2020 freshers- tell me which universities are doing well with Covid etc

[ClarasZoo]

Thinking about next year applications I wonder, is your university offering a good experience? Can you do practicals? Do you have some face to face? Is your social life good? If you have corona or have to isolate do you have support?

There is a similar thread on the WIWIKAU Facebook page. Some universities have mixed reviews, some good and some bad. Nottingham seem to have a particularly bad press:

Good:
Bangor
Birmingham
Bristol
Buckingham
Cardiff
Edge Hill
Leeds
Liverpool
Newcastle
Oxford
Swansea
Teeside
UEA
York

Bad:
Coventry
Manchester
Nottingham
Worcester

Mixed:
Lancaster

Ah thank you I will look at that!

Southampton - dd is there, science subject with 4+ hours face to face a week (masks required while moving around the buildings but not once they are settled in teaching rooms/labs) and weekly covid tests for students & staff (saliva test done on Friday, results texted on Saturday). I believe they've had something like 12 cases identified.

She doesn't know of anyone who is isolating but there is a quarantine block where the international students did their isolation so they might use that if necessary?

She's in a flat of 4 but they are treating the entire floor which is 16 as a household (not that they've been told to but they have to go through the other flats to get to hers so can't isolate even if they wanted to). There is a lot of socialising going on, I don't kid myself for a moment they are strictly rule abiding but security are conspicuous & deterring large gatherings. It isn't in an enhanced lockdown area so there's quite a lot going on - she's joined a couple of sports clubs training 3/4 times a week as a group & is also using their pool.

The library situation is not ideal - open but limited & prebooking for various different uses is awkward, her subject specialist library is closed which has meant she's had to spend more on books.

I went down last weekend & was pleasantly surprised by how busy & lively it all felt & she seems happy!

I would argue against Edge Hill tbh but maybe it depends on the course and where you stay.

Dd is first year doing primary education.

Due to exam ness ups she lost her first choice which means she's in private halls - the lack of f2f means two of her flat mates have now left to go home so she's alone with one older student, who never leave her room. Edge hill are doing nothing to support students outside of their owned halls.

She's on a primary ed course. Until she went it was promised 60% f2f. This changed in the first week to two short sessions a week. Rest is online.

And now they've cancelled all the in school teaching practise and moved that to online/virtual. That was the final straw for DD's flat mates on PGCE - they've now left and gone home to access it from there.

We've actually been really disappointed with their approach after one week induction and one week of the course. Guess it can only improve from here.

I have just told DS to look at Southampton, so that is good to hear!
I think places like Southampton with (currently at least) lower rates of Covid, are going to be popular. Plus Southampton seem to be pioneering the quick covid test...

Why no London Unis listed? I assume no news = in the Good Camp.

Probably

King's is definitely on the good list. F2F seminars for each module plus a mixture of live and recorded lectures. Sensible rules about mixing in households in uni halls with common areas open but space limited. I guess the London unis haven't experienced the cases that others have so early days, but so far so (very) good.

That should read 'a mixture of live and recorded online lectures'

Edinburgh a bit mixed. Covid is tearing through halls but individuals are still mixing, going home and no controls . "Household" definition is meaningless as the groups are not self contained.

Food in isolation initially was reported as awful, dd's experience 3 days in is mixed - no carb/protein for one breakfast, same reheatable hot dinner two days running, no advice as to how to store and fridge space limited, one curry did not appear to fully cook according to instructions so potential for food poisoning.

Teaching largely started online although two "live" sessions, tutorial and one f2f language lesson timetabled. F2f has gone online for next two weeks to try to curb virus spread. Tutorial may become a group online activity.

When dd was showing symptoms she had to walk 40 mins to get tested as nowhere nearer or within her uni halls complex.

I’m not sure why Manchester is in the ‘bad’ list. DS is there and in 14 day isolation but has had good interaction from the uni and a load of free food supplied, despite being in self-catered.

It’s true that everything has gone online, but that’s due to the large number of cases in Manchester. It’s meant that DS hasn’t missed out on anything while being in isolation as all his small group tutorials and supervisions have been online. The plans were to have small group sessions F2F and the hope is that they can revert to these once/if case numbers In Manchester fall.

They have traditional lectures online but they then get backed up by online interactive teaching sessions to go over the material, which is much better than I expected, tbh. Much better than just lecture capture. Manchester was the first uni to announce it would move its lectures online, and they seem to have worked on how to do this effectively over the summer.

Of course it’s not what I’d want for DS, only really mixing freely with his household, but the high cases in Manchester have been a long-standing issue, not down to the uni. Only time will tell if case rates improve. I would hope by entry for 2021 the picture will be different.

@ClarasZoo logistically Lancaster is great as its away from the city and the porters /security of each college have been going round patrolling and shutting things down if theres any sign of mixing. Compared to the 80 unis that currently got covid on campus; and 800's of newcastle and 1000 manchester, Lancaster has 100 cases on campus at the moment.

Lancasters had a bit of bad press at the moment because of the £17 3 course food box (it is expensive if your on a student budget), but with common sense the students there have been wise enough to stock up. My DD's townhouse of 12 people all have got 2 weeks worth of tins, crisps, choc, frozen etc, and consistently tops up twice a week, as well as making sure the washing is done regularly and surfaces cleaned. The flats range from 4 people to 15, depending on college. I will say though that her college put on a great freshers week, and was covid safe too. She did some of the things they put on, and other times went into city to a pub/club (booked 2 tables of 6) and they was very safe too. Glow night club has tables of 6 and they all have perpex as well separating them, and still put on entertainment such as dancers and lazers etc; so although they had to dance at their tables only, it was still a nice night out. And Kanteena also did something similar.

