University 2020 :9: And they're off, making hay while the sun shines.

[MillicentMartha]

New thread, trying to be upbeat!

Old thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3996883-University-2020-8-Use-the-CAGs-don-t-use-the-CAGs?pg=40

@sammyjoanne - you can tell your daughter she is famous. DS told me yesterday about the house he had heard about that turned every room into a different themed bar. He was impressed, and I think his flat will copy! Could catch on....

@choirmumoftwo hope dd is ok.
@WellWoman I think it has already caught on about the themed bars in rooms! Ds said he did that on sat too, his room was a 'live lounge' and he played his guitar for everyone. I was happy to hear that as he's not been brave enough to play to his housemates Before then. Think they did arctic monkeys karaoke!

@choirmumoftwo my DD is on migrane meds for the past couple of years. something or other beginning with a P. She was going to go sort the login for online services at the doctors for a repeat prescription but then isolation hit the house. She's registered, but just needs that bit to do. Sorry to hear your DD is positive, but hope she gets better soon. Comforting to know she has have food coming in to keep her going :)

@WellWoman lol. Its caught on I think. The Tab published an article about how a house in Lancaster city turned their rooms into the bars on campus. 'Fyldes' was beer pong.
I cant show you the photos she sent me as she wants them to be kept private, but think 'selfie for 12 people' and trying to cram everyone into one screen lol. How all 12 got into 1 room ill never know. It was her friends birthday (who is on the same floor as her) on the Friday. It started of with Mini golf in the kitchen, then Cha cha slide and other party dances. There was balloons and bunting in the kitchen. Then onto each room which has a different feel to it, where they played games like 'never have I ever'. DD was a chill/vibe room since her fairy lights are blue. DD doesn't drink but she said 10 out of the 12 was very blotto at the end of it all.
As her household does not come out until next Monday, they plan do to something else next weekend.

@specialted that's an amazing idea that he played his music. I bet all the others really appreciated that :)

So happy to read all the stories...my ds has had such bad lunch with the household he is in - all very anti social and no fun at all during self isolation ..none of them coming out of their rooms ..it feels like he is the only one who is having this experience

@Sarbarcel that's really unlucky for your ds. How many are in his flat? Hopefully once out of isolation he can join some clubs and meet some more sociable people. From what I can gather I don't think he's alone in that kind of situation

@sammyjoanne the GP was excellent with DD. She got a same day telephone review on Friday morning and had her prescription delivered that afternoon due to self-isolation.
She's had a pretty rough time health wise over the last 18 months so we're even more proud of how she's coping just now. Good housemates help of course!

@choirmumoftwo Thats pretty good :) DD medication doesnt run out until Early November, she got 2 months worth the last time, so she should be out to pick it up from the pharmacy, but still reminded her she needs to contact them to get at least the first lot sorted.

@Sarbarcel thats such a shame that all of them are antisocial. I hope its just because your DS flat are being cautious they dont catch it, and then when they come out of isolation they will be more social.

If it was just the one in our DD flat thats got it and the others have not got symptoms, im sure the situation would be the same, where they would be staying in their rooms and being more careful.
In DD's case they all think they have got it/had it all in a short space of time between them all (1 of them tested positive and a lot of have had no taste symptoms, or had general unwellness) so they think theres no point of them separating.

DS has managed to register with the GP and request his repeat prescription, so he just needs to get it approved and then collect it.

He also found a barber and booked an appointment. He has the type of hair that when it gets too long just sticks up at all angles (as he discovered during lockdown).

@Ironoaks I wonder how long it takes to get the repeat approved? hope its not too long

DD has managed to get her first repeat prescription via Lancaster GP but she uses Pharmacy2U app on her phone which is proving very reliable as she has quite a bit of regular medication to take. Meds usually turn up within a week of ordering online once you are registered - Pharmacy2U will contact GP for prescription and then despatch.

@sammyjoanne - he is in the routine of putting in the request when he has 7 days left. At his home surgery it was always approved within 2 working days, and the prescription is sent electronically to his preferred pharmacy.

