University life for 'freshers' (2019/20) - first year campus life suspended, sitting out/surviving the pandemic and staying on top of studying [Edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

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Nothing new on R4, same old bluster about the on line experience delivering the same quality as on site teaching and no refunds or reductions in fees. If students do not have the technology to access the on line content they might get a refund.

I think the campuses will mostly open, but that lectures will be on line and tutorials held in rooms where social distancing can be managed. I have not seen any references anywhere other than that Times article to teaching being on line for the full year - it could be a spin and they may just have said that lectures could be on line for the year. A lot of universities make all their lectures available on line already and students can choose whether or not to attend or catch up at their convenience - a mumsnetter with DD at St Andrews doing medicine said she often did that by choice. At Bristol there are so many first year engineering students that they can't fit them into 1 lecture theatre so they have been relaying content to a second theatre for a few years now and watching an on-line lecture from your room would just be the same as that.

The Times make a lot of stuff up so not sure what to think...

DD definitely only made one Monday 9am lecture and caught up online the whole 2 terms.

Some of the rooms we've been in this year you couldn't socially distance from your own fart! (Tiny cohort so we get the broom cupboards)

@Benjispruce. I’m not sure how many lectures DS made at all. Or DD (over 3years) TBH

How are other DC getting in with exams/assessments? DS has done his first 2 online exams (back to back essays to be submitted within 48 hours) and will be doing them till the end of May.

I am not engaging with what journalists are saying about unis - it is a constantly changing landscape and very difficult to plan/predict what the situation will be in 4/5 months. Obviously they have to make plans for all possible scenarios, but we won’t know which ones will actually be used until much nearer the time. And worrying about it isn’t going to help the poor DC whose lives have already been thrown out as they basically self-isolate for the good of the country.

The thing is, though, that all of this potentially negative stuff may make some students reconsider their future in academia. Suspensions and deferrals may kill off some courses or institutions. It is time that the universities themselves communicated directly with their students, just to share their thinking. So far we have had nothing other than the standard statements. My DS had his exams cancelled, so has had no academic input since 17th March! He no longer feels like a student at all.

Simbobs no input since mid-March is shocking (unless he's one of the unis that have already finished for the year (DD's friend in Edinburgh has finished but that's how their terms run anyway)

DD has had 2 online exams and online lectures have started this week although very much part-time compared to how her timetable was for the last two terms

@simbobs, that’s rubbish - no communication My two have had quite a lot and are still completing stuff. No wonder he feels disjointed.

We've had minimal university contact since the very end of March - I don't quite feel like I'm part of the university at all either (I have no idea where my student ID card is) and I'd appreciate some indication so that I can start planning my own future - but I'm not expecting my uni to be organised yet cos they never blooming are!

DD is working away, pleased with a recent high 2:1 for an essay that counts and exams start 19/5. She’s getting quite upset about the frequent doom predictions . I’m trying to avoid them too. It all seems out of sync with my school meetings about getting kids back in on 1/6!!

Did anyone just see the lady ask the question about Uni on the daily briefing ? .. seems no one has a clue !!!!

Yes!!! I paused it and called DD down. Spot on question from Helen in Chesham, disappointing answer.

DD has heard from one of her friends that Newcastle are expected to make a statement about next yr after the exams. As far as we know only Manchester have confirmed that they are going online for the first term (or semester?). She is more downhearted than I had expected and is talking about deferring her final year if online, rather than fail - her words. It just doesn't suit her learning style. She had been doing so well before all of this.

I said (possibly on the UEA thread) that I know at least one university where the staff have told that they'll be working from home until December (and it's not Manchester). The VC seemed to have got it from Government (as will all the others I would think), so suspecting it's going to be the norm across all universities in England. Clearly some universities have taken a more 'tell them as it is ASAP' approach than others.

Think we're going to have a chat session with one of our course staff next week or so - I know most of it will be "as far as we know this is what the university are currently thinking..." but her honesty is good in that she'll tell us what she's able to (and she's lovely)

Had the second half of one of my module marks back and I'm ruddy pissed off I got a 2:1 - zero detriment plays in my favour in that one which means it will go up to a first for that module for this year thankfully. Seeing now how they're implementing zero detriment I should be guaranteed to come out of 4/5 of my modules with a first for the year. Just strengthens my hand if I need to suspend for a year because of the pandemic impact on my own kids' school - I'm hoping that having that proof I'm a very strong student will mean they want to keep me on the course.

No lectures I can maybe understand, but tutorials in smaller groups should be manageable? I hope there is some kind of campus life available in September otherwise it’ll be almost an entire year of disruption which would be terrible

According to the ONS 0.27% of the U.K. population had CV at the start of May. Why are some universities taking such a negative stance about 4 months ahead?

Community population-not including those in hospital and care homes.

DS had an offer holders Q and A session with the Newcastle admissions team on Tuesday. He said it was a waste of time as all they could say was that they didn’t know what was going to happen. Accommodation applications aren’t open yet and they didn’t give them a date for when they would be. DS is taking it all in his stride - says if he has to study here for the first term then so be it, although he’ll be bitterly disappointed. I don’t think I’ll mention the Times article!

@Benjispruce I agree. I think it would have to have been getting worse instead of better for them to be able to justify this way of thinking.

Apparently Manchester have contacted (some) current students to say lectures will be online until January.

I think each uni should decide based on local infection data and which courses can and cannot be done online. Eg Ds’ course has a lot of labs etc. He is due to move into a shared house next year which is a bus ride away from campus. I would probably be happier if he was staying in hells on campus again (as the campus is self contained & away from the city) but they are usually only available to first years.

“Halls”

Great typo @Decorhate - by the end of the year the comments from some on our course about their flatmates was definitely more of the "hells" variety!

We have about 8 from our very small course cohort (30ish of us) planning a house share next year - that is going to be soooo much fun in seminars when they all fall out over who hasn't done their turn on the washing up!

@Benjispruce, I agree, so out of sync with us having more children in on 1st June!

I saw that question - they clearly hadn’t considered unis at all!!!! Hopefully it might trigger some consideration at least.

I think saying that they are going online for the whole term right now is jumping the gun somewhat. If the downward trends continue even when bars and restaurants are reopened, surely they should plan for some SD teaching?

@DominaShantotto, well they could at least not have to SD so freeing up space for others in seminars!