Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Higher education

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

Original poster

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

975 replies

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 04/06/2020 11:39

Previous thread

OP posts:
Witchend · 18/08/2020 10:41

@mum2eim

DD passed, cautiously pleased with her marks, but they don't know if they're raw marks or whether they're scaled. If they're scales she's pleased, if not scaled then she suspects they're a bit lower on average than she likes. That style of exam suits her though as she's slow and careful.

Bit of drama though. Our internet (local area) was off last night and when we got up this morning. Dh then needed to go to work as he can't wfh without internet. He says he'll take the car. I say he can't because if we don't have internet she can't get her results, so we'll need to go somewhere she can.. He says cheerfully that she can email them to him, and he'll let her know. I told him no, and dropped him off.

bigTillyMint · 18/08/2020 10:43

Well done to Durham students with results! DS said his would be released at 1 Confused

Witchend · 18/08/2020 10:46

@Ingles2
Well done to him, he beat dd by a small margin. Is he maths too? If he is does he know if the marks have been scaled?

DD says for the maths course they've been told that lectures are online next term, tutorials are face to face (with masks) but they don't have to attend if they don't want to, and if people want to stay at home and work online only that's fine.

Witchend · 18/08/2020 10:50

@bigTillyMint

They're doing it subject by subject. Glad dd wasn't late I was more worried than her. Grin
One word of comfort for anyone who is worried about failing: For maths I believe they contacted around a month ago if you'd failed any, to give you longer to prepare for resits.

simbobs · 18/08/2020 11:24

Afaik DD (final yr) has online lectures for Semester 1, which ends at the end of January, but will have 1 contact session per week. She does not know whether she will find this stimulating enough to get all of the work done.

DS (2nd yr) has no clue because he doesn't read messages and is happy to be blissfully unaware at this point in time; after all, it isn't imminent. Online only will not suit him at all, and as his was one of the unis that gave the first years a shoo-in to second year he has never done any online work, and zilch since mid March.He really needs a robust restart if he is to get anything done. I am trying not to worry already...

Ingles2 · 18/08/2020 11:47

@Witchend ds2 is currently theoretical physics but wants to transfer onto Natural Sciences- Maths with Physics, which is only an option from 2nd yr with at least 60% in 1st yr exams. He didn't get marks at all just percentages per module and an overall..
the paper he sat whilst he was unwell dragged his overall right down, so I think he's secretly very pleased and I'm very relieved he's not heading for more anxiety...feel ridiculously happy actually but mainly relieved... he's had such a bad time lately.
I booked a 'eat out to help out ' pub for dinner tonight, just incase... mussels and chips, here I come!!

Witchend · 18/08/2020 12:06

@Ingles2
Glad he's pleased, and the paper he sat didn't make a difference to the overall too badly.

DD's now heard marks from some of her friends, and they've got ridiculously high marks-one got 97% on one paper, and so thinks she's done terribly. Sad
I don't think she's done terribly, and she does have some very clever friends, but I know she's found it very difficult and it would have been nice for her to feel reassured.
The on-line exams also are good for her as she's a very slow worker so she knows she'll generally do worse in normal exams.

Original poster
NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 18/08/2020 12:12

Well done to all the Durham undergraduates who've done so well.

OP posts:
Ingles2 · 18/08/2020 12:30

oh what a shame @witchend ... :( I guess you can only remind her that comparison is the thief of joy , poor thing! the pressure they place on themselves...

Ginfordinner · 18/08/2020 13:12

Turner Court sounds great @LaBelleSauvage123.
Park View was ideal for DD as it is next to the medical school. Obviously she has further to travel now she is in Jesmond, but as lectures will be all online for the foreseeable future she won't have to go in on many days.

bigTillyMint · 18/08/2020 13:32

@Witchend Sad

DS is through to second year - phew!

simbobs · 18/08/2020 13:36

Only today has DS been told that he will have to pay the rent for the 3rd term of 1st year after all. We had heard nothing since handing back the keys in April, and had made a case for not paying, but the building owner disagreed. As DS has been unable to find a job, and went on holiday with his gf (which was meant to have been funded by her family, but they underestimated the costs) he no longer has sufficient funds to pay it.

DH is furious and unwilling to make up the shortfall. I am annoyed at DS because I asked him to seek clarification weeks ago, and to pay up if necessary. However, if gf family hadn't paid for this holiday he would not have had to make up their budgetary shortfall. He could have the arrears factored into next year's rent, but that would leave him short until Easter.

It doesn't augur well for going back 😞

mum2eim · 18/08/2020 13:37

Congratulations @Ingles2 @Witchend on your DC fabulous results. I was a bit shocked at the 97% that some students got!
I think we were just relieved DD passed (reasonably well) given she was pretty much absent in term 2.

