Study in the time of COVID-19 (2019/20 intake): lockdown restrictions, relaxation of rules and repeat... And will the Grinch government cancel Christmas?

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Carrying on from our previous thread.

I believe these threads have probably been running since the summer/autumn of when our DC were about to start/in Year 13 (so 2018)?

@bigTillyMint ... I'm very impressed ! My DS is the king of omelettes and has Deliveroo as his best friend !

I now want to get an organic chicken and make soup ... ( this is unheard of for me ) .. I'm going to make it a project for next weekend ... recipes welcome

I’m very proud re the roast, and completely amazed at the soup

Oh you guys are so lovely with your Advent calendars and Christmas jumpers, I think I may have to look into that ( I'm feeling so guilty about not being able to spend Christmas with the DC).
I did arrange for some lovely handmade biscuits to be sent to them, my friend makes them (on Instagram #bis-quotes should anyone is interested) so l'm firmly in the backpacking club.
Sorry to hear things are tricky Zanda.

Ds is coming home at the start of December so I’m keeping his Advent calendar till he gets back. Bath are saying they are still waiting for advice on whether those who have had Covid recently should take a test but I have advised him not to on the basis of what you are reporting other unis are saying.

He could potentially be home for the best part of 2 months - can do his January assessments from home & then the new semester does not start till the beginning of February

Thank you everyone for your kind wishes and let lots of backpacking commence for our uni kids!

Had DD on the phone last night. Her workload is ridiculous and everyone on her course is behind. She has had about 50 online lectures since they properly started back a month ago, and is being sent an average of 5 lectures a day.

This is for biomedical sciences. None of her friends on other courses have anything like this kind of workload. It doesn't help that she isn't coping well with her CFS.

DD said her workload has ramped right up too.

That sounds terrible @Ginfordinner and @Benjispruce2. Do you think the tutors have just realised they are behind with delivering the courses?

Don’t think it’s happening to my two....

It is unsustainable. I doubt that it would have been this much if they could have F2F lectures and seminars. I wonder if the lecturers of different topics are unaware of how much other lecturers are doing?

I have told her to contact her course tutor, who by all accounts doesn't sound very approachable. DD has only met him once, and tried to arrange a zoom meeting with him recently, where he failed to turn up

She told me that you can change course tutor, so I suggested that she does that

I remember DD telling me when she started her degree, that her Personal tutor told them not contact her about any problems as she didn’t have time to deal with them!!!!

I didn't send up a Christmas jumper and/or Advent calendar but I did send DS a treats food box last weekend that didn't get the welcome I would have expected (he said it was 'unhealthy' - full of the type of tat that I thought would be a treat and that he used to eat with gusto!)!

Clearly personal tutors aren't the same as they used to be, sadly.

Oh no @NewModelArmyMayhem18

I don’t even remember having a personal tutor

DS has turned into a complete Saffy over the past couple of years!

I do recall having one but can't ever remember calling upon their services. Maybe they expect to have the title but not to be 'used' ever? I suspect they don't get paid extra for the privilege?

@Ginfordinner @Benjispruce2 my DD has said the same about workload and her friends have been the same. She's doing about 50-60 hours a week and always seems to be working! There is a lot of stress in her house. She has spoken to her personal tutor and he says that the lecturers are working longer and harder too. I just don't think that they have quite got online learning right yet. She is struggling because a quick "can you explain this" is now an hour on a zoom meeting.

Dd knows a couple of biomed students at Newcastle - one is working very hard, the appears not to be doing much work at all.

Are they second year students @Zandathepanda?

One of DS’s flatmates is a biochemist ( first year) and he says she’s definitely got the heaviest workload of them all.

Ds doesn't get on with his personal tutor either. He also gives lectures to ds too. He hasn't been helpful when ds has approached. Ds said he spent one lecture going through his emails with everyone. Not sure I believe that...but that is what ds said.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 ... my DD was a real Saffy for about 4 years ... but she's recently become more Patsy !

Have to smile at the Ab Fab allusions - DS2 is currently binge-watching this and has already commented that some of the humour just has him baffled.

Good thing he hasn't yet wandered in on me making lunch accompanied by the R4extra reruns of the likes of The Navy Lark, or worse still, Round the Horne.

I wonder if Ab Fab is very much of its time? I must stay I never 'got' Bubble and Patsy and Edina's excesses were very much of that time, don't you think? When we went to see the film a couple of years ago most of the people in the audience were 60+!!!!

Given that lots of biomed students convert to medicine upon finishing their courses, presumably that could be one reason why it's so full-on course?

Some of our young people will be home within the fortinight (if not sooner).

Apologies, last post not well phrased (and too much repetition) - too early for me, clearly.

Hi Gin yes second years.

The one not doing much work is either very right or going to fail.