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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

How bored are your university returners

30 replies

googlepoodle · 02/04/2020 22:47

Cause my ds is very bored. It’s so hard for them - first year, living away having a great time and then back to being stuck in 24/7 without the independence they have just discovered.
How are yours doing - any solutions they have come up with?

OP posts:
TinklyLittleLaugh · 02/04/2020 22:53

Mine has a few essay deadlines and an open book exam to revise for so she is working flat out for the next few weeks, no time to be bored.

whereshalligo · 02/04/2020 23:02

Not uni but a gap year returner who's very bored. Trying to keep busy but he's really missing the freedom, his job and friends.

Definitelyrandom · 02/04/2020 23:29

One is a second year with 6 essays over 6 weeks to replace exams (which he’s very happy with) so is keeping busy. Other is a first year PhD so has the continuing day job of reading and writing with the occasional supervision or reading group on Skype. Both going out for runs and spending hours and hours in the evenings Skyping friends etc either to chat or do quizzes. One has rediscovered his musical instrument after years of not playing. We are playing games as a family at weekends and I’m still trying to pin them down to do jobs in the garden or tidying around the house......But neither of them have ever really done “bored”, they enjoy each other’s company and they’ll be out in the garden much more when the weather brightens up.

ErrolTheDragon · 02/04/2020 23:47

Mine (a third year) has gone to stay with her boyfriend at his family home, where they're both working hard revising for the online assessments which will replace exams. And after that they'll be doing some sort of project once it's been figured out what can replace lab work.

If she'd come home she'd still have worked hard but she'd doubtless have found our company somewhat duller.

BackforGood · 02/04/2020 23:57

Mine is in her final year, so has a lot of work to be finishing - her dissertation plus another two big essays (they did their final exams in June).
She has stayed at University - more space and happier to be with her friends there (and their jobs) than to come here and be holed up with her siblings.

Bouledeneige · 03/04/2020 00:01

My Uni year 1 found it very hard returning. She is at Art school and has a big project to do but she isn't terribly motivated. She found the shock of coming back from ultra sociability hard but she is happily spending lots of hours chatting with pals and watching movies together. She does need to find her motivation for her work. And I dont want to be the nag.

Serin · 03/04/2020 16:33

DS is struggling, he has friends living locally but obviously cant see them. He usually lives life to the max, very outdoorsy. His GF lives 200 miles away.
He woke us at 8 today to show me a gorgeous long tailed field mouse he had caught out in the woods, in a mammal trap he set up last night.
That's boredom.WinkWink

BackforGood · 03/04/2020 17:58

@Serin - I would NOT have been impressed Shock

My post yesterday should have said she did her final exams in JANUARY - don't know where 'June' came from Hmm

@Bouledeneige - both of my older two found coming home difficult once they'd been used to being independent at University. Just the fact we eat at what I consider to be normal times !

We are trying to persuade our 18 yr old (should be) A-level student to try to get some structure and to continue to study something at least so University doesn't come as a totally shock to the system. It is really difficult to get the balance of the right amount of nagging support, isn't it ?

Nettleskeins · 03/04/2020 18:50

Ds is bored but not especially stressed. 2nd year, the worst for him is no particular reason to get up at a normal time, and he is losing any desire to exercise (normally walks everywhere and goes clubbing) we dont have a large garden (55ft). And he isnt a cook or a.diyer. so reduced to lying around. Infuriating, although he is doing uni work I admit. It just seems a very.tedious existence, with some structured challenges I think it would be a lot less boring for him,.but hey im just a nagging mum! Enough work online to make.a job seem impractical, but I may be pushing for this in a week. Enjoying seeing his siblings though.

ErrolTheDragon · 03/04/2020 19:17

Maybe he could do some sort of conservation work in the woods if he's clued up, serin? Maybe not trapping small mammals though - iirc you need a license to catch shrews (maybe because their food requirements are so large you have to know what you're doing so as not to starve them?) and as shrews are smaller than anything else in practice that means anyone setting small mammal traps for surveys should have a license.

Serin · 03/04/2020 21:50

Thanks Errol, completely agree with you!
We only have modified traps here with shrew escapes.
DH has permits for ringing birds and surveying bats and other mammals.
It was bloody devastating when we got new next door neighbours with 6 cats who strayed onto our land and wiped out our whole colony of water shrews.
He would love to do conservation work but he is hoping he will get recalled to uni/placement soon.
(Nursing student).

Grandmi · 03/04/2020 22:01

My son in second year and has really enjoyed uni and working hard . He is so bored and fed up now . He is really missing his uni life and had just started a new relationship so he is massively pissed off . He is trying to be upbeat but I know he is struggling. He is going to redecorate his room and do uni work.All his siblings are at home ,plus baby niece and dog so hopefully time will fly .

