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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One could argue that young people at uni will have fewer contacts with elderly/vulnerable folk than when at home?

That's true @sergeantmajormum. I have just read a statistic somewhere which suggests that the 17-29-year-olds are the population group most likely to have already had COVID-19.

One could argue that young people at uni will have fewer contacts with elderly/vulnerable folk than when at home?

But don't most students go home for Christmas, Easter & Summer? Are they never going to be able to go home if they have vulnerable/shielded relatives at home?

That's one of our main worries with DS who was planning to start this September. He'll basically be left to his own devices - we won't be able to visit him if he's in halls with others and he won't be able to come home if there's any risk he has it - he'd have to stay in a hotel for 2 weeks between Uni and home in isolation before he'd be safe to share our home.

I got the impression that Cambridge are worried about their academics, many of whom are the wrong side of 50 and quite a few over 70. With no social distancing it is likely that a few students would die and although more will probably die from accidents and suicides, there is so much focus on Covid that the universities are going to be very cautious as they don't want to be the one with that headline.

There was a good episode of More or Less on R4 yesterday talking about risks for schools and it is difficult to be harshly objective about acceptable levels of death, but that is the rational approach.

A doctor friend said 6 weeks to the antibody test, it would be helpful to know if a significant proportion of the student body have had it.

Except we don’t know if having the antibody in your blood protects you if you are exposed to COVID again, we will only know that with the passage of time. Meanwhile a whole generation of students have to sit at home waiting? If we don’t get a vaccine and that is likely to be many months away, then all sorts of organisations (and individuals) are going to have to agree a level of risk they can accept as we will all have to live with this virus perhaps indefinitely.

It doesn’t really feel as if the risk is any different from what is was when the universities closed their doors in March.

Sadly I don't think it is @Baytreemum and potentially the risk could be greater if stories of a more pronounced second wave are to be believed.

I was just thinking back to last summer ... when our biggest worry was back packs and whether they had enough mugs to take with them !!!

The Scottish govt have released their route map. Students will start going back in Phase 3, which is the 4th phase of a 5 phase plan from Lock-down to Phase 4.

The relevant bit:

Phase 3
Phase 3 will begin to feel closer to normal. The virus will have been suppressed and Test and Protect working across Scotland means we will understand where any additional local measures might be required. Many workplaces will already have adapted, with physical distancing the
norm. Communities will be fully engaged and participating in the transition back to a more open life and economy.
This phase has a significant number of changes which impact many people, and the planned changes may need to happen over more than one review cycle of the regulations.
........
Schools and childcare settings: ...........
We are planning for a phased return for universities and colleges with a blended model of remote learning and limited on-campus learning where a priority. Public health measures including physical distancing will be in place.

So a phased return with "limited" face-to-face "where a priority". They seem to hope to be in phase 3 by 11 August, when their schools are due to go back.

Seems likely that similar approaches will be developed elsewhere.

More info - www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2020/05/coronavirus-covid-19-framework-decision-making-scotlands-route-map-through-out-crisis/documents/covid-19-framework-decision-making-scotlands-route-map-through-out-crisis/covid-19-framework-decision-making-scotlands-route-map-through-out-crisis/govscot%3Adocument/covid-19-framework-decision-making-scotlands-route-map-through-out-crisis.pdf

It sounds very comprehensive @monkey but “physical distancing” in the tutorial room/lab does not and cannot (perhaps should not?) mean that students will not get together elsewhere....

Totally agree @Baytreemum . I think the social distancing for university activities is to protect their position if students catch it and to protect staff.

But I just read that people with type 1 diabetes are 3 1/2 times more likely to die from covid. My friend’s DD has this and is due to start at uni in September - does she move into a student flat with 8 others, all of whom are mixing with other students?

If lecturers are worried can they not construct some kind of glass/Perspex booth at the front of a lecture hall? I’ll build it myself!

This would be when hologram technology (for the lecturers) would work well clearly been watching too many sci-fi films recently

A hologram would be 10x better than staring at a canned lecture on your phone in your bedroom.....!

I am sure many students are already getting 'screened out', don't you think? Learning needs to be multi-dimensional does it not?

I’ve heard from my university (University of Lincoln) who are also continuing on campus as normal, but pushing the term start date back to mid October. Fingers crossed for all other institutions.

Oh that sounds good @blancheduboiss. @Piggywaspushed has your DS communicated that to you?

"pushing the term start date back to mid October. Fingers crossed for all other institutions."

Interesting. Do they explain why the delay? The counter view is the earlier the start the better, I would have thought, to try to avoid clashing with winter flu. Will be interesting to see what view other places take.

@Baytreemum your friend's DD should consider deferring - is she going far from home? I would not want a vulnerable DC to go to university at the moment, students will not be as careful as family can be.

@Cantgowrongwithstripedcurtains
No real explanation i’m afraid. The email also states that there is to be a mixture of face to face sessions, and online learning also.

haha , thanks for thinking of me OP! No, he didn't but I found out via Facebook...

@monkey She doesn’t want to defer as she is on a gap year now. Not sure what the answer is really.

@Baytreemum if she is planning to go far away she could consider changing to a local university - she could then possibly do a mid course transfer to her chosen university once the world feels safer for her. Or she could look into doing the first term remotely on health grounds and move on campus when safe.

Different decisions will be right for different people depending on anxiety levels, home life etc.

Hi all. Has anyone seen anything that says that uni students are now allowed to travel to collect the belongings they left behind? H thinks it’s allowed now but Bath have no updated their advice yet. Would really like to do this next week if possible while I am off..,