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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Neither did I

DD’s house of 5 are all on different courses. I think they need to go down the route of regular testing and an app to report symptoms and temperatures and go about as much as normal (with social distancing etc) as possible. If level 3 on the gov scale means no social distancing and we are transitioning from 4 to 3, surely by late September it will be ok.

Just seen the news about Glasgow and St Andrews not opening at all till January????? Seems massively excessive, how can they justify this? The hybrid approach announced by DD’s and many other universities is eminently pragmatic and as I’ve said before it’s not beyond the wit of man to arrange libraries etc to accommodate social distancing. Seems ridiculous that one could go shopping at John Lewis but not attend a university seminar 😕

@VanCleefArpels - don't know where you heard this but it is fake news! At least for St Andrews who are starting 7th September, see their website.

@Monkey2001 it was further upthread!

New thread

I don't know what I think about social bubbles. And what about students doing joint honours where they may mix with a wider range of students.

As others have pointed out the whole rationale is skewed re who you can and can't 'rub shoulders' with generally.

The students themselves are in a lower risk bracket by virtue of age (obviously I understand that some DC have underlying health issues) and I know my DS will socialise within a certain group, and that he desperately wants to live as normal (in old money) a life as possible, so if they go back to uni and the levels remain as they are now, what does that mean for vacation eg at Christmas?

DD is a current student at Glasgow and has had an email stating that term will begin as normal with teaching commencing on 21 September. The university have been very good at keeping students informed and there have been regular updates on the website including today stating term will begin as normal for the majority of undergraduates
www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/news/coronavirus/updatearchive/headline_725158_en.html

@ifonly4 and @VanCleefArpels

Glasgow rumour also false

www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/news/coronavirus/updatearchive/headline_725158_en.html

Quote Baytreemum: ' I have contracts with two private student accommodation providers, so this legislation is exactly what we need here in England.'

Despite what NUS implies, the Scottish legislation change on student rentals is not as useful as it seems. It does not apply to the purpose-built private halls my DC is still paying for in Scotland till the end of August (despite vacating in March) because (unlike campus 'Institution owned' accommodation) the room is still available for use by DC but they have chosen to return to parental home instead. The only way to break the private halls contract remains to find a replacement tenant.

We are also paying for next year's accommodation already - we could give notice as it is a normal private rental but DC will undoubtedly need it later in the academic year, so loathe to let it go.

www.nus.org.uk/en/news/press-releases/nus-welcome-scottish-government-proposals-on-student-accommodation/

We are also in this situation with both DC.

Oh here you are !! Lost you for a while!

@Alicatz66 hello come and join us over on the new thread