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.

I'm a mature student too like PP and so far my induction week has been shit. There's been no face to face sessions timetabled at all for this term and despite the course leaders and staff clearly trying their best online there's next to no engagement from the younger students.

If it's bad for me at home with DH and the kids, I dread to think how the young people in halls are feeling.

@monkeyonthetable

In fairness, no University is throwing everything on line for the heck of it. Most of us would much rather be teaching F2F than online. My department spent the whole of the summer trying to make socially distanced F2F teaching work for our students, but we've had to cut it to the bone. With the room capacities resulting from social distancing, even in our biggest lecture theatre we'd have to run each of our first year lectures 8 times. That's (a) too expensive in staff time and (b) not workable for the timetable because multiplied across the University it results in far more classes than we have rooms.

Which is not to say it's not rubbish for the students. It's awful. I agree. But we're certainly not moving to online teaching on a whim.

Tricky isn't it, as there isn't a vast amount for them to do if they come home either.Less jobs etc etc.Its a shit show for this years cohort.

Poor kids this is horrendous. My eldest is only 14 but I would be desperately worried about him in these circumstances.

DS is struggling too.

We are moving house and will be half an hour from him rather than the three hours we are now. We are going to see the new house n a few days and I messaged him to see if we wanted to come and he said no as it would just make him want to come home. He’s in a flat with others. There were some Freshers events on but the good stuff sold out really quickly and the other stuff nobody wants to do.

I’m worried about it. He sounds very down. I’m hoping to speak to him tomorrow. We will see how it goes over the next few weeks. Really hoping it improves.

It’s so shit for them. Supposed to be such an exciting time.

@FurryGiraffe - I appreciate that it's really difficult. But Freshers seem to be being left to their own devices too much. Why not have 2nd years with visors and/or masks to welcome them? Why not do rule of six mixers each night during Freshers week so by the end of the week they have at least met 41 other people? Or rule of six picnic lunches with their course mates? Or put on an outdoor cinema or something just so they don't feel they have been fleeced out of ££££ for accommodation they don't need because they aren't actually being taught in situ and have zero opportunities to meet their fellow students. Unis get a hell of a lot of money from students now and I know they don't spend it on the teaching salaries. They need to invest in the people who are funding them - the students.

My DD has just been out for a walk. Nothing else to do tonight as flatmates are either locked in their rooms or out looking for a party ( they've had an email today warning them of police and sanctions if caught - local lockdown)
She's taken a photo of her department and sent it to me. I remember on the open day she laughed nervously as we walked inside and said "ooo this is where the smart people get to go". Who knows when she's actually going to set foot inside now.

I really think they need to make larger bubbles like senior schools. I think a lot of them will drop out if this continues. Socially cut off students like this require much much more online contact,especially in smaller study groups, not less.

I worry for DD too. Just lots of student living away from home for the first time and no adults about at all. Personally question if universities should just have cut their fees and done it all online rather than putting lots of young adults in accommodation and pretend they are at university. Seems to be only for the money.

That Guardian article suggests drop out rates will be due to students being too poor as there will be few casual jobs around, and being out of practise at learning after months of lockdown. But I think the drop out rate will be due to the appalling levels of isolation and the crushing realisation that this is not what they worked so hard for for years - the uni experience they are having bears no resemblance to what they were promised. I won't put any pressure on either of my DC to stay if they want to drop out and try again later.

DS in second year a flat of 7 in halls, him his girlfriend and a girl who arrived and went home again says she will be back when lectures start. Two others checked their luggage in and disappeared a week ago, international students god knows where they have got to. So it is just DS and girlfriend with a huge flat. Luckily his old school friends who took a gap year so started this year are in his building. They are a support group of 4 now. It is mad girlfriend online until mid November then nothing . DS three hours a week in studio rest online.

I honestly do not know how many will drop out I would expect a lot why spend so much money to be so miserable.

Personally question if universities should just have cut their fees and done it all online rather than putting lots of young adults in accommodation and pretend they are at university. Seems to be only for the money.

@MrsMcMuffins - yes, it does. I hate how unis have been restructured towards a business model. It sucks. Teaching staff and students - the reason for unis' existence are the lowest priorities.

DD moved in last week. Her timetable is entirely online, all clubs and societies cancelled and no freshers events. Her Halls are catered, so there is no shared area or kitchen in which to socialise. At mealtimes, all meals are takeaway and provided in foil trays, with students encouraged to take them back to their rooms.

It is really hard to make friends in these circumstances.

