Decided to come back onto this thread, after some reflection and it won't take long for anyone to 'recognise' me under a different username but life's too short and times are hard for our DCs.
DS1 and DS2 are delighted to be out of isolation now and making the most of their freedom, although it could be very short-lived. DS1 is trying to get his college to allow him to form a single-person household as he doesn't share bathroom facilities and doesn't need to share a kitchen either but college is resisting.
DS1 is concerned because the member of his household who tested positive and got them all into isolation in the first place, is now mixing with other households that are currently still in isolation in the same college. She doesn't seem very 'rule-abiding' unlike DS1 and he's frustrated and wants more autonomy to protect himself from further periods locked up in his room.
His college allowed them outside for one period of 6 hours - on a cold, torrentially rainy day, to access a small patch of the grounds but that was the only fresh air he got in 14 days.
DS2 - whose college grounds are a lot bigger - wasn't allowed out at all for his whole isolation period. I don't understand why this couldn't have been carefully organised but there you go.
Both of them exercised as much as possible whilst in their rooms, and have been back out running since. Both have worked very very hard whilst in their rooms and DS2 is well ahead with his essays. Both are engaging as much as possible in various clubs and societies - virtually all online. Neither was really able to socialise with their household whilst in isolation as all of them decided to keep in their rooms to avoid further contamination. So it was mostly a period of utter solitude.
Since then, DS1 has had one face to face supervision - masked of course - and enjoyed this very much but otherwise all tutorials/supervisions have been online.
I worry very much about them being in isolation again and have warned them to ensure they have plenty of supplies this time. DS1's college refused to give them breakfast throughout their period of isolation and wouldn't help with any laundry so he had 3+ weeks with no clean clothes!
The 'provided' meals at his college were often one small pack of shrivelled, cheap sandwiches (and you couldn't pick the filling) and a bag of crisps - so clearly that college are not into healthy eating!
DS2 had some good friends to do his laundry and bring him some food and does at least seem to have friends in college, if not in his corridor. DS1 gets on fine with his household but has found that others he's met from different colleges are much more on his wavelength. So I hope he can still connect with these until further restrictions ensue.
Hoghgyni I'm so sorry about another bereavement and hope you and family and especially your DD are coping at what's already a very difficult time.
Justaweebit I hope your DD starts feeling better soon and is getting well looked after by her college. I'm actually quite shocked by how unsupportive DS1 and DS2's colleges have been compared to others I've heard about and also compared to other universities too.
Pepermintea, DS1 has both a tutor for 'pastoral' issues and a supervisor whereas DS2 has just a tutor. DS1's tutor was changed at the last moment and is from an unrelated subject (but I think that might often be the case?) . They 'met' online at the start of term, very briefly and I've suggested to DS1 that he contacts his tutor and explains his concerns about wanting to be in a single-person household but I doubt he will as he always tried to manage things on his own.
As Oxford goes into Tier 2, we can only hope that our DCs can still get as much as they can from their university lives and certainly I've been very proud of my two for coping so well, while I quietly worry in the background!