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.

[Newgirls]

There are some jobs - a lot of at home childcare/au pair work at the moment as parents work from home. Could be an idea for any students who want to stay at home.

My dd is in a course of 40 students and no face to face. Even ONE f2f a term would be a start. It’s a joke. I am sure lecturers are working very hard but they seem to be following stricter rules than any other education establishment at the moment.

[DominaShantotto]

It is fucking horrendous. To those wondering why they can't buddy the second years up - my department have a few 2nd and 3rd years (they put out a call for volunteers) going in for a distanced chat with the new first years and we've got a joint session online booked with them (I'm a 2nd year) to just chat and give them the heads up informally about what things are.

If anyone with kids at DMU (I know not a MN prime choice of uni) want a surrogate mum figure around for their offspring yell - I'm not on campus much but I'm happy to take anyone struggling and lonely under my wing for a coffee assuming the cafe is open - I would be worried sick about my own kids going away from home in these circumstances.

We've not technically started back yet - but some staff have been putting the week 1 lectures online so I've been chugging through them to try to get ahead for when my own kids' school inevitably goes tits up (bit concerned about the intro to a module session telling us "and we shall end the year with dementia" which made me piss myself laughing at the unfortunate wording of it) and it is soooo fucking dry and hard to get engaged in just listening to someone chug through a powerpoint with no interaction - because of the nature of my course being so small and close-knit - our "lectures" have always been more seminar-ey and interactive. I'm hoping our timetabled stuff is a bit less dry because, if I, as someone absolutely engaged and fascinated by my subject and with a really strong background coming out of first year and drive to succeed, am struggling to get through it all - god help a lot of others.

Our lectures are all recorded - our timetabled sessions the software does allow mics and cameras on - most of us so far have tended not to - shall see how that's evolved over the summer holiday I guess as the staff have become more confident with the software - before summer it was all a bit of a learning curve.

[Peaseblossom22]

My ds made a late decision to defer , he has been frantically applying for jobs and it looks like he may have something that will at least take him through to March . It’s not the Gap year he would have planed and it felt risky but reading these accounts and given he is reading a humanities subject it felt right. Having said that he has a couple of friends who have gone and everything seems to be going well and frankly my elder ds hated the frenetic freshers experience

[dreamingbohemian]

People also might over-estimate the amount their child really would have gone to lectures

Absolutely. Since my university adopted lecture capture, attendance has plummeted -- many students prefer watching lectures at home at their leisure anyway. If anything, this will now be a better experience as we are adding many more interactive elements and activities.

The social side is awful, I know, universities have to be really creative given all the restrictions, and also they genuinely don't want their students getting ill! If they bend the rules to allow lots of mixing and then have a huge outbreak, that's not good either.

I would really urge students to be patient and give things time. Shy flatmates will warm up, universities will get better at organising things, and soon they will have a mountain of schoolwork anyway.

[MagpieSong]

It’s terribly sad some universities seem to be doing less than others supporting students through this. My SIL started Uni this year and she did zoom groups before with others from her course, has met others (outside, mask wearing, sd) and goes in for seminars (less people, spaced out socially distanced seating, masks) but has lectures online. There have been freshers events, though whether this were mainly organised by students attending specific courses I’m not sure (outdoor gathering, socially distanced, daytime). I think it must be harder for the larger Uni’s to manage to split groups/time well, but surely they could encourage online interaction that result in small group meet-ups outside in masks and staying distanced?

It’s difficult to understand why plans don’t seem to be in place across the board when Universities have had since March to organise and plan, and most people were quite clear it wasn’t going to be over by Sept. Does anyone know if the SUs/NUS are planning to take action and suggest improvements?

[titchy]

Does anyone know if the SUs/NUS are planning to take action and suggest improvements?

Errrr it's largely the SUs that are, or aren't, putting on freshers events. They're the ones charging £££ to join a sports club. Not the universities.

[Xenia]

My sons are doing a law course (post grad) and one is living away but with a friend from his 3 years in the same town (Bristol) and other friends doing masters or year 4 of a 4 year degree are a few doors down. So much easier for older students with friends already. He booked the library - every 2 hour slot for Monday (no one else had booked) as he works better there than in his room (which does not even have a desk).

As said above new students have a much harder time. I suppose join things. I went on hikes through a society at university so that kind of thing may still be possible and I think out door organised events like that are exempt from the rule of 6 currently. If I were a university I would guarantee a minimum face to face time a week in small groups for all students otherwise they might as well all be back home in what are often much nicer bigger houses with gardens of their parents rather than spending a small fortune to stare at a screen all day.

[Bwlch]

Does anyone know if the SUs/NUS are planning to take action and suggest improvements?

You mean give themselves a kick up the bum?

[areyoubeingserviced]

My niece has deferred her place because she was concerned that her university experience would be adversely affected.

[Gettingthroughtheweek]

Such a shame to read the difficult experiences. I do feel some universities could do more. My DS was told in the summer to come to Uni itself because they would deliver small group teaching wherever possible. He does a minority languages course, and one module only has three others doing it. But it turns out that he only has one hour face to face a week (in a different module) and only two other live sessions (online) a week. In his first year he had ten language classes and five lectures a week. I gather that lectures are being recorded and uploaded for them to work through, which probably takes as much time for the academics, if not more - but how can three hours ‘synchronous’ teaching give the same engagement as fifteen hours face to face? Especially when they are so limited on socialising (Scotland). Last year he found friends through music societies and they’re trying to keep together but virtual socials don’t work that well when the main event (playing music) is forbidden. I just wish the uni had been honest up front so he could have decided whether it was worth going up there to pay through the nose to live in a cold room with only distance learning to do except for one hour a week and no real access to study spaces or people.

