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Original poster

I feel so sorry for uni students who signed up with landlords for a years accomodation but now the uni says all classes online !

43 replies

Molly333 · 27/09/2020 15:33

Im sooo upset that students have been forced to sign up to tendency agreements for a year to now find out from uni (who has now only just given out the timetables) that all classes are now online . So they could have studied from home where they have family support at this difficult time! Now they will have £1000's of pounds of debt unnecessarily . Im angry that the uni gave out timetables so late . The worry of the debt , the loneliness away from family and stress of this will impact on the kids and families for a long time .....v poor ! These tenency agreements and uni fees need to be looked at now

OP posts:

SaskiaRembrandt · 27/09/2020 15:37

Which university is this?

Original poster

Molly333 · 27/09/2020 17:29

To add to that, why are students paying 9000 a year for lectures online ? Why have universities not sorted out classsrooms like schools ! Why has this not been done ?

OP posts:

NotAKaren · 27/09/2020 17:39

If my DC was supposed to start uni this year I would have strongly advised against it. It was obvious and entirely predictable that Uni as we know it would not happen despite everyone's best efforts.

vanillandhoney · 27/09/2020 17:41

I'm surprised so many students chose to still go, to be honest.

I know that's easy to say from an adult viewpoint, though.

AlecTrevelyan006 · 27/09/2020 17:45

Possibly because there was did all else for them to do

Can’t go travelling

Can’t get a job

May as well just go to uni anyway

myrtleWilson · 27/09/2020 17:46

@Molly333 how would a university accommodate multiple lectures of 150/180 plus students in one space? They can't. They could only run the lectures twice - but timetabling wouldn't allow for that.

Lecturers are busting their guts to adapt their teaching to an online platform.

Fluffalo · 27/09/2020 17:46

I don't think the options of staying home were likely that appealing either though, if they can't mix with friends, unlikely to be able to find a job, and can't go travelling; uni is possibly the best of a bad bunch of options. I do think there should have been more of an indicator on remote learning though, so students could decide whether to stay home or not. I would have thought that uni owned accomodation would have still filled up and provided them with that income, usually the demand far outstrips supply. I don't think it is hugely unforseen though, there was no way things were going to be 'normal', and unis have been prioritising seen classes face to face for degrees with labs etc, rather than Freshers who don't neeeeed to be in. Hopefully by next year things will be looking up.

vanillandhoney · 27/09/2020 17:47

@AlecTrevelyan006

Possibly because there was did all else for them to do

Can’t go travelling

Can’t get a job

May as well just go to uni anyway

Why can't they get a job?

HeyMacarona · 27/09/2020 17:48

My DS uni doing online lectures and limited numbers in tutorials

Fluffalo · 27/09/2020 17:48

Why can't they get a job?

Because there are hardly any jobs, a lot of the industries typically a lot of students would work prior to uni like hospitality, retail etc have made redundancies in many places?

Babyroobs · 27/09/2020 17:52

Ds1 is in third year of Uni and pretty much all of his lectures are now online. We pay £340 a month for his accommodation, but at least living there he also has a part time job. Ds2 has put off going to Uni this year, he is working in a factory packaging Christmas gifts. I will discourage him form going to Uni next year if this situation isn't resloved.

Buzzer3555 · 27/09/2020 17:54

My daughter is in third year at Leeds. 1 lecture every 2 weeks and the rest on line. Not brilliant for her and she is getting depressed. If it was her first year we would have advised her to defer.

AlecTrevelyan006 · 27/09/2020 17:54

@vanillandhoney

Why can’t they get a job?

Are you being serious?

MorayPlace · 27/09/2020 17:57

Yep, 2 one hour lecture f2f per week both on the same day. DC would have commuted for the one day, but too late.

vanillandhoney · 27/09/2020 17:58

[quote AlecTrevelyan006]@vanillandhoney

Why can’t they get a job?

Are you being serious?[/quote]
Well, yes. Why wouldn't I be serious?

Plenty of jobs have been advertised around here that would be ideal for students - supermarket work, hospitality, waiting jobs, kitchen jobs, working in local shops. No, they're not the best paid or most exciting jobs in the world, but they're better than spending 9k on an online-only degree.

Yetiyoga · 27/09/2020 17:58

I do feel sorry for a lot of students but for many I really think they will love it anyway. Living with friends (especially 2nd and 3rd years as friendships built up) would have been more appealing to me whilst doing university than with my parents!

Treacletoots · 27/09/2020 18:00

I second the question, why can't they get a job?

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 27/09/2020 18:00

@AlecTrevelyan006

Possibly because there was did all else for them to do

Can’t go travelling

Can’t get a job

May as well just go to uni anyway

Absolutely.

My ds graduated in June, hasn’t stopped applying for jobs since May in a wide geographical area. Not even a sniff of an interview. He has a delivery job but desperate to start on a career path. DS2 similar, and DS2 gf exactly the same.

bigbluebus · 27/09/2020 18:03

My DS has just gone back to his Uni city to do a Masters. TBH after 3 1/2 months of being in his bedroom here his room at his Uni house share is a change of scenery and a chance to mix with his house mates (who aren't his ageing parents!) There is zero chance of him getting a job here (he usually gets one over the summer but couldn't get one this year) so in spite of his on line timetable, I think he's happier where he is.

BlossomCat · 27/09/2020 18:05

My nineteen year old is off this week. She knows that the majority of her lectures will be online, (with some practical workroom sessions, it's a practical course)
She knows that she may be locked down in halls.
She needs to leave home and spread her wings, her life has been on hold since the spring, she has missed her final show of her art foundation course, and worked hard from home, but she needs to be with other young people, not her parents.
I see this as a possibile growing period. She is going to have to learn to cope with different situations, and there will others in the same boat as her.
If she had to stay at home, I really think that her mental health would suffer more than being in an odd situation away from home. We've already had covid, so that worry has gone.

It's going to be tough, but she has learnt to adapt to life in a pandemic, this is just an extension of this.

vanillandhoney · 27/09/2020 18:07

@Fluffalo

Why can't they get a job?

Because there are hardly any jobs, a lot of the industries typically a lot of students would work prior to uni like hospitality, retail etc have made redundancies in many places?

Plenty of jobs going around here. Supermarket work, petrol stations, hospitality, waitressing, kitchen jobs, shop work, delivery drivers...or there's plenty of WFH jobs going in call centres and similar.

I know it's not what they want to do, but that's not the same as there being no jobs.

AlecTrevelyan006 · 27/09/2020 18:08

@vanillandhoney

Problem is that those traditional student type jobs you’ve mentioned are now in very short supply and where there are vacancies they are having huge numbers apply

Retail is dead, hospitality is dead, leisure is dead

There are no jobs in any meaningful numbers

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 27/09/2020 18:08

@Treacletoots

I second the question, why can't they get a job?

Is it really that hard to understand that the job market is dire right now? Retail and restaurant industries shedding jobs left right and centre. Less jobs to go round, and many people being made redundant chasing them.

CokeyCola · 27/09/2020 18:08

Why have universities not sorted out classsrooms like schools ! Some students will not be in the UK and will not be able to watch live. Most lectures aren't that interactive anyhow are they? Weren't in my day.

MarmiteCrumpet25 · 27/09/2020 18:12

Very relieved that DD has deferred and got a job at a well known warehouse - £9.50 per hour and 40 hours a week. There seem to be quite a lot of kind like this available where we are.

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