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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I have got DS on chef duties @Alicatz66. He's not doing much else though...

I’m not insisting my DS gets up (usually emerges around noon!) as it’s less hassle to have him out of the way in his own room, I think he will be watching some on line seminars/lectures from the comfort of his own bed . He has offered to wash my car and make tonight’s dinner ... no sign of either yet.

Generally he is being very good humoured and getting out for some fresh air every day, he is not moaning about missing his friends or girlfriend and happy to play cards/board games every evening.

I am letting dd do whatever she wants.

Thank you !!! I feel better now ... will leave him to it !

I'm not setting DC any tasks. DS going out for bike ride once a day, DD going out most days but worrying about being disadvantaged in having been unable to complete her year abroad and still trying to sort out matters arising. The dog is delighted that they are around. Both getting their maintenance loan in coming days so I anticipate many parcel deliveries.

Welcome back SchrodingersKitty. 22 days is a long haul - I'm glad you're feeling better. I hope your husband has some answers from the MRI.

I have two college students and two high schoolers at home. I'm not setting them many tasks, but a few days ago I did ask them all to clean a bathroom each and hoover one floor of the house each. They don't cook, but they do all clean up after dinner.

We did make a conscious decision that we didn't want the children to feel punished by having to be at home when otherwise they'd be doing all the things they love - sports, drama, singing, clubs, socialising etc. So we've tried not to give them more chores than they usually would get, if you see what I mean.

DD is on her third week off college, and starts online learning next week. She's taking one extra class this term, so I expect her to work pretty hard once they're up and running. She's also taught herself Python while she's off, but other than that she's mostly relaxed and walked the dog.

Her boyfriend has been back to online college learning for nearly 2 weeks and is working incredibly hard - he's doing extra classes.

My high schoolers have had online classes most days with a set schedule between 9am and 3pm - they do get breaks in that time but they also have homework to do. So they're pretty busy.

It's interesting how everyone seems to be doing more exercise rather than less. All but one have taken up running, they're using our rowing machine, and everyone's walking the dog. Poor guy :-)

I’m not getting DD up- she’s 19! I’m leaving her to totally make her own decisions unless she asks for advice. She’s used to her independence so the last thing she needs after losing it and her fun life at uni is me moaning at her. She’s finding it hard to get motivated but I can’t help with that. I cook and try to keep cheerful. She’s been working out or going out for runs with DD2 which is new and I’m pleased as they’re usually quite distant. She’s enjoying online gatherings with her uni friends and tonight she offered to cook!!! This doesn’t happen often despite being a good cook.
@SchrodingersKitty thinking of you all.

Having said that, everyone in this house has to tidy up after themselves and keep their rooms reasonably tidy. They’ll set the table and hang washing out when asked and walk the dog. That’ll do for now.

Oh God, much hilarity today as someone spotted one of our lecturers doing incredibly badly on a TV quiz show! They kept that one very quiet!

@Koponut :-)! Conversely, someone from DS's school is currently riding high in an academic quiz!

@SchrodingersKitty, 22 days is a long time - you must have come down with it right near the start Are they sure your DHs headaches aren’t CV? Good luck for the scan.

DS is really struggling to focus on work - he has an “independent essay” to complete. It is completely independent as he had no lectures on it because of the strike , there is no reading list, and as Durham have been on holiday for a week, no online support. Not sure how he will get anything written

He and DD (who is trying to finish 2 big essays and a diss for her final year) have asked us to wake them at 9 since Mon to try to get some work done

DD and I are doing circuits and DH is getting DS to join for boxing/skipping, etc in our tiny garden and going for a walk each day to get him out of bed and for MH. DS is missing gf (up the road!)
He said he felt better for it yesterday.

I agree with @bigTillyMint that the headache could be COVID-19 related. It's difficult to know though. I hope the MRI is arranged for as soon as possible.

DS seemed to be naively thinking that he would wriggle his way out of having to do any end-of-year exams. Disappointed to discover he still has two to do. Otherwise, he seems to be working relatively diligently. on work set.

I’m trying to orchestrate us all going into the first lecture of next year with the guy reading Stephen King novels (he got that question wrong as hell) just as a quiet little “we know what you did on telly” nod.

We’ve now finished online learning (my uni doesn’t teach at all final term - it’s just exams) and I submitted my last formal assignment yesterday - I never want to draw another midsagittal section of the vocal tract as long as I live because I’ve drawn so many of the fuckers (my ipad and apple pencil have been amazing to use to do it - if anyone has kids doing courses requring diagram drawing - it’s a bloody amazing piece of kit), and I’m just waiting till the next assignment to replace an exam is uploaded next week to do that... then the two formal exams I’ve deferred till the summer period - not worried about one of them anymore as the university’s gone “no detriment” on any lower marks for assessment after the online switch and I got 93% in the first half of the module assessment, so that potentially plays very well into my state of affairs but the other one is my nemesis subject that doesn’t click together easily for me (and was causing me panic attacks). My mum has a holiday cottage booked and was going to take the kids away during the summer resit period (not planned for that week - it’s just fallen like that) - if the covid situation allows it it would be handy for her to still do that but I’m not getting my hopes up.