CherryPavlova · 03/04/2020 22:02

Finished without any hope of a graduation or balls.
Not bored as still has exams to prepare for. Then a remote internship.
Then getting ready for job.
Missing boyfriend and social life but otherwise fine.

Serin · 03/04/2020 22:06

Grsndmi
That sounds like a full house!
Hopefully they can keep each others spirits up.

Couchpotato3 · 03/04/2020 22:08

Mine has just finished second term of first year. He seems happy enough and is reconnecting with school friends as well as keeping in touch with uni pals. He has always had a far-flung bunch of friends, picked up from various summer schools he did over the last few years, so he is used to keeping in touch at a distance. He is a bit anxious about the whole CV situation and I think he is glad to be home and feels safer here than he did at uni. He's happy to potter about, doing some work, lolling around with pets, helping me with a few jobs. I dare say it will hit him more when term starts again and he has to get back to a regular schedule of remote tutorials and so on, but so far, so good.

DrMadelineMaxwell · 03/04/2020 22:16

Well, mine came home early due to strikes and had 2 assignments to work on. And 2 open book and one standard exam to prep for in the last term.

But they are all cancelled. She's finished one assignment but they are now optional so she can submit it for feedback, but doesn't need to. She left a few things at her room over the hols and now can't go and get them. But the upside is that she won't be charged for her room next term (and we are funding her food/laundry costs etc) so she'll be saving a lot of money towards next year.

DrMadelineMaxwell · 03/04/2020 22:17

But I'm not sure she's bored. There's a lot of minecraft going on.

minesawine · 04/04/2020 11:18

Mine was just getting into his stride at NTU and having a great old time. He is back home, has reverted to his 14 year old self and I am constantly shouting at him to get off his arse and do some revision as he has 6 exams in May. Deep Joy!

corythatwas · 05/04/2020 14:08

Mine sadly had most of this year knocked out anyway because of a bad virus that damaged her brain function, so I imagine she is getting worried. She is a drama student so harder to work at home in confined spaces, though school are doing a lot of work setting up online teaching. She is working very hard on keeping her MH issues under control. Also struggling with a physical injury which she is worried might leave her permanently crippled- but of course all medical appointments cancelled now so she can't get the x-ray she needs. So I'd say it is tough but she is trying very hard.

Mustbetimeforachange · 05/04/2020 15:54

Mine is bored. Mainly stays in his room. I wish he would engage more but it must be hard. He has done uni work but they are just allowing all 1st years straight through. I can't imagine 6 months of this. He is naturally very lazy so this is the worst thing that could have happened from a motivational point of view. Having said that, he's home & safe & not spending money!

missyB1 · 05/04/2020 15:57

Ds in first year, came home and got himself a job at Asda the next day. He’s working 4 days a week and submitting a big assignment. He hasn’t got time to be bored!

BestIsWest · 05/04/2020 16:08

Final year, no exams but has a huge group project as his final assignment. Been blighted since they started in February with the floods causing havoc for them plus not having access to equipment they need which is on site at the university. They are having to come up with alternatives and to give him credit he’s come up with some innovative solutions.
In the meantime, he’s turned over my garden, done shopping for neighbours and grandparents, cooked and watched a lot of Netflix with his dad.
I know he is gutted but he’s a good lad.

dancingthroughthedark · 05/04/2020 16:09

My 3rd year ds is working flat out 2 pieces of coursework and a dissertation to finish as well as 2 open book exams. There's no slacking off here, the non detriment policy is great for those already holding a 2/1 or higher but for those who aren't quite there and need the marks from the rest of the year to get them there there's no let up despite having no access to the labs etc he would have been able to use, having to help his Mum in the vulnerable category and the mental adjustment of being back suddenly after 3 years mostly away from home.

PBLR · 06/04/2020 17:47

DS is full on at the moment with 34 lectures to still get thro online plus tutorial questions and exams looming online too. He is borderline for a First for this yr(2) so really needs to keep up the momentum.
We are still paying for student house and unfortunately he signed a contract for next year as well so praying they go back or that's another 5K going down the drain. Unsuccessfully tried for a job in a supermarket (with 600 other applicants) and still training for triathlon so one outing for a run or cycle everyday and the other one in the garage on gym bike and running machine. Happy days.

Awning10 · 11/04/2020 09:51

Persona 5 Royal and Final Fantasy VII are providing hours and hours and hours of gaming time. We too are looking at paying rent till the end of August.