University experience is awful at the moment

[Cupcakke]

DD moved into university on Saturday. The rules are very stringent, both campus bars are closed, the university library has very little capacity and the restaurant is take away only. There are virtually no freshers events in person.

Her flat mates are very shy and not very social and she is in a small flat.

Large gatherings keep occurring but the penalty for this is very severe so DD very cautious not to attend these.

She is essentially watching Netflix in her room. I fear for the loneliness. The online events she has attended are poorly attended and just very boring.

Teaching starts next week and her In person contact hours are just 4 hours a week.

Anyone else’s dc thinking this years university experience is non existent.

Here's a perspective of another part-time MSc student who's endured online learning for a few months and thankfully finished the course. Unfortunately I didn't have as good experience as middleeasternpromise did recently with his/her MSc. The six hours of contact time we had every week, lectures and seminars, went online from the end of March to the end of the semester and it was on the whole an awful experience. It doesn't, and never will come close to being as effective face-to-face but I guess it's largely to do with my subject - psychotherapy. Some students' internet connections weren't strong so they frequently cut out or freeze, there's usually audibility issues, and as a PP said, a lot of students don't like turning their cameras on. Tutors seemed disengaged, had no interest in being creative and also had tech issues. The whole online process is just so disengaging and distracting and I foundit inhibits students' opinions compared to being face-to-face (again, probably subject related to an extent).And my God is it tiring!

I still get the uni comms and right up until two weeks ago the uni was sending regular emails saying they were committed to blended learning for all courses however I know that for the first and second year students on my now former course it will now be online only for at least the first term. Face-to-face contact is essential for psychotherapy and absolutely not suitable to be done all online - my university, however, think otherwise.I don't think drop out rates in general this academic year are going to be any higher than usual - what's the point coming home to mill around looking for a job in the worst recession we're experiencing for decades? Certainly if Covid was going back on in the year I did my first degree I'd still have gone to get away from my generally useless family, my crappy hometown and the provincial and dead atmosphere.

My home circs back when I was an undergrad were far from ideal but at least I had some sort of family who fed me. My heart breaks for those who went to uni this month from the care system or are estranged from their families - where are they going to go for support if they drop out entirely or they want to give up their uni digs because it's not worth the money now, or even if they just want a weekend break from being on campus and give theirmental health a boost?

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jul/20/all-my-safety-nets-went-overnight-how-covid-19-is-isolating-student-care-leavers

I think Unis will be regarded as the second wave cockup. Just as care homes was the first wave. What we are seeing is the beginning of Covid ripping through the halls of residence and now the govt is stuck and soon there will probably be hundreds of cases. They Probably can’t send students home now as don’t know who is infected and could just spread it across the country so they will probably try to contain students by restricting their movements even more, effectively locking them up in their halls. But for how long? Unlike the care homes where residents were generally happy to stay put students are not going to be quite so amenable especially if they are all stuck around twiddling their thumbs watching online sessions And are restricted from meeting up in halls. They need to start setting Covid testing stations at every uni now otherwise who knows how this is going to play out especially if students have no choice but to interact outside student residences due to hall of residence rules. I think the govt may have no choice but to intervene regarding uni finances, accommodation costs and online provision for students soon

Quite right, stirmecrazy - and the UCU have warned for weeks that what we are seeing now is exactly what would happen if we didn't go online in Term 1. But the government chose not to listen and pretend they couldn't see the inevitable coming.

It's utter incompetence on behalf of the government once again and the Universities should have insisted on lab and testing facilities on site before opening. Even a temperature testing sensor on site would have been better than nothing.

I say it's utter incompetence but who knows this may have been planned but the consequences not fully understood. My understanding is that they are considering mass vaccine of fit and healthy youngsters, then physically letting them come into contact with Covid in January.

They knew it was going to happen, and thankfully for most who catch it in halls they'll be absolutely fine. At my old uni they have quite a few cases, but all were asymptomatic and caught in the random testing they have in place (test site on campus and another locally).The obvious challenge is protecting the local communities and when they travel home and stay with family etc. Ultimately I guess travelling home is going to be a choice families have to make for themselves, if you have someone vulnerable in the household then you'll have to weigh the risks, or try and make a space where they can actually isolate on returning. It isn't really a fair comparison with care homes, they were sent to die and to kill others effectively, and those who made the decisions that led to that should be held to account.

www.portsmouth.co.uk/education/university-portsmouth-sets-covid-19-testing-centre-staff-and-students-without-symptoms-2976480

the Universities should have insisted on lab and testing facilities on site before opening

Some universities have. Result within 12 hours.