[AgentCooper]

@Gettingthroughtheweek I wonder if your son studies at the uni I work for (in languages). The script until August was that small teaching groups would be permitted then Sturgeon refused to drop distancing to 1m for university teaching and now absolutely everything is online only. I really feel for these students.

[worstofbothworlds]

@MajesticWhine

My DD has just started. It is crap. She is incredibly sociable so she is trying hard to meet people but I really feel bad for her. I'm worried about the mental health of young people stuck in a small bedroom with a laptop for company. She tells me that in the online lectures they are not allowed their cameras or microphones on so they can't even see people.

Gosh. Ours are told to put them on if at all possible (some don't have the bandwidth)

[MagpieSong]

Sorry, I wasn't clear above at all. What I meant was whether there were upcoming plans in most places by SUs that they are going to implement or if they're literally just saying they can't? Are the NUS giving advice to SU's who are members in what support could work well and how to encourage small group events/socialising safely? So, in some ways, yes to 'are they planning to give themselves kick up the bottom', collect information and experiences from the Students and start working on improving the situation as some seem to be managing so much better than others. It's their job after all, to represent students and promote their rights. I appreciate some will be possibly in disagreement with the University/in local lockdown/experiencing a heavier Police presence, so that makes it all the more complex.

[bengalcat]

So sorry to hear about the challenges this years students are facing .

Mines at Durham , going into year two , and is a FREP ( Freshers representative ) for her college . This weekend @800 students will be arriving over two days ( two colleges close together but a common road leading up to them ) - the students are being met by second years in PPE - visors I gather so their faces can be seen - and helped with moving in .

[OverTheRainbowLiesOz]

I know for a fact that the university staff are working hard.

The real problem is that there will be lots of isolated students dotted about campuses and cities who for one reason or another have not managed to make friends.

Last year, ds didn't get accommodation but he managed to make lots of groups of friends through societies and had a number of offers of houses for the second year. I worry that this years students who find themselves in a flat where they don't gel / or without ideal accommodation / or depressed, won't have the same ability to go out and find other people.

I really hope the universities are beefing up their support networks.

[Cupcakke]

Just heard from a friend whose daughter is at a uni on the south coast.

She has paid £100 for sports uniform only to be told that no sport will take place this term. University students union refusing to refund.

I think a lot of the freshers shitshow is down to the SU’s being lazy

[whenwillthemadnessend]

Those poor kids. It's the young adults I feel most sorry for in this crap and they are the ones getting the blame too. It's really hard.

I blame a few individuals but blaming an entire generation is wrong.

I hope things improve for them all.

[clopper]

hopsalong sounds like what you are doing is great and would be really helpful for isolated first year students. I just think if you are able to do this then why can’t other unis...

[Peaseblossom22]

The difference is the type of university. In collegiate universities who teach in small groups and where students live in college f2f is going to be hard but possible . In contrast to large universities who don’t routinely teach like this

[Gettingthroughtheweek]

@AgentCooper it may well be the same uni! I think it’s counterproductive to be so strict in the study environment - where they’re being supervised and are sober - and to then also impose such strict rules on socialising that it’s almost inevitable they will be broken, for their own sanity. If they saw real life people in class that could at least give them the human interaction we all need. As a second year DS has his flat mates, but I really feel for the freshers and think many will drop out if the Unis can’t provide spaces for some form of real (socially distanced) interaction.

[monkeyonthetable]

2 out of 650 students turned up to online drop-in sessions I put on this week and last week, to discuss questions or concerns about teaching before the semester starts.

But @AgileLass
I don't think that's what they need at the outset. they don;t have any concerns yet because they don't really know what to expect. they just want sessions in which they can say hi - ice breakers and meet the gang style meet ups. I bet if they had been pitched as a Subject Welcome and Intro session there'd have been more takers.

[monkeyonthetable]

FTR, I have no issue at all with the teaching staff. I know how incredibly hard they are working to revise their courses so they can be delivered online. I just don't see much evidence form the top down at many unis on how to welcome Freshers during Covid in a manner that will settle them in and help them bond.

[Fyzz]

It's the young adults I feel most sorry for in this crap and they are the ones getting the blame too. It's really hard.
Not just students. DS graduated last year and moved away in May to start a grad scheme.
Yes he's very lucky in the current climate to have got the scheme and that it wasn't cancelled. However he's in a rented room in a strange city and working from home, ie his bedroom. No chance to make friends at work or anywhere else. It's grim. He's hung on hoping things will get better but is now planning to give up and come home to live until next year.

[saltedcaramelhotchoc]

I've read this thread and felt awful for the first years just starting. I'm an academic and our university term hasn't begun yet.

What I'm planning to do is - when I meet my personal tutees, suggest they swap contact details and arrange to meet up. I'm also going to put students in break out rooms during my Zoom welcome to all the first years on my programme with ice breaker questions and again encourage them to swap context details and arrange to meet up.

I would do more if I can think of more. We are in a local lockdown area which makes it harder as socialising with other households isn't allowed as such. But I think for new students they desperately need to make social contacts. In my university they get student mentors and are in mentor groups so hopefully that's another way of meeting people.

In terms of teaching - online teaching is much better now than people imagine (mostly). It isn't the same. But neither are socially distanced seminars on campus in giant rooms with masks. So it's a tough balance.

Parents of struggling freshers - please do tell them to talk to someone so we can help them to make contacts.

[Gymntonic]

Lots to read through...but my point is that students aren't ready to learn until they're socially safe and settled. This is the (vital) bit that isn't being allowed and therefore needs to be facilitated somehow.