Some of our young people are half way through their degrees (2019/20 intake): lockdowns on repeat, light at the end of the tunnel with vaccinations (?) and the legacy of COVID-19

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

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Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose is all I can say!

Yes absolutely I can see this being normal. How long before we have celebrity lecturerers doing the same lectures across the world - Harvard #london etc

So could mean redundancies for lecturers then if that’s the case. Surely they won’t want that.

The staff are worried about their lectures being used without them .The unis have told them that any recordings belong to them. This means they could run 2 systems, in person & remote for overseas or whatever. Some lectures seem to be strangely being removed from the servers double quick!

I’ve just said this on another thread (sorry if you are on both)!

Unis will be able to buy lecture courses from anywhere at this rate. Business/IT from tech firms and US unis, drama from RADA, history from Cambridge or whatever. I’m amazed uni staff aren’t pushing to get back to campuses and get the jabs/tests etc that are needed.

Prob fine if you work at oxbridge/London unis etc but surely some unis risk losing international and domestic students if they won’t offer appealing on campus experiences ASAP.

I've just toured a Florida university with my 17 year old DD2. Very interesting.

They have some classes outside, under cover.
Some classes are hybrid - with the group split in two, and doing half the classes in person and half online.
Some classes are fully online.
They have turned every possible available room into a classroom in some way to give them more space in which to teach.
It seems most students are living back on campus.
No one is in a double room this year - everyone is in a single. I actually can't imagine how they've managed this, although they had already just built some (lovely) new accommodation blocks which I'm sure has helped.

Students all keep their Covid app up to date, and wear masks everywhere. Social distancing everywhere. Regular Covid testing.

It seems to be working. DD really wants to go there - probably something to do with endless sunshine and 3 outdoor swimming pools

Meanwhile DD1 has had a foot of snow in the last 24 hours, and it's about as cold as it's ever been in Chicago.

Wouldn’t this be amazing here?! I’m amazed that large spaces aren’t being utilised. Yes it would be a logistical nightmare but surely some would be possible.

Finally took DS back to uni yesterday. The rest of his flat had returned and he was missed. Hopefully he will stay there until the end of term, and that he will benefit from some kind of relaxation of restrictions while he is still there.

That’s good @simbobs. I spoke to DD yesterday and she was in good spirits thankfully. She’d got some great marks on her recent assessments and is still managing a good time given the restrictions.

That’s good @simbobs. I spoke to DD yesterday and she was in good spirits thankfully. She’d got some great marks on her recent assessments and is still managing a good time given the restrictions.

I have been inpressed that my DS has actually been attending his lectures and seminars, even the 9am ones, though I'm not sure how obvious it is to the course leader that he is doing so in bed! It's a lot quieter here so he has had plenty of time to get his work done.

Well done to your DD @Benjispruce2 and your DS @simbobs

My DS is still here, and a bit up and down, but does seem to be working as well as worrying about how to get an internship/work experience. I was relieved to hear him talking about looking online at houses for next year with some mates, so hopefully...

Sorry, I have had to name change. But I am already in this thread under another alias. I had a long telephone conversation with DD, who is really struggling with the work. So is everyone else she knows, not just those on her course, but students on other courses. The lack of feedback and guidance is getting to them all, and morale is very low. Luckily the friendship group is stronger than ever.

Her course director is being unhelpful, and she can't talk to her personal tutor, so she is going to apply to change to a different one. Her chronic fatigue is still causing issues as well, so I have had to remind her yet again to contact her GP.

@bigTillyMint my DS is in the same situation regarding next year's house and placement. All the time he was here he had a half-hearted look for work but nothing came up that seemed suitable. I cannot believe that the uni still hasn't spoken to them about it, as provision will have to be made if students decide to move to a 3 year degree. Apparently, it is going to be discussed next week. This obviously affects the decision regarding houses. A group of them want to share but DS isn't the only one who is supposed to be doing a placement. The other lad has so far come up with something in another city and doesn't want to take it, despite the fact that the money is good. Not sure what his parents will make of that. I get the impression that they feel so cheated of a normal uni experience that they just want to stay together next year come what may, even though doing so may make them less employable. Cynically, I also wonder whether uni might prefer to have them and their full tuition fees next year.

@RampantIvy I have posted before about my 4th year DD who has been similarly struggling, and is now doing her final year over 2 years. Not everyone copes with the situation as it is.

[quote simbobs]@RampantIvy I have posted before about my 4th year DD who has been similarly struggling, and is now doing her final year over 2 years. Not everyone copes with the situation as it is.[/quote]
I hope she is OK @simbobs. I remember reading about her concerns. I think that ideally DD would like to redo year 2, but she wouldn't want it to impact on her final degree classification.

How does it affect the final degree classification? I hope that she hasn't shot herself in the foot through lsack of proper guidance.

Aren't results from a retake capped at a certain level?
Loads of students have asked the course director for more support, but she has been extremely unhelpful by all accounts. They don't know who to escalate it to unfortunately.

@simbobs, at least one of my DSs friends is looking for a placement next year, but nothing so far. And they do feel cheated. I feel so sorry for them.

@RampantIvy (and simbobs) so sorry to hear about your DD. My DD is very vociferous about the lack of pastoral support at uni

@simbobs My Ds is also looking for a placement for next year. It’s still very unclear how likely it will be that staff will be back in offices in his field. It’s not really the type of job where online work experience is very beneficial.

I also wonder if another year away from campus is wise given the disruption of the past 12 months, it might be much harder to return to in-person learning in 2022 after such a long gap.

On placements one of DD’s housemates decided at the end of last year that it was going to be far more difficult than usual to find something for the third year so decided to just crack on with the degree and worry about it later when hopefully things will be better. It meant they could renew the tenancy as a group which is a huge relief. I just can’t see how non medical placements would work if everyone is working remotely

I think my DS will probably do the same, but there must be some way of letting the uni know, as they have him down for a 4 year course. Lack of general contact means that he has no idea how many of his cohort are in the same situation. It would surely impact numbers next year.

Yes I am a bit worried that unis won’t let them all carry on instead of going on a placement due to the numbers - though perhaps not as many went on placements this year anyway so it might not be an issue.

My DD won a free internship to Africa last year to work on an HIV project. Travel was cancelled due to Covid and now the project has completed. Such a loss. She was also due to go to South Africa last September as part of her degree and she still doesn’t know if that will go ahead this year instead or if it’s even feasible.Everything has a knock on effect.

Yes DS & his housemates doing the same course (engineering) decided to revert to a course without the year in industry.

On a slightly different subject, if all adults will be vaccinated by the end of July there can surely be no earthly reason for not resuming business as usual from Setember?