I suspect it’s only a matter of time before some halls and colleges shut.

dreamingbohemian you play the music through the computer audio.

Zoom allows this I think.

There is a HUGE difference at the moment between
Campus
and Non Campus Unis
as Campus ones can keep the kids away from locals
they can set up events away from locals
also
low rise halls are easier to manage cross contamination
than high rise

And sadly the blinkered eejits in the decision making tree all think that everywhere is like Oxford or Cambridge or Durham
Manchester Metropolitan is not even on their radar

listening I think the problem collegiate universities have is their huge reliance on local staff, often women.

Once you lose a small % of those staff members to illness, self isolation, or their kids being off school, the colleges are fucked.

DD is about to go up for her third year. She will have friends on her corridor and has worked out how she can meet those who aren’t. She quite liked on-line learning March to June and managed to get her differently structured exams in.

She needs a break from home even if her College does lock down. The alternative is to intermit a year with no gap job and no gap travel. DS starts a PhD at the same uni.

If the 18-25 age group get it at uni then at least that’s a goodly number for immunity. Their uni is testing weekly I understand.

Re Christmas - what would be wrong with collecting them in a private car and bringing them home where we all would self isolate for 14 days.

Deafening silence from ministers on universities. So many salient points made by posters that won't have been considered.
Only hope is if the universities will set up their own test and track systems.

@OhTheRoses

DD is about to go up for her third year. She will have friends on her corridor and has worked out how she can meet those who aren’t. She quite liked on-line learning March to June and managed to get her differently structured exams in.

She needs a break from home even if her College does lock down. The alternative is to intermit a year with no gap job and no gap travel. DS starts a PhD at the same uni.

If the 18-25 age group get it at uni then at least that’s a goodly number for immunity. Their uni is testing weekly I understand.

Re Christmas - what would be wrong with collecting them in a private car and bringing them home where we all would self isolate for 14 days.

I assume the issue is the risk of the students passing it to vulnerable family members. Plus the fact they will simply be spreading it back to their home towns. However I don't foresee many students or their families complying with this if it were made an official rule. And how would it be enforced?

My Dgd went to uni last Sunday. She is in flat if 6 each with ensuite room and shared kitchen dining area. She already made contact with 3 flatmates via accomodation chat before going and other 2 came Sunday. All get on very well and all by Monday had decided to follow rules if no one else in flat other than them no parties in flat and generally all be careful about social distancing. They have been out together shopping, going to only fresher's meet and greet actually not on line, been to museums and on walkabout in London sightseeing. Study although not officially starting till 28th had started and as most us online learning where she will be sitting in room alone doing it is like isolation in itself.
Although she has been very lucky in finding responsible and nice flatmates I feel reading through thread that people seem to think that their DC hard done by this year. Not everyone's a party goer, not everyone goes to uni for social life. Surely even in these times you go seek a social life even though difficult. My Dgd shy and quiet but has made friends outside her bubble by just going on line joining groups meeting in communal garden socially distanced, playing pool etc. So I don't see what problem is. If they have to isolate so be it. Nowt anyone can do about that and surely they will be so busy with work they won't notice!

The unis DO have testing ready - which is why so many tests are happening!

Staff, commuting students etc will also be spreading the virus - even locking up all the 18 year olds won’t stop this. There is no easy solution.

Just got to live with virus and accept that you've got to live with it and that, I think , is what people have difficulty in accepting.

@catpoooffender if they come home in a private car and if DH and I aren't vulnerable and all 4 of us self isolate I don't see what the issue would be. DH and I would be will to risk catching it but containing it.

My daughter is in Scotland and has been in isolation for over a week as her halls flat has positive cases. Luckily she gets on with her flatmates but been hard stuck indoors with people she had only know 2 weeks. She's stuck to the rules too.

@Newgirls - some uni's have testing. Mostly those with med schools and significant science related specialities to afford them the required lab use.

[quote OhTheRoses]@catpoooffender if they come home in a private car and if DH and I aren't vulnerable and all 4 of us self isolate I don't see what the issue would be. DH and I would be will to risk catching it but containing it.[/quote]
Sure but what are the chances that everyone will do that? And besides, it's not only vulnerable people who get seriously ill with Covid.

I'm not saying I agree with this idea by the way. I can just see the logic behind it.

Yes roses - many are more organised than major cities

@catpoooffender 100% otherwise it wouldn't be countenanced. I know my family thank you.

Thanks everyone for all the music advice 😊

The amount of work students are expected to do varies a lot from university to university and from course to course. A lot of students have a lot of spare time, which will be hard to fill if they're not able to work or to socialise.