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)?

My medic DD has had her Feb placement cancelled - no capacity on wards for teaching I guess and not safe either. I hope they make up the time in future. Also feeling v sad for all that they are missing out on but v proud of how they are all dealing with it - they will certainly be a resilient generation.

There's going to be a lot of playing catch-up for some degree courses, particularly where there is sizeable physical placement requirement.

Glad more of the young people have safely returned to their house shares.

We've not had any snow although it's been very chilly. It's the one year when it would be welcome.

So DD has been back at her Chicago university for 6 days, and has tested negative for Covid twice, which means she's now allowed out of her room in daytime to go for walks outside. They still have to wear masks all the time, and socially distance, but at least she can get out and about a bit.

She went for a walk yesterday afternoon - got back to her room around 3pm. During that time and for a couple of hours after, a gunman rampaged around Chicago shooting people, and was eventually killed a couple of miles from where she lives. The gunman's first victim was a University of Chicago student.

Fortunately we didn't hear about it until it was all over, so we weren't sitting at home worrying about her.

news.yahoo.com/police-man-shoots-7-series-142709995.html

www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/chicago-shooting-five-dead-gunman-23293354

Blimey. Just as well you didn't know.

Gosh @ZZTopGuitarSolo that's shocking. Glad your DD is okay (and yay to being able to get out of her room - or possibly not?). Do you think the gunman running amok was related to the Capitol incident last week? Worrying .

Crikey it will be time to make a new thread tomorrow.

Can you please put a link if there is a new thread?

Usually do @simbobs.

Foot in mouth lecturer oops

thetab.com/uk/cardiff/2021/01/11/cardiff-lecturer-accidentally-leaks-video-calling-students-idiots-for-wanting-safety-net-56345

That’s terrible @justasking111

I agree that’s awful. The lecturer clearly has no awareness of how much the impact the pandemic and its restrictions and now lockdown is having on the mental health of students. Never mind that online learning seems to create more work for all of them. There just needs to be less judgement and more kindness to everyone at the moment.

I assume that Cardiff doesn't have (m)any students sitting the exams stuck in time zones widely different from GMT, for whom the exam will need to be sat, say, between 1am and 5am local time? Or is the four hour window merely, once started, must be completed within 4 hours?

When DD did her exams in the summer the paper was released at a certain time and replies had to be in within 24hrs so wherever people were they could get it done. The time taken to do it was taken on trust but they were told that overlong answers would be indicative of having taken too much time!

I completely fell off this thread so am just posing nothingness so it reappears!!

posting even!

Piggy apologies but your am just posing nothingness made me snort and wake my husband up! Thank you for the typo!

I blame my juvenile laughter on breaking dry January tonight!

Posing nothingness sounds like great philosophical angst @Piggywaspushed!

Yes we are doing lots of great philosophising at our house over the trials of Dd not going back to university. She is really starting to get down about it so trying to look at the bigger picture.

Some of her flatmates have gone back due them being on the approved list but her course isn’t so she’s stuck here for a while.

@zandathepanda I am firmly of the opinion that dry January is not a good idea this year. It is dark all day, the news is bleak so depriving ourselves of something that we might enjoy is a hair shirt too far.

DS is still at home. I think he would go back if his friends did, but at the moment they seem to be looking at the beginning of next month. This means that he gets to save some money while eating us out of house and home. At least with the decision made I know that I don't have to go and get his computer. Now I just have to remind him to pay his rent.

NTU have cancelled rent for the current lockdown if students aren't occupying their rooms (university accommodation only). I did wonder if something was in the pipeline as DD had to fill in a survey stating if she was there or not last week (she isn't). If she returns before feb 22nd (I think that's the date) then obviously she has to pay rent.

So unfair that some places are taking this sensible view and others not. DS thought that he had paid his rent last night but it hadn't gone through. He tried again and the site appears not to be working, so he cannot pay until he can get hold of a human.

simbobs yes January ‘wet’ from now on! Dh and I haven’t had a drink together since Dd2 was ill, just in case. If there was anywhere to go, we might of got uni-Dd insured to drive again and finally clinked glasses, but it does seem a bit excessive and we are not at that stage yet!
I know there’s been trials for this year group but, as I keep telling her, at least Uni Dd had a prom, proper exams, 18th booze-up, was allowed to learn to drive (learners are banned in England I found out on another thread), go to a few festivals, holiday abroad with her mates and a normal beginning to university too. I think the 2 school years below them have had it worse. The main bug bear is paying a hefty rent and utilities bill for nothing. And being so exhausted with essays yet bored (for Dd...!)

@Zandathepanda I couldn’t agree with you more that current 2nd years probably not that badly off in so many ways . As you say, left school in the time honoured fashion, had freshers week and made the transition to a different way of learning with in person support. Were able to form good friendships and move into off campus houses with a group they know and trust. Yes it’s all been online but at least they are zooming with lecturrrs and seminar group members they have met in the flesh. And for this cohort hopefully the jobs market will be back to dine kind of normal by the time they graduate.

Last years graduates and this years freshers have been f*cked by this