So now I can manage to educate the kids a bit more at least - while trying to organise my notes from this year into some semblance of order for the content I’m likely to need to refer back to in future years.

Anyone know how exams will work? DS didn’t Do so well in A couple of the first batch so was working hard to improve for the end of year ones. Will they likely be waived or just take the precious marks forward? I think for first year it’s just pass/no pass and they don’t apply to your final grade?

Different everywhere. Dds are online.

DD’s at a Durham have not been cancelled. They are time limited online, say 24 or 48 hrs to complete. DD doesn’t have access to the libraries obviously and was told to return books before she left. She’s finding it hard to do her best work without the facilities and immediate contact with lecturers.

I’m trying to orchestrate us all going into the first lecture of next year with the guy reading Stephen King novels (he got that question wrong as hell) just as a quiet little “we know what you did on telly” nod.

LOL that would be brilliant.

Well done on getting through so much work with everything going on.

It’s DD’s last day of term today. It says in the diary “go to collect DD” 😐. She’s been working quite hard, completing a group research project, “attending” lectures and seminars as usual and has 2 essays still to write. She only has 2 exams to come, they will be happening but no details of how. I imagine an open book essay to be done within a shortish timescale. I’ve been pleased she’s been distracted and busy. I think the lockdown will hit home when she finishes the work

All york exams for first years are cancelled.
All set assignments are now optional. Will be given feedback on if submitted. Dd had 2 to do. Has done most of one but only planned the 2nd so will prob submit the first and leave the 2nd or do it just to keep her hand in.
Will focus on her skill of taking lecture notes on the online classes she thinks.

@MrKlaw I can only speak for mine - but generally it seems to be 40% required to move on to second year (that one was the same way way back when I did my first degree at Durham compared to the slightly meh ex-poly I’m at now because it does my course). The uni seems to be changing things constantly and just flip-flopping around according to student pressure - but the gist is currently (as of two days ago when the last u-turn was made) that there’s a “no detriment” policy in place whereby you can IMPROVE grades with stuff submitted after the online-switch and close-down, but not damage them.

Unfortunately some of our modules we’ve not submitted anything yet as it was all end-of year stuff and no one seems to have thought about how that bit works (like I’ve said - my university seems to be handling it all particularly ineptly though, although my department are brilliant). Some of our exams have been tweaked to be open-book multiple-choice online ones we have a day (the minimum our uni policy will allow) to complete (which is bloody pointless really - just ditch the exam and go on our first half of the year’s grades) and some have been changed into a low-key assignment with the clear brief not to spend days and days on it, not to reference list it like normal and just approach it over a couple of hours like you would an exam.

Other unis have scrapped first year exams altogether - but ours seems particularly resistant to change (we were one of the last to close down) and very much u-turning over their previous decisions so much the overall trajectory resembles a plate of spaghetti. I’ve deferred two of my modules into the summer as revision and sitting them while home-educating my own kids was stressing me out so much I needed to take the pressure off. I’d rather slog my guts out and do them under exam conditions if needs be than try to do them open-book style right now.

Like I say though - my uni has disappointed throughout - I had more communication from the Durham alumni office (my first degree was there) than from my current flipping university apart from their social media team posting photographs of cats on bloody instagram!

I heard York have told their students to take a leave of absence if they can't work online.

@Benjispruce, at least she is doing some work - more than DS

@DrMadelineMaxwell, that sounds like a result!

@Benjispruce have the library not put a lot of ebooks available online? Our library (the really impressive aspect of my generally meh university) have got access to loads and upped the licencing limits on lots more for the closure, plus automatically extended loans on any books people have out.

Other than that - depending on the course - it’s worth looking into perlego as an online textbook subscription - even if it’s just to ride out the free trial or subscribe for a month or so needed - I’ve used it all year and while their software can be somewhat frustrating and it’s not ideal if you like having physical books - for when I want to access a chapter of a book or similar I tend to just screenshot the relevant pages and keep it on my iPad to scrawl over and it’s kept the number of books I’ve spent money on right down this year.

Another little tip depending on how the uni is setup - our library has the reading lists saved and accessible but hidden away for all the modules - I found this out in the summer last year and bought a lot of the reading lists very very cheaply second hand and shall be doing the same again this summer to get ahead, before everyone gets back in September and buys them all up so they’re only available full price. For ours we have a 4 letter code and then 1xxx or 2xxx or 3xxx so it’s fairly easy to look them up on the library webpages. I must have saved hundreds!

@MrKlaw Ds (also at Bath) has been told that he will have end of year assessments to do from home. The will basically be open book exams & they will have several days to complete them so not timed. But obviously different departments will have different arrangements

@Decorhate thanks. Tricky thing for maths is he had modules for this semester that with the strike and now closedown he's barely started. So exams on those will be difficult - although he is liking a couple of them so that helps.