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

So do I Baytreemum

Testing may improve by September/October. Already if you go on a holiday to Iceland all travellers over 16 are tested for COVID on arrival and get the results within 24 hours. Other settings may do similar things and it would make sense for universities.

I have just seen some footage of the protests in London. No social distancing there. I wonder if the infection rate will increase in a couple of weeks' time?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52949014

I think the infection rate is already but yes such large gatherings will surely impact on numbers testing positive, I would have thought.

Certainly attending protests makes for an interesting experiment - feel sorry for the police without PPE and the unseated policeman as his/her horse cantered off down Whitehall .

DN went in the crowds at the protest .

Aha, here you are! Placemarking...

Found you. Place marking!
DD quite definitely planning on returning to Durham the first week of July to move into 2nd year house

Hello! Placemarking...

Has anyone's DC grown in height? DD is nearly 20, and was trying on some trousers she bought last year. She was disappointed to find that a couple of pairs are now too short.

That’s unusual Gin. I thought girls stopped growing when they start puberty?

I don't think it is that unusual. DSis carried on growing until she was 21!

Placemarking! Thanks NewModel for the new thread.

DS can't wait to get back to Durham - will probably be going back mid August and we won't see him again until Christmas.

He's been very good at abiding by the lockdown rules but will be keen to relax them considerably when he's back in Durham.

He hasn't been able to get a job but has been quite helpful at home, mastering the family shop and helping clean the house, skills I hope will serve him well when he moves into his new pad.

Thanks for the new site.

Off to NTU tomorrow to clear out the penicillin that my DS has cultivated in his room. Really looking forward to the trip because I love Nottingham. Shame I can have a wander around the shops like I usually do.

@minesawine lol at penicillin - still a damn good antibiotic

York have finally emailed to allow students to book slots when they can collect their belongings. Dd was originally hoping to move her stuff straight into her student house the first week of JUly but that’s not possible. Dh is suggesting she talk to her landlord to see if there is any way she can move it in the day he takes her over, which is 2 weeks earlier, if the current student have left early. What do people think? Even if it’s possible I’m apprehensive she might find herself taking on a dirty house that hasn’t been checked for damage etc, and then inherits the blame/loss of deposit down the line. Any other suggestions how she could leave stuff in York? The house will be overwhelmed as he brother’s stuff has to come back from London, and I’m shielding from everyone in the guest room, which is where we usually keep it all over the summer holidays.

@Dunlurking Dd is finding that letting agencies where she is are making it hard to move seamlessly from one house to another - eg having to vacate one house at noon but not being able to move into the new house until noon the following day. It may be that landlords want to do extra deep cleans due to COVID but it means that students will have to return home or stay with friends (which is not currently allowed). She is putting her belongs in storage & coming home for a few days, will then go back & move her things into the new house.

No email for DD here from York re belongings, she's checked a few times today.

When's the window of dates, Dunlurking?

Thanks for that @Decorhate. I wondered about the deep cleans - definitely would be happier if I thought one was happening. @DrMadelineMaxewell I think it’s just one week for all the colleges - week beginning 21st. Dd is in Halifax who emailed Friday to say booking for their slots opened today. Could be different colleges are opening their slots on a different day. You get a 3 hour window with the first at 9am, next 12, etc.

@decorhate Bath? DS has already paid rent for a half July but can move in from early August. Seems like his landlord at least has a 1 month gap between leaving and moving in.

Makes sense they’ll want time to clean/repair properties before the new batch, but makes it trickier for students - we’d hoped he could leave his stuff down there and just transfer from one place to the next. Now he’ll have to get storage or two trips to bring stuff back here temporarily

Checking in- thanks for new thread. Have 3 at uni and what has struck me is the very different approaches taken by each one to lockdown and work set/ exams. Will be interesting to see how they all compare in autumn.

Ds is Vanbrugh so maybe bottom of the alphabetical list for releasing dates.

@MrKlaw and @Decorhate I wouldn’t know where to start looking for storage for York but I’ll have a word with dh and see if he wants to try. Depends on the cost. @DrMadelineMaxwell that’s frustrating as you must want to plan, with it being less than 2 weeks away. Dh is on furlough until July so he’s free anytime, luckily. I can’t help because I’m shielding. Looking like he and ds will be going to London (Trinity Laban in Greenwich) the Saturday, coming back Sunday, and then York there and back Monday so hard work for him.

21st of what month? We will be limited on when we can make it up there and dont find strict windows really useful when you live 3 hours away and cant gauge traffic easily.