Overall, I really do think its down to the flat your living in. Some of the reports back on mumsnet are from students isolating because 1 or 2 people they lived with decided to go to another persons house/flat and caught it that way. Every uni is going to have mixing, one way or another, it just really is down to the flat you live with and how they act.

I think a lot of it is down to pure luck too, who you get as flatmates. Some seem to be finding it a bonding experience and are cooking meals together and having movie nights, others are stuck in half empty flats with other students who don't want to socialise at all.

No matter where you are if you're in a flat with only 1/2 others who are choosing not to mix and the students who would normally be in the other flats have moved back home, it's going to be pretty shitty.

St. Andrews is doing well due to being small and remote. Some courses are doing f2f but not all. That seems to be down to individual depts and professors.

Outdoor societies eg sports are happening. Lots of restrictions for others. Halls for many so more space to move around than flats but still within bubbles. Lots of outside space eg beach so that helps. Some students have left or chosen to study online so many are unhappy with the rules. Hope that helps.

DD is enjoying her first weeks at Birmingham. Pacey online learning, she can access her department library to work, has joined the gym, there's onsite testing if that's your thing. She's made friends in her flat and on her course. The university send cleaners regularly to sort the shared facilities for covid reasons. Security around and rules obviously but nothing too oppressive. Her (mostly online) lecturers seem interested on her wellbeing. Even at a distance, I've become aware of mentoring and mental health support offered.

Some of the contributors on WIWIKAU revel in students being locked up and reporting their flatmates for all and any indiscretion. They also put a ridiculously high value on the prettiness of accommodation.

Mental health is my main concern. Mine is happy and sane and learning. She's also less than a two hour drive from home and I went to take her to lunch yesterday. She has met up with a couple of students she knows through various things from home. She's made new friends. She feels connected. There's only so much you can realistically expect from a university. We've bought her a printer for her room (and flatmates) and a set of textbooks to help smooth remote work. She's enjoying the course which makes it easier to overlook niggles like no societies meeting.

I hadn't given it too much thought before but am glad she chose a university relatively close to home

There is an article by a year 1 Manchester University student in the Guardian today. She correctly says Manchester Met is worse as to who they handled it although she is not that happy with the university either.

Wherever you are there are 2 main issues 1. if you like your corridor/group and 2. if you were promised face to face and on that basis you came and the university lied and is not providing much at all so it was a total con to get you to come and take your money.

..and by face to face I do not mean Zoom/Teams but in person face to face in the same room.

Not necessarily Covid related but have DD at Birmingham (going in to third year) and who from day one found the focus on wellbeing and encouragement to look after yourself and each other refreshing and supportive. It came from lecturers, welfare officers located in academic department, the Guild, student leaders and societies. Was especially prevalent and noticeable during exam season and, as I said, not necessarily Covid related but especially important this year.

Xenia, Manchester said their intention was to provide RL F2F teaching for tutorials and small groups, which it always said was to be kept under review. Then the cases in Manchester sky-rocketed! I think they were very sensible reverting to online teaching, TBH.

Online lecturers are actually working out ok. I think she likes being on control of the pause button and can make notes and look up things as she goes along. Online one on one and small group is very awkward especially as tutor was passing comments on the state of some people's rooms

Agree Millicent, most said something like plan on small group F2F where possible but all subject to what happened to COVID.

Actually can't fault the support my department are giving at De Montfort. University as a whole... variable... fuck off huge yellow arrows absolutely everywhere causing havoc by all accounts (they'll find a bunch of skeletons of lost freshers sent the wrong way down a one way system to a dead end in 10 years time) and the bastard catering company have got rid of their loyalty scheme and I had two coffees saved up (this is seriously NOT ACCEPTABLE) but the uni as a whole - doing what they can.

We have minimal F2F time but lecturers very responsive on email and in online stuff to clarify things and taking feedback on board.

@Ulpo

I think a lot of it is down to pure luck too, who you get as flatmates. Some seem to be finding it a bonding experience and are cooking meals together and having movie nights, others are stuck in half empty flats with other students who don't want to socialise at all.

No matter where you are if you're in a flat with only 1/2 others who are choosing not to mix and the students who would normally be in the other flats have moved back home, it's going to be pretty shitty.

I couldn't agree more. If they are in a decent bubble, it's all doable. If they feel they aren't, it's hard to enjoy if they can't be with friends that they would like to be with. In my DS's group, they all stay in their rooms and hardly talk with each other. He questions the point of being there if can't mingle with others in College on top of minimal F2F lectures etc, societies and social life

Dd is a fresher at Arts University Bournemouth, absolutely loving her first four weeks of non stop socialising living in halls. Fairly relaxed vibe. Her course finally started this week after a four week delay. Not much f2f but just hope it doesn’t all go online or lockdown. Low incidence in south west but Bournemouth area now a mini hotspot.

Nothing at all f2f at Newcastle until at least 30th Oct. DD finds online lab work difficult as she understands it better when she is doing it herself.