Heading towards year 3 exams (uni 2017)

[Xenia]

Continuation of www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3538808-heading-towards-year-2-exams-uni-2017 as we have reached page 40.

Hard to believe they are all in year 3 now and many will finish university in June 2020.

DD has just heard that their academy is being closed. She will come home as it will probably be easier to set up a study routine here than in a shared student house.

I am pleased, in that it will be nicer to have family close. One idea is to look into fostering a dog. DH has been very anti dog, but if we are all at home, and if there is a need for dogs to be looked after because their owners are ill, it might work. Indeed DH might be converted.

DD has now gone from strikes, to closure at Bath Spa. Her sports team tour at Easter has also been cancelled. She has a cough, but also has asthma, so nearly always has a cough. We're keeping an eye on it.

Bristol has gone on line until 20 April it was announced last night according to one of my sons. He thinks the final exams may also be done remotely this time and (typical him) says "they will have to give everyone a 2/1 now". I don't think he has ever got less than that but I hope he is not assuming silly things.

Ah, his twin just called and he says he thinks Bristol is open until next Wednesday - that sounded more definite. That one's friends had asked for an extension in their upcoming veyr early dissertation deadline given the circumstances which were refused (given the circumstances are presumably having no effect on the dissertation I can see why it was refused). It took him and his friends hours last night to go to a cheap 24/7 Asda - 40 minutes just to queue to pay!

DD is hoping to get an extension on her dissertation, as her appeal has only just been accepted and now she can't get to her testing subjects. She is very unsure about virtual lessons / exam dates / etc.

I hope she gets it. My son and his friends won't but as I just said to him nothing has interrupted or delayed them due to coronavirus or strikes so it is hard to make a case. A delay a the supermarket last night is hardly a good excuse. I think he found something in the policies about catastrophes but if the university won't consider it better just to get on with finishing it all now - he has 11 days to complete writing it. I am sure he will feel happier for getting it done anyway and then can just concentrate on revision for summer final exams.

DD is still hoping to stay put over Easter, and that exams (right at the start of the summer term) go ahead, just spread around not all in the big lecture theatres or whatever. But it's impossible to tell at this point.

DS has been told all lectures and face to face teaching is now cancelled. He doesn't know how that affects the small group teaching on his placements.

Meanwhile he's heard that all the final year medics in Cambridge have been told they've qualified already, without having to take their final exams and those in Liverpool have been told their finals are now in 2 weeks instead of 2 months to get them out of uni and in to the hospitals immediately. I'm not sure if they'll be pleased or terrified. It feels a bit like sending young troops off to war

Cambridge medics take their big exams before Christmas. Oxford takes them in January. The final bits and bobs are less key.

They'll mainly be missing out on electives to far flung exciting places which are well earned and much needed, so that's a shame.

Actually Cambridge may do their electives earlier come to think of it so ignore that. Oxford will be doing theirs now. Ten weeks in an exotic location, usually.

Ah yes. That would make sense.

DD hasn't been into university for two weeks except for sessions with her mentor for her dissertation (Bristol) as all lectures and seminars have finished anyway. She's supposed to be at a major event this week which is not yet cancelled but I expect it will be.

How long before graduation ceremonies are cancelled/postponed?

Liverpool uni just emailed dd2 to say its closing until next year, online learning only.

Update from DD is that overseas students are being advised to get home while they can, if they can, and that the uni will work out a way for them to do their exams online. I'm not sure if that's just her department or more generally. She still would prefer to stay - quite a few of her friends possibly can't go home or at least not easily.

@vingt DD also at Bristol - not been in uni for 4 weeks as all lectures cancelled and hasn’t been able to contact her diss tutor to check stuff but is staying there to study in the library and work at least until her job shuts up shop because of coronavirus. She is praying the graduation ceremony doesn’t get cancelled. It isn’t till July, so fingers crossed.

DS still in Newcastle - uni open at present, although they've had no lectures recently due to strikes.
He goes to the library to study & was planning on staying put for the Easter break as finds it easier to study there than at home.

We spoke a couple of nights ago & his plans hadn't changed at that point.

@RedHelenB

My DS is in his final year at Liverpool, he is going to come home on Monday, although still has his student house to end of July ☹️. I was expecting them to close early for Easter, but not for the year!

Luckily he has finished the Lab part of his project and now writing it up. He has no idea how ‘finals’ will be done, he says 1 module can’t easily be examined online, but I am sure they will sort something out.

He is on track for a first, so hopefully this doesn’t mess that up.

I am fully expecting the July graduation date to be pushed back but sad for him that his last few months at uni have been curtailed. It’s such an unprecedented situation.

It is sad for them . Dd2 only in 1sr year but was looking forward to chilling with her uni friends now the nights are longer and warmer.

DD's going to struggle more with job hunting I think, because she will be job hunting in a health allied profession with vulnerable people there will be issues with lockdown. I can see it being a case of her being home with no income and me having to financially support her which will be difficult as I don't earn much and fully expect my workplace to be closing down - it's tiny.

Oh gosh these are such unsettling and difficult times for so many.

Really sad for 3rd years who are leaving uni but can’t have a proper finish. And those worrying about getting the grades they deserve. Surely they won’t just do blanket grades?

Lots of talk about online exams, bigTillyMint, however that would work. Most unis have second year exams so they could multiply up from those and add in the third year assessment average to date?

DD came straight home on Friday, as she wanted to get away from the doom and worry. It took her about 24 hours for the relief to fade and for her to realise that, after really enjoying the past year, she is stuck at home, with no sport on telly, no escape to the gym etc. And no real chance to self study. Obstetrics anyone? Surgery? It's a bit like going back five years. I helpfully suggest she thinks about what she can do and makes a timetable. The response was predictable.

I assume things are still fluid and that at some point she might be invited back to be a volunteer extra pair of hands. Like everyone else she will just have to sit and wait and see how things evolve.

DS has decided to stay put in the US. He sent me a photo of completely empty supermarket shelves, but one of his closest friends, who he has known since UG has decided to come home, so has bequeathed him their store cupboard. There are others from his course in the same building so they are supporting each other. The next challenge is to bake a birthday cake as he was too late to buy one.

@goodbyestranger, yes that might work. Just that DD has been putting a lot of effort in this year to try and get a first....

NMS, good on your DS, but are you worried about him being so far away?