University 2020 :5: Results day approaching and beyond

[MillicentMartha]

Old thread
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3855474-University-2020-4-The-wait-for-grades-and-better-days-ahead?pg=40

Less than 3 months to go until we have a better idea what the future has in store for our DC. Let’s hope that even if most lectures are online that accommodation is open and they can move up, across or down to their university towns and start their student life.

We should have been in the middle of exams, instead we have this strange limbo of lockdown. It could have been worse, though.

Monkey - my dd has st Andrews as her first choice. Not sure what emails she has - looking at a mid sept start I think?

Just seen your earlier post monkey - 7 sept for St. Andrews? Exciting!

Dd also waiting for Warwick accommodation to open....

She's managed to get some paid work, which she started on Saturday its as and when required with no commitments so suits her...she earned £50 from very effort on Saturday so crossing fingers that it will become regular work.

@Newgirls yes, orientation starts 7th September, they can move in 5th September. He got details for his "my saint" account and St Andrews e-mail address on Friday. Exciting indeed!

St Andrews has a very odd way of doing accommodation though, DS hoping for standard catered in one of the older buildings, but where you end up seems to be down to luck. He REALLY doesn't want ABH - did not like it at all. He did not put catered en suite on his choices as we were not keen to pay £9,403 for the year for somewhere he liked less than the cheaper places! He has done lots of cooking in lock-down, so is well prepared for self catering if that is what he gets.

Thanks that’s v useful as we will be coming from quite a way so will need to travel up earlier I think.

She’s asked for self catering shared so I guess that will be very popular. I wonder if numbers will be down this year or if the US students will still go?

@Newgirls only 87 out of 267 people requesting standard self catered as their first choice actually got it last year www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/644957/response/1541729/attach/4/Appendix%20A.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1 , so keep those fingers crossed!

If all goes to plan, check-in will be at the halls from 10am on the 5th, we also have a long way to go, so planning to stay the previous night in a travelodge on the route - Premier Inn in St A already v expensive. The early start in Scotland makes it very difficult for people getting results 3 weeks before they start, I am grateful for the gap year certainty.

St Andrews starts very early! But of course it runs two semesters rather than 3 terms. Oxford doesn't start until a month later.

DS1 is still job hunting (no success yet) but is now starting to pick up some tutoring work as the mums of SW London are keen for their children to start working again. He did apply to be a track and tracer but it sounds like the ones they've already recruited don't have enough to do

I love this info! I got it wrong - she’s asked for catered! To hopefully get in the old halls I think. We shall see. Will start looking at accom. Very exciting!

Is anyone else feeling wobbly this morning with the reports that students will be living and being taught in small bubbles . If you can only meet people doing your subject and living in your flat / corridor that is going to massively impact the experience.

Oh to live in Germany or Holland where they seem to have dealt with this situation so much better .

St Andrews is ds insurance but I am thinking of booking some accommodation for us which can be cancelled if necessary as I know for the visit days the prices were mad

Dd2 had a ‘night out’ with her ( hopefully) course mates, seems to be getting on well so far.

I’d have like dd1to have more friends on her actual course than she appears to, think it will boost the language experience to travel about to each other.

Not too worried about the 'bubble' thing, Ds is a self confessed geek so meeting people only from his course and less people in halls would suit him anyway

Ds will be doing a course which has very few contact hours but lots of time to do things like Drama which he loves , debating etc and those things will be impacted . But who knows if they would be allowed to defer anyway 🙁

Pease the bubble idea - I hope it’s just one scenario. It might be ok for a while as they can get to know their coursemates but doesn’t sound very sustainable.

I think it’s a better option than having to stay at home and commence 100% online learning to be honest. My daughter would rather the bubble than that.

DS would be OK with the bubble idea, although not sure there will be enough people doing the same combination of modules to

...make a bubble. Potentially a dozen or so people living in the same college doing similar modules, but exactly the same combination?

I think DS will be happy being with other maths geeks. Not good for his social skills, though, maybe.

I think bubbles would make a lot of sense for first years. Much better than having to stay 2m distance from everybody you meet. It would be really difficult to share a kitchen and maintain the distance and I was wondering how it would work for catered halls (which more than half the accommodation is at St Andrews).

@Peaseblossom22 Travelodge are allowing free cancellations on all bookings, closest is Dundee (DS stayed there for his interview), but I booked Kinross as that is only an hour from St A so an easy journey in the morning and only £35/night per room. Although they say all accommodation will be available from 10am on the 5th, I actually think they will allocate timed slots for check in to manage the flow of people.

DS would really not be keen to only mix with Computer Science students (hope that doesn't offend anyone) although would obviously go with it if he had to. I'm not sure the bubbles would work though, there are some many combinations of subjects and modules etc and what happens with private rented flats and second year students etc. Seems a neat idea but not sure how practical it is - although I guess if they tried to do it to a certain extent it might reduce the amount of mixing a bit.

But I really think for those not keen to or not able to take a gap year we need to get away from 'they won't have the full experience' or won't be able to do x.y,z. They will still be living away from home for the first time, working things out with new people, learning new subjects in a different way which after a summer at home could be very exciting.

We’re trying to look on the bright side, too. DS is quite young for his age and wouldn’t be up for clubbing or partying, but living away from home rather more sedately will still be an adventure.

DS feeling positive too. He would have liked some parties and clubbing, wanted to join the chapel choir, but happy to settle for being at university and studying medicine after a gap year which did not really go to plan! They know that the interactions will not be what they were and will hopefully have a great time when universities are in a position to support re-Freshers when the world gets more normal.

I completely understand why Bubbles are being proposed, but I think they need to be bigger. If 4 year olds are in bubbles of 15 in a class, then I think they should look at bigger groups for 18 year olds.
To be totally honest I think Dd will hate living in a small Bubble! She will be on a course with few contact hours and (it seems) mainly girls.
To be living, working and socialising with the same group of girls all day every day will drive her potty,
Don’t get me wrong, she’s very girly and has close girl friends but she’s grown up with 2 brothers, and was in a school year group with more boys than girls, so has always had a mix of both in her friendship group.

DD has just had an email to say she has been made redundant from her part time job, her restaurant is not re opening. She kind of expected it but she is still gutted, as it’s part of a chain and she was hoping to get a transfer when she went to uni 😢

That’s a shame, Jufus! Which chain? I’ve heard Frankie and Benny’s restaurants won’t all open or Chiquito which is part of the same company.