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

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

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Yeah I agree! Some of the Lincoln accommodation is lovely mind

@Piggywaspushed presumably the parents of the girl who dropped out are also guarantors? Are their contact details on the contract? They may not be aware of the situation, maybe you could contact them.

The friend of DS is a tantalising issue if you can see that it would probably suit him better but can't persuade the mum. I remember from university that after Freshers, once you get into societies, your friends are across the years and from the course, so the living with first years is not an issue - my roommate was one of my flatmates for 2nd and 3rd year, but I did not ever see any of the other people from my bit of accommodation. Did the mum go to university? Could you jog her memory? DS and his friends also see hall in first year as a rite of passage, but this year, with most of the first term likely to be on line they are going to be more reliant than usual on the people in their flat/corridor. Could you suggest to her that if there is a lock-down, it would be better for him to be with a known friend than a group of people who might become friends. Has the boy hooked up with any of the people in his flat on social media?

Yay! My clever DS got a 2.1 for his first year. I am so proud of him as I was a bit worried for a while because he is a lazy so and so.

Quick question: do students have to re-enrol for the 2nd year or is it an automatic transfer. Thanks

All good points monkey : no, none of his family went to uni. I think DS will just message him again and let him know it is still an offer.

The contact details of the guarantors aren't on the contract but they did all sign it so I'd like to think they know. After all if she found another place, they must be acting as guarantors again! She isn't quite a useless as DS makes out because she has at least told the lettings people.

Automatic enrolment to year 2, I am assuming!

Well done to your DS @minesawine. I am a bit anxious about DS for the same reasons but he's so far denied receiving his end of year result!

Congratulations to your DS Mine, as usual I find out more about the course from you than from my DS! (He is also a lazy so & so!).

Good point about re-enrolling, hadn't really thought about it.

That’s great @minesawine congratulations to him.
Apparently the oven seems to work at DD’s house.Will see how it goes.

Pleased to report my DS also got a 2.1 mine . He did ask how I knew the results were out .

Well done to your dc Ragwort and mineswine - DS has to wait until mid August for his. I sometimes wonder about Durham - it has a reputation for being a top uni but seems to rest on its laurels, always leaving its students waiting - whether that's for an offer or in this case, first year exam results.

Piggy, sorry to hear about your DS's house trouble.

Thanks everyone. Congrats to your DS Rags. What a year its been . I am going to read up about enroling (or not) later today and will send an update. My DS is desperate to get back to NTU and I want him home as long as possible, his studio is ready from 6 September but teaching starts on 5 October, and he has his birthday inbetween, so we are negotiating his return date.

I did ask to see the email from my DS about his results mine and there was a link to something about enrolment.. not that I could look at it for long before the phone was snatched back, there were also individual grades for each module which was interesting.

Our DS is not going back until end Sept ... I would be happy for him to go back sooner ... all getting a bit strained here and I would like my car back .

@Jano69
Dd's just given me the news that the 2nd and 3rd year maths are sending panic waves through the first years as they've marked their exams down around 20%. So people who saw their result and thought they were on for a 2:1 have just scraped a pass.

However the retakes for 1st years were due less than a week after the results are going to be out, and dd says they've now taken that off the diary, so at least they will hopefully have a bit of time to prepare.

Universities facing wipe-out if China bans its students from coming to the UK to study Some top universities in that list.

For those whose DC haven't had to do anything after they were sent home, and aren't self studying, September is going to be quite a shock. Mine isn't the only one, is he?

That's concerning Witchend. You'd think they'd be lenient with marking given we're in a pandemic.

DS hopes he's on track for a 2:1 but perhaps he's in for a shock!

Interesting share NewModel, shouldn't really come as a surprise but it's still worrying to see those big names listed. Looks like higher education is going to be subject to massive changes.

That's concerning Witchend. You'd think they'd be lenient with marking given we're in a pandemic. Is this to do with being marked down for 'open book' exams? I've always heard that although they seem an easier gig students are expected to do much better with the resources they've been able to use. I wonder whether lots of students just don't study as well from home and that's an issue? DS did some of his last coursework assignment essays hunched up in a tiny bedroom space (his sister having taken over his room) and I couldn't for the life of me see how he could produce quality work like that (remains to be seen whether he did or not!)

At least with first years, it's not as if their end of year results count towards their finals though.

Yes, I think it was to do with being open book, but apparently some of the 2nd and 3rd years thought they were on for 2:1s and found they were marked down.

Eeek @Witchend, I wonder if that will apply to all Durham students.

DS has just chosen his modules for next year - hope he won’t have to resit anything first

I can't access that link. Which universities are at risk?

I can’t access it either, think you need to subscribe to The Times.

I thought Bath said there was a no detriment thing applying. Slightly worried as DS did scrape through initial tests. Was fairly ok with the actual exams (maths)

He also has a retake expected as he missed one due to messing up the dates. I think they're mid-August but results aren't until end of July.

Eek @Witchend that doesn’t sound good About the maths. My DD really struggled to revise from home and didn’t really find the exams easy at all. She was working on a 40% pass mark so if they are marked down she might fail. We can only wait and see I guess.

Our DS is not going back until end Sept ... I would be happy for him to go back sooner ... all getting a bit strained here and I would like my car back grin.

Similar here! We have 6 people fighting over 3 cars

"Nine UK universities depend on Chinese students for more than 20% of their income from tuition fees. University College London tops the list compiled by this newspaper, with 6,245 students paying an estimated £127m, followed by Manchester University, with 5,605 students delivering £110m, and Liverpool, with 5,550 students paying £89m." [Also named in the article are Imperial, Liverpool, Glasgow, Sheffield, Warwick, Leeds and Edinburgh]

Sorry that some of you can't access the link but I've cut and pasted 'the bottom line' paragraph above. That doesn't necessarily mean they are the most at risk ones in other ways though, but just to show that it's not just the low ranking ones that have issues!