Original poster
NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 18/08/2020 13:42

@simbobs that's a total PITA for your DS :-(.

OP posts:
mum2eim · 18/08/2020 13:55

@simbobs that’s dreadful particularly as the key was handed back in April. Is there anything in the contract? You’d think there would be an exception given the coronavirus

simbobs · 18/08/2020 14:05

@Mumtoelm, they say (with justification) that it would be unfair on those who did pay. Their initial argument was that the students could live there if they chose to, and some did as they were unable to go home. It did not occur to me to prevent him from coming home, and he was finding it difficult to find food in the area where he lived. He wants to go back to the same place, but will have to pay before they will accept his booking. I'm just annoyed that they didn't demand payment sooner. Then he would have known where he stood.

Benjispruce2 · 18/08/2020 14:12

Hi everyone, slight name change as tech issues.Well done fellow Durhamies(was anyone else a Durany?Blush)DD delighted with an average of 73% from her first year results. Hoping our winning streak lasts until Thursday for DD2 but at least the grades will be relating to her and not some algorithm.

Witchend · 18/08/2020 14:30

Well done @Benjispruce2 and good luck on Thursday. We're in the same position.

@simbobs
That is dreadful. Dd hasn't spent the money she's saved (although it's currently paying her rent at the house she isn't living in) but that would be an awful shock, and especially at the moment when jobs are hard to find. Hope you get it sorted.

simbobs · 18/08/2020 15:24

Thanks @witchend, me too. He has a couple of options, but he has to start taking responsibility. Hard to believe that they are adults now, for them as well as for us. Half the problem may be that he isn't used to slumming it!

Witchend · 18/08/2020 15:26

@simbobs
Students don't do slumming it now. I say to dd we considered luxury was being offered blankets when you were sleeping on the village hall in midwinter. They now think it's a hardship if there isn't a swimming pool in the hotel. Grin

bigTillyMint · 18/08/2020 15:27

Well done @Benjispruce2!

That is very poor of the landlord @simbobs - sounds v unfair

SchrodingersKitty · 18/08/2020 16:00

Hi All
Just checking in. Haven't been back for ages as I first had suspected covid (before lockdown) for 40 days, then in March DH fainted and broke his leg, then the next day we got news that he did have central nervous system lymphoma and it was terminal. Since then we have been hunkered down. He is now bedridden and very confused. DS is helping me care for him and it is extremely difficult and more exhausting than I could possibly imagine.

DS reached the decision a few days ago that he was going to ask to interrupt his studies for next year. His tutors at Oxford got back to him straight away and have been really supportive, so that's one weight off our minds. I can't see any way that he would have been able to focus on work - he hasn't been able to do any of the piles of vacation reading and essays for the last few weeks. This way he gets time with his dad, and time to grieve and to - hopefully - recover somewhat. Our next year will look very strange, but no stranger than this one, I suppose. At least we can hope that things will be back to normal covid-wise at uni when he finally starts his second year.

Ginfordinner · 18/08/2020 16:03

Oh @SchrodingersKitty. I'm so sorry to hear this. My thoughts are with you Flowers

Witchend · 18/08/2020 16:03

@Ingles2 sorry, just saw your message.

Yes, I agree, but she's always been hard on herself. She went from thinking if it had been moderated then she had a 1st to thinking she's close to the bottom.

She's also very aware that she is a slow worker, and these exams suited her. I think she probably has some form of slow processing, and she agrees. But when the school went to test, rather than thinking (as dd2 would) "actually I want the extra time so I'll go slow" she thought "it isn't fair if I get it and shouldn't so I better go as fast as I can." And only just missed the timed cut off. Hmm Which is absolutely her all the way!

So she's (in her head) moderated it down to be about 50%, which is scraping a 2:2 and thinking that she's going to do far worse next year and the year after because they'll be timed exams.

She thinks she'll move to Newcastle because apparently they've announced next summer exams will be the same as this year. Grin

Oh well! Dd2's a completely different kettle of fish. She'd have been just pleased to have passed and not bothered by how much because it didn't matter. Which is much less stressful in some ways, but far more stressful in getting any work out of the wretched child... she takes after me Blush whereas dd1 takes after dh.

Jano69 · 18/08/2020 16:04

DS got an average of 70% for his modules so through to the second year. Well done to all the other Durham undergraduates on this thread.

Simbobs that sounds dreadful.

Good luck to those of you waiting for gcse results tomorrow.

DD Y12 is concerned they'll be limited places available at the unis she wants for this time next year. What a palaver.