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)?

@Ragwort we can play golf in the Tier 4 wastelands too you know 😉

Mines going back towards the end of next week - term starts Monday 11th I believe

I would imagine that the fact that they have house shares they're having to pay for probably makes a massive difference with their decision-making about staying at home vs going back.

Good luck to all those with exams (which seems to be most young people).

My DS going back tomorrow to Nottingham. We are in Brum so tier 4 anyway .. I think he wants to get back to his friends .. DD has just moved out so I think he's even more bored just rattling around here !

DS having a moan wanted to go back to halls university said no. They're having an overseas influx of students three going into his flat so will need to isolate his girlfriend staying home . We said we know its tough but he doesn't have siblings so has peace here, food provided good internet connection. Would get his girlfriend here if anything was open but it's not. She is in tier 3 so better off at home as well

UCL has switched to all online until late Feb (at least).

Vancleef Thanks for that, I'll have to get my DS to double check, he seemed to think his golf club in Nottingham was closed ... I think he just likes being at home easy life I would love him to go back .

We live right by a golf club in tier 4 and they are open (I prefer it when they are closed as it's quieter....)

My DS is on a short 3 year course. At this rate if he’s lucky his final year might be ‘normal’. But then your last year is busy and a lot of work, so he’ll have hugely missed out on the first two years, aside from living independently with a few new friends he won’t have cast that wide a net - he’s a slow starter regarding opening up to people so his freshers week was quiet and his first year halls were in postgrad blocks due to oversubscription.

I know a lot of us are in similar circumstances but its got me down a little over the Christmas break thinking about it (obv not said anything to him).

@Ragwort it’s 2 ball play only and no catering etc but definitely allowed - I wonder if his course is closed due to staff issues?

@MrKlaw their social horizons have been very limited haven't they? And yes, they're basically halfway trough their courses and I'm sure will have many fewer 'great memories' to take with them into the next stage of their lives than we did.

There will be a whole raft of graduates who feel extremely short-changed by their whole university experience. I can imagine when things do return to normal plenty will want to go off travelling to truly feel free.

Oh, if only. That feels like a pipe dream at the moment, but who could deny them after the time they've had? DS has already said that he would like to do this.

Everyone is going a bit stir crazy. I was listening to Dds bicker like when they were younger. In a way it was nice and ‘normal’ but I got distracted as I was chopping veg and sliced my finger at the exact time a piece of celery dropped- which made me momentarily think I had chopped the end of my finger off. As well as the shooting pain I was thinking oh ffs not A&E when we’ve been so careful! Dds stopped when they heard me shrieking and laughing! TCP and a good plaster and I’ll be fine. Still told them off though .
A trailfinders catalogue came through the post yesterday. I hope the airlines are ready for the surge once this is all over.

DD completed an assignment today, and has one more to do, then loads of revision. It really hasn't been much of a holiday for her. She is still unsure about when to travel back to Newcastle.

VanCleef you are right, I got DS to double check & his Golf Course in Nottingham is open ... but he still says he's in no hurry to go back ....

I could hear golf balls clacking at first light yesterday (Sunday)! Some people are very cooped up at home with others so getting out to play golf I suppose at least helps them mentally. Basically it is awful for lots of people on all sorts of grounds and particularly young people. We sacrificed the young for the old in this and almost all countries have done similar things so it is not the UK being uniquely wrong (or right depending on your view of the CV19 measures).

Younger 2 sons were very lucky only to be affected principally in relation to their final term of 3 years, they could do exams online and although have missed a graduation ceremony could start their law conversion course which is entirely online and already have their university friends - they have been very lucky on the timing and hopefully by 2022/2023 when they need law jobs things may have improved a bit. It has been particularly unfair on freshers and just like mine cannot be given back at a later date their final university term, freshers cannot be given back after the fact their first year although some money might help them as the state seems to have found the magic money tree and is throwing money around with wild abandon.

One of the main reasons I’m glad DD is going back is the sibling bickering based mainly in differing attitudes to Covid (resident “child” v strict and anxious about it, student not so much!).

Ds has just spoken to all his housemates and they think because they are tier 4 (university also tier 4) they aren't allowed to move. So are staying with their families. Ds is a bit put out as he desperately wants to return. I'm sure moving tier 4 to tier 4 is fine.

I'm sure we are about to go into full lockdown though. In which case they won't be able to move back if they aren't there already.

DS had an online presentation this morning, he was supposed to be back at uni. yesterday, but hey ho. He must have worked hard at home because his presentation was used as an example when he demurred his lecturer told him not to be so modest. He is now walking on air after moaning working from home was pants he worked better in one room in his flat.

Tomorrow is his friends birthday they are at uni. together they live in the same hometown. DS said can I see him, we said yes, we know the families, like us they are in lockdown working from home. So they are going for a walk together tomorrow. There just has to be some give and take.

Interestingly some of his group did not turn up for the online lecture/presentation I do hope it was not caused by internet connections. That would be devastating for any student working online.,

@Ginfordinner

DD completed an assignment today, and has one more to do, then loads of revision. It really hasn't been much of a holiday for her. She is still unsure about when to travel back to Newcastle.

After clicking through the uni. website page after page finally found an advice number for parents concerning covid when to return. They are talking about staggered, but when give us a date please. Will probably give them a ring when things are clearer re England and lockdown. Too much is up in the air at the moment. DS lecturer in online zoom type call admitted he is in the dark as much as we are.

@icanbewhatiwant if we in England follow Scotland then travel for education and/or moving home purposes is allowed even under new harsh restrictions

@VanCleefArpels even with full lockdown? He'd still like to go back. But I don't think housemates will move back anyway.

DD is still going back as are her housemates.

I drove my DD back to Newcastle today. She is in private rental and insists that she can't work at home, though in the circumstances re lockdown I would have preferred her to be here. My DS was planning on staying another 3 weeks, but once he is locked in with us he will probably want to go back to uni, where he is at least with some friends.

Nothing said about unis was there? Presumably because they are already remote . I imagine all F2F will stop, unless vital.

Poor DS is feeling so trapped here. he desperately wants to go back. I am by nature not a rule breaker and very torn.