test and 14 day quarantine upon arrival, regular follow up testing, everyone wearing masks, social distancing required. Contact tracing in place. Most classes online, and very few face to face events early on.

They're doing weekly webinars for students and parents on the measures they're putting into place, so I feel fully kept up to date.

My University is also ready for the arrival of our International students! They're hoping they'll all follow quaratine and are being put into quaratine bubbles for 2 weeks before being allowed to move into their 'proper' room in Halls.

DD is paying £7500 for a room in a flat - kitchen, no lounge. Even thought it's online, she's determined to make the most of her expensive accommodation. All her flatmates are going back and many of her friends have flights booked and will be quarantining.

I can't see SD working, her group is half of the group. Plus she also has a few friends she really wants to see. Her city has three major universities, so locals must be worried.

I work at a university although not on the academic/teaching side of things. Mine is planning to deliver most or all lectures online but have smaller in person sessions too.

I work in the Library which reopened in July. The aim is to be open 24/7 again from the start of term although numbers allowed in the building are vastly reduced.

Central areas of campus are always very crowded (too narrow) and surely there’ll be loads of mixing between students. Many will know how easily ‘freshers flu’ spreads!

I work in a uni library too! My first day back on campus is tomorrow. Our uni is taking safety VERY seriously (remember, it's not just students at risk, but large numbers of staff, many of whom are vulnerable). I have spent the last few weeks writing risk assessments which was a pain but very important.

Please check with your (or your child's) individual uni rather than make assumptions....I know this year will be strange, but many institutions will be doing all they can to give students a good education while keeping people as safe as possible. And some of them refunded accommodation costs from March....it will be a struggle this year to have the income to pay salaries, but it was the right thing to do and I'm really grateful that my workplace made that decision.