In addition, her rent includes cleaning but that has now been withdrawn, and the reception desk will no longer be taking in letters or parcels.

It's shit, and not what was offered when we signed the accommodation contract. I know staff are working hard, and I know there are still overheads and costs to pay, but none of this is our kids' faults either and they're paying £15000 at least for tuition and accommodation that is a nonsense compared to previous years.

More importantly, they're lonely snd isolated and nobody really seems to care or have even a willingness to address it.

It does seem to be only for the money.

I think I’ll do some research tomorrow and see what exactly is meant to have happened. And if they’ve just been left to their own devices with a list of things they can’t do I won’t be impressed. They had to be there by Monday. DS went a few days before.

I know it’s bloody hard and a freaking unusual time but they kind of knew that and should have had plans in place. At this stage I’m hoping they get sent home.

My ds went up last week and socially he's okish in that he's in a flat of 7 and the others are all nice - I'm very, very sorry to hear some of the stories above 😔 - but the online teaching thing is untenable for his subject. Also, he was asked to pay huge amounts to join the uni gym and uni rugby club (£500!) and now gym shutting and no sports fixtures but they won't refund a lot of it as it's for kit (for fixtures they won't play). I'm afraid I agree that the universities haven't been very honest about what they can realistically offer and have allowed our children to take out huge loans and move into bare flats miles from home where they can sit in their rooms alone trying to make sense of a load of pre-recorded lectures. I know it's not the universities' fault that this has happened but it would have been better to keep freshers at home this term I think.

rawlikesushi
That is appalling, your poor dd.

Online teaching not good for meeting people. There’s no two ways about that. But pedagogically some of the online courses I’ve seen d3veloped are amazing. And I’v3 held seminars this week with really engaged students and good discussion. Online doesn’t automatically mean crap. And, frankly, a room with only a few people in, windows wide open, and everyone wearing masks and facing the same direction is not optimal either.

I'm hoping for a new lock-down so DS can just walk away from this shitshow and just come home.

In, a week ago Saturday.

1.5 hours contact time, since then. In a flat with 5 girls who, despite not knowing anything about him, have attempted the girly, exclusionary (to a boy) 'bonding thing'.

I e just had a look at the freshers stuff on offer for DS. Some things seem ok but sold out quickly. Other offerings were cupcake decorating (he’s not 6!) and on line yoga.

@MrsEricBana

My ds went up last week and socially he's okish in that he's in a flat of 7 and the others are all nice - I'm very, very sorry to hear some of the stories above 😔 - but the online teaching thing is untenable for his subject. Also, he was asked to pay huge amounts to join the uni gym and uni rugby club (£500!) and now gym shutting and no sports fixtures but they won't refund a lot of it as it's for kit (for fixtures they won't play). I'm afraid I agree that the universities haven't been very honest about what they can realistically offer and have allowed our children to take out huge loans and move into bare flats miles from home where they can sit in their rooms alone trying to make sense of a load of pre-recorded lectures. I know it's not the universities' fault that this has happened but it would have been better to keep freshers at home this term I think.

Sorry, but I think the unis, many of them,(not all) have demonstrated their basest motivations right now.

I think many have treated their freshers appallingly, with no understanding or sensitivity whatsoever. Let's see what their January funding looks like with the drop out rate.

It’s appalling, really feel for freshers. Think you can’t win. If you are really social you are going to be missing out as no fun freshers stuff and no clubbing etc. If less social then very little chance of meeting anyone anywhere.
Dd is going back to third year next week. She is in a corridor bubble of ten, mixed year and subject groups, none of her friends. She is very shy and made her friends by walking to lectures, tutorials and eating in hall. None of that will be possible for this years freshers. She is going to make an effort to befriend them but is basically resigned to her last year being largely spent in her room on her laptop working. Even the library is very restricted with the need to book slots etc.
Just rubbish for them all really .

Can anyone show me where it is said the students will not be allowed home for xmas. First I have heard of this.

The first couple of months at university is difficult socially even in ‘normal’ circumstances- it takes time to get to know people and make friends from a standing start and you need to hang in there... real friends are more likely to be made in halls than over priced boozed up social events anyway

Unis have been working hard to make the new reality work. They are probably putting on events even though some freshers may be unaware... Our students regularly requested more social events & then tended not to turn up!

@justasking111

Can anyone show me where it is said the students will not be allowed home for xmas. First I have heard of this.

I haven’t seen this? Where did you see it?

Hahaha. Like there's any chance we won't be bringing our freshers home for Xmas!