University life for our soon to be Year 2 undergrads (2019 intake): social bubbles (bursting?), the new normal and hopefully no second wave

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Previous thread

Well done to your DD @Ginfordinner!

@justasking111, my friends met in their first week at uni and are still together 33 years later! They shared a house with others after halls in first year.

Well done to your DD @Ginfordinner.
DD gets hers in August. Her first month’s rent is due 15/7. She’s now not moving in until early September as nobody else wants to so she’s a bit disappointed. They are going on family hols in August or have jobs the whole summer. I break up next Friday and the thought of 6 weeks with two moping teens is not a happy prospect.

Congratulations to your DD Gin, no idea when my DS gets his results ... he doesn't talk about it much . He has got a job as a student ambassador for September which is good news as it is quite well paid. One person has dropped out of his flat share (only three sharing ) but they have two other flat mates to choose from. DS is doing one more week at his factory job, tough but he has earned ££££s and then back to a p/t job at a lovely pub which he did last Summer & much prefers. Still having to share my car, much to my annoyance but at least it makes me walk more!

DD is still doing the night shift at a supermarket but finding it hard going. Not sure if she’ll complete the 4 weeks but she’s not heard anything back from countless applications on Indeed so she needs to make as much as she can while she can. She’s feeling a bit hard done by with some well off friends who get everything paid for without working but that’s life I guess.

A few updates from here in the crazy US.

DD is now rebuilding computers as a summer job - the agency that she signed up with saw 'Computer Science major' on her application form and found her the job.

She's not going to be building Covid tests, which I'm quite happy about as they had an outbreak of Covid in the Covid-test-building lab...

Her university just announced that anyone arriving from these states must quarantine for two weeks upon arrival: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.

I have very little sympathy given what a shite job those states are doing of containing Covid.

The parents of students from those states are now whinging about the quarantine rules on the parents FB group - all I can think to say is 'Well, you could try things like social distancing and wearing masks and not welcoming Trump to indoor rallies and conventions and... you know... stuff that actually worked for everyone else.'

All students, wherever they come from, will get a Covid test upon arrival and will have to quarantine until they get a negative result - they expect results to take 24 hours so not too bad.

They're going to do very regular, random testing, and a lot of contact tracing.

I'm feeling more reassured now about her going back to college, considering students from all 50 states will be arriving around the same time.

Thank you Benji. My DS is loving the Harvard course, so much that he wants to reduce his hours at his job at Dunelm so he can focus on passing the assessment. I am shocked and proud as he is normally the laziest student ever.
Rags I am glad your DS is going back to NTU, my DS can't wait to get back. He applied for a student ambassador job but didn't get an interview, so well done to your DS.
I have started making lists of all the stuff he will need to take as lots went missing from his halls. Luckily his new accommodation is a studio, so hopefully will last for the next 2 years.

Ah I’m pleased for him and you @minesawine

Thank you everyone. DD's CFS isn't getting any better, and she is finding that if she does too much one day she is wiped out the next day.

I feel your DD's disappointment @Benjispruce. DD has just had a week in Newcastle with half of her new houseshare friends as they moved in last weekend. They have all gone home now, as has DD, but she is hoping that they move back in August so that they can enjoy some of the summer together before they have to knuckle down to some work.

@minesawine, that’s great your DS is enjoying studying!

My DS went up to Durham last weekend to move into their house but had to get the train back for work on Sunday Saying that, he is enjoying it , it’s good money and it looks like he will be working on the summer camp through the holidays. Which is just as well as all the students he knows in Durham seem to come from very wealthy backgrounds and are given huge allowances and top-ups whenever.
Plus it means he is out of the house and in a routine

I wonder if UK unis will do random covid testing and isolating overseas students upon arrival.

I suddenly thought tonight I wonder if DS should take some masks back with him, will they be expected for use of library, studio work. Checked the website absolutely no info. at all as yet.

I think they should test. I get tested every week at school and it’s peace of mind for everyone.

I would have thought the unis should be testing students, even if they do only do random sampling. I recall reading something the other day that the biggest rise in cases is in the 'invincible' under 25 age-group, so they potentially more at risk even if they don't generally get it as badly as older demographics.

You would have thought overseas students should self-isolate as a rule of thumb (although that would presumably require them to be in situe a fortnight before the start of term/academic year.

Apologies for the various typos in my previous post not fully awake

St Andrews are providing free accommodation (with a catering charge) for students who need to quarantine. They will also be issuing washable masks to students, but I will send DS with a few of his own. There are loads of patterns available on the internet if you like making things. DS1 now feels adult enough to have a nostalgic one made with train fabric we used for a PE bag a VERY long time ago!

Really? @Benjispruce I (not anyone at work) have never been tested at all and have been in since Easter
@justasking111, DD went back to Bristol with masks - just as well aa they are enforcing it far more firmly than here in London. I am making more today!

@Monkey2001 awwww!

DS has a 'Fantastic Mr Fox' one @Monkey2001, but sadly not recycled from something we already had reminder to try to brush up on sewing skills

Yes a governor runs a lab so we were very lucky.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18, love the idea of a Fantastic Mr Fox mask, might just have to google fun masks now.....

I just went a bit off-piste 'quirky' to lighten the whole mood. However, AIBU to now be thinking about wanting to match facemasks to outfits???? Not for the DC though - they can buy their own if so!

There’s a bra manufacturer that has started making masks. I got some nice ones a while back. Ms Pomelo was the brand- they don’t look like bras cups but they do use underwire in the nose area! Mine is black with white stars and the ties are black and shimmery. They also do leopard print You can tie them to fit which is better because the paper ones I got are too big for my little pea head!

They sound worth investigating @Benjispruce I had mine on with my sunglasses the other day and kept misting up! Have read that 'pinching' around the nose area is key to not having the issue!

"she’s not heard anything back from countless applications on Indeed"

Has anyone here had any success on Indeed? Are there just so many applications to each job that it's almost not worth applying? How are people managing to get summer jobs this year - word of mouth, replying to card in the window saying 'we're recruiting' (not seeing many of those!!). Or are there other internet portals? (I don't mean internships etc, just pub/restaurant, retail, cleaning etc.)

DD got the Sainsbury’s job via Indeed but that’s the only reply she had-probs as it was night shift. DD16 has heard nothing from her applicants. If you ask in a shop(not an independent) you get directed to their website so you can’t do the asking around thing anymore.

• applications