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)?

The government not job!

Those are for tier 4 areas and are proper PCR tests. Been in place for a while.

Whether those will stay in place now, who knows?

I see, thanks @Piggywaspushed.

PCR is a test though not a vaccine.

Ignore me. Got vaccines on the brain and misread @MarchingFrogs post.

DD relieved uni not closed down even though she’ll probably have a later start to blended learning. Really hoping this clamp down plus testing, plus vaccines means they can have a chance at a better 3rd term.

DD hasn't heard from the university yet, but she was expecting to have some lab practicals next term. Now they are in tier 4 she isn't sure when to go back.

She lost a lot of time to do lectures through illness, and came home for Christmas needing to do 27 lectures. She is now down to 5, and wants to finish them by the end of the year.

She had a quick count up of lectures they were given last term - 72 lectures in 8 weeks (they started late). They weren't delivered consistently though so maybe 5 one week and 26 another week. Then she had seminars, an assignment and other work on top of that.

That sounds pretty intense for a university that isn't Oxbridge. All of her friends are behind BTW.

Unbelievably we will remain on tier 3 at home. Loads of people were slipping up to Harrogate and York, which were tier 2, to eat out or go for a drink, and this has dramatically affected their rate of infections. When will people learn?

@Ginfordinner dd has far more contact time per week at Durham than I did at Oxford. (both maths)
I think in her first year she had about 20 hours a week, plus an afternoon practical for computing.
I had 12 (although tutorials sometimes overran).

They were also much more spread out. So she might have a 9am in one place and 11am in another (without time to go back between) and then a 3pm and a 6pm tutorial.
Whereas in my first year all our lectures were 11am-1pm and had one early morning tutorial (8:30am, I think!) and one evening (5pm). It didn't feel pressurised at all.

DD's a bit worried about coming back. One of her housemates has said she won't be back at the beginning of term (she's from abroad so I don't blame her for wanting to see what's happening) and she's very happy with the other one, but the other is also very local, so can nip home easily.
Durham had put maths in with science to be early back, so she's booked train tickets. The problem is she doesn't want to hold off and see what happens as they she'll lose a day's work travelling, but she doesn't want to find she's doing a whole term on her own in a house, or basically on her own.

I'm hoping Durham will issue strong guidance for students, either advising they stay put or not, then she can feel she's doing the right thing.

That does sound intense @Ginfordinner. I do recall that close to the beginning of the autumn term, DS commented that he'd sat through five lectures in one day!

My impression (certainly for Humanities subjects) is that Oxbridge not only has shorter terms but fewer contact hours than most universities too. Mind you this is based on DSibling's studies at Cambridge over 30 years ago!

It's tricky isn't it, knowing what to advise? No-one wants their young people being 'home alone' for weeks on end.

I would like to hope that most young people have been sensible while at home (so shouldn't pose too much of a contagion risk). DS has not met up with friends and has basically put himself in voluntary self-isolation so his only risk has been coming home and going back on public transport.

DD is anthropology and Durham has grouped that with science and maths and she’s supposed to return for the first week but the government have issued suggested subjects to return first and those are medical, nursing and lab based subjects so she’s waiting confirmation. She’ll go back to her house anyway but she’s worried the library won’t be open. She’s studying hard and is finding it easier to concentrate here whilst enjoying home comforts. She met one friend (outside and on one occasion)since being home. Durham was going to test them all 3 times on return.

Completely anecdotal, but DS says friend studying History at Cambridge seems to get tutorials in addition to lectures/seminars he gets at Durham. Plus weekly essay submissions is a treadmill, but he thinks might be more manageable rather than 3 essays due at once after a few weeks of no submissions IYSWIM!

No idea when he’s going back

@Benjispruce2

Dd's maths, and felt a bit irritated that they grouped maths with the lab based ones as they can very easily be done from home.
Awaiting to see if they change that.

Happy New Year to everyone. Things can only get better, surely???

Hopefully @NewModelArmyMayhem18. Happy New year everyone.

Happy New Year from here in the US!

DD is 2 days away from travelling over 1,000 miles back to university for the first time since last March. Fingers crossed there are no last minutes changes of heart.

She's getting a test (15-minute results at our local drive-thru pharmacy) before getting on the plane, another test when she arrives at university, she then quarantines for 10 days during which time she gets 2 more tests, then they get tested weekly.

The university is bringing food to all students in their rooms, and they can only mix in person with the people in their house/flat/suite/whatever they call it.

All lessons online other than practical labs and (I hope) theatre/music.

The university did this last term for the students who were allowed back on campus, and it worked well, which is why they're allowing everyone back this time around.

She's so ready to go back. I'm going to miss her like mad but I really want her back at university for her own happiness.

Meanwhile DD2 just submitted her applications for college starting this year. Eeeek.

Good luck to your DD1 @ZZTopGuitarSolo. To think in the UK we think DC are a long way from home if it's anything over 150 miles. 1000 miles puts things into perspective. It sounds as if your DD's university has got it sussed with keeping students safe but also properly present! Good luck with your DD2's college applications.

DS is going to contact his accommodation
( which is not university managed but partnership) to see if he can return mid Jan - he will get tested beforehand and when he arrives. He can’t work as well here as he can there ( his brother, who is autistic, wakes him up early and is quite noisy round the house) and he’s really missing his friends. Presumably he will be allowed to go back as he’s paying rent - but I just don’t know.

DS got an e mail from vice chancellor yesterday afternoon telling him to stay home for the moment. Then last night an e mail from lecturer telling him to be in college for face to face from Monday unless she says otherwise. Now what do we do? Ignore the vice chancellor and take him on Sunday or what. There is a lot of packing up to do so we want to know, dismantling computer equipment as well as clothes, etc.

That sounds like non-joined up thinking @justasking111? I would get your DS to get in touch with his lecturer ASAP to check (and mention the VC's email). Of course, that's assuming the lecturer responds.

I think I'd be tempted to take the lecturer's word for it really.

It's really poor that students are getting conflicting information from the university. I think my DS is expecting to return in about 3 weeks but I don't know on what basis he is making that assumption. He has a piece of work to complete by 4th, but isn't really sure what is happening after that. Mind you, he probably hasn't been checking his emails.

DD wants to go back in the next couple of days even though her term won't start until February. She insists that she can't work here, nor has she brought some books that she needs. It's tricky because she is in private rental, and will struggle to get there on public transport, but we shouldn't be driving from our Tier 4 area to her uni Tier 4 city. What to do?

Might want to bear in mind that the universities minister only wrote to universities yesterday...

@simbobs DS travelled on public transport back to his university city t'other day. Didn't have any issues (same tier for family home and term-time 'home'). No-one challenged him re travelling (and it doesn't sound as if he was the only one doing so).

@Newmodelarmy it isn't so much the question of whether she is entitled to travel, more the number of train changes and taxis to get from a to b.