@Ironoaks DD used an online service at home and delivered to pharmacy. She sent the form in to enroll at the campus doctors, so just got to get a prescription sorted :)

@Nettleskeins have you looked at Amazon deliveries to "Amazon pick-up locations" - may be easier than collection from reception. Lots of universities have Amazon lockers.

@specialted DS would have been there with the Arctic Monkey karaoke. he was briefly he singer for a school band doing some of their own stuff and indie covers. Has not found anything like that at St Andrews, he was lucky enough to get a choral scholarship, but it is very different and much less fun!

@Monkey2001 ds did exactly the same at school! He too is looking to continue at uni but because of restrictions hasn't found anything like that yet. I guess he can just entertain his flat mates til them. Apparently their neighbouring flat said they could hear him playing so hope it wasn't too loud!

Looks like Nighclub Glow had a brief spell of closure due to tier 3, but has now reopening on Wednesday due to them now offering various types of pizza and sides, so it classes as a substantial meal. DD will be pleased. she went twice on freshers week and loved it. Looking at the photos on facebook, they do have perspex barriers seperating the tables of 6 .
www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=GlowNightclubLancaster&set=a.2317317021747503 DD is in this album :D

So everyone, whats are your DC studying and how are they finding the course with it predominantly on line now?

Medicine here and he is lucky that he has a few F2F sessions a week and more coming after the current reading week. He absolutely loves the course which is just as well as the social life is very underwhelming. He has an exam on Monday, so will get a feel for how he is doing soon.

DS is doing Natural Sciences. His teaching is divided equally between four departments. He has 20-25 hours of teaching time a week (practicals are on a two week timetable), a quarter of which is face to face. Then about the same again spent on assignments and self-directed learning.

He found it difficult to get to grips with the teaching format at first, but that might have been because it's all new, rather than because most of it is online.

He is enjoying the supervisions (one teacher to two students) and those practicals which are in person.

@Monkey2001 wow an exam already hope he does well :) Medicine and to have f2f sessions, its just nice to speak to people in person, so must be a welcome break for him.
@Ironoaks Natural Sciences I bet itspretty full on course of the wide range of sciences to cover. DD shares a townhouse with someone who does natural sciences.

DD does Physics, Particle Physics and Cosmology 4 years integrated masters. She has about 20 hours of teaching time and 20 hours of independant learning and problem sheets. The 20 hours of teaching comprises of lectures, seminars, workshops and labs. Everything is on line, with the exception of labs. Labs are 3 hours a week and has 1 week in person, and 1 week on line. So in person is just 3 hours per fortnight. She would liked to have more f2f teaching like the small teaching workshops. She loves the course and the lecturers have been brilliant. One lecturer plays the ukulele at the end of the session to entertain the ones self isolating which is great.

She did join a physics group at lancaster on whatsapp back in April and they chatted on zoom so they all saw each other for once a week every week leading up to September. But at the start of the term and freshers it died down a bit, but now more and more people are going into self isolation, they have started it back up again so they all have someone to talk to and also share physics problems with. Since they are in tier 3 and cant meet, apart from going for a walk or sat in a park or somewhere outside 2 meters away, I think its a good idea they keep up the socialising and stops loneliness, despite it being online.

@sammyjoanne - that's good that she can get together virtually with other physics students. Sometimes it helps to talk through a problem you're stuck on; someone else might have thought of a different approach. DS is doing Physics, Chemistry and Materials Science this year (and Maths, which is compulsory). His physics practicals alternate between face-to-face in the lab and online.

@Ironoaks which uni is your DS studying at? I always assumed natural sciences was just phys, chem and bio. To have maths and material sciences as well, thats pretty full on :)

@sammyjoanne - he is at Cambridge. They do four courses in the first year: maths plus three experimental sciences. He says it is a bit more work than studying four A-levels, and he has found that he needs to be very organised with his schedule.

Dgd has 2 formal assessments on 2nd November. She's doing neuroscience and psychology. Her first coursework to go towards final first year grade. First exams December.

Workload massive Dgd says. She's been working on computer code all day. ( She has never done CS but has to use computer code as part of research methods). Only just finished learning about one code in particular!! Funny how unis assume u know these things b4 u go to uni!