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!

Mine seem to be losing touch with their old school friends with not having been able to see them for most of the last year, which is sad.

‘Birmingham (where DD is) teaches in semesters but punctuated by normal Christmas and Easter holidays.’

Ditto Nottingham.

DS breaks up for Easter on 26th March, and the semester will continue after the Easter hols. He has three weeks off for Easter and he’ll be coming home.

He’s hoping to pick up some shifts at the pub he’s worked at since he was 17 when it opens, and he’d like to go back there in the summer hols too. Though he has secured an internship for the summer hols so they’ll be some juggling - hopefully he’ll be busy (cos it’ll make a change from not being at all busy for these last months!)

Yes Dd in Jesmond but in a very large house that I think she would find a bit spooky living on her own for a month.

DD's house share is for 8 people. She would hate to be on her own for a month. Her mental health would really suffer.

Which university is your DD at @VanCleefArpels?

Mine seem to be losing touch with their old school friends with not having been able to see them for most of the last year, which is sad.

DD doesn't see any of her old school friends either. The two she was closest to are in long term relationships and prefer to spend time with their boyfriends these days.

My DS texted tonight asking for a copy of his passport for his new house. Hopefully that means that he will have it sorted soon for next year, though as it starts in July perhaps he will spend less time at home. One of his friends will probably have to live there full time as he doesn't really get on with his family, but unfortunately he's the least house trained of the group! I would still have preferred that he had found a work placement, though.

@RampantIvy it’s one of the 1960’s universities in the south east

@Zandathepanda, your plan sounds safe and sensible enough to me - nobody should feel they have to be left isolated in a house on their own (or even if others are there but they feel isolated)

DSs term finishes on Friday, but he’s at home anyway and has assignments to complete over Easter, plus the exams after....

@bigTillyMint Do you know roughly how many exams your DS has and when they finish - my DD has a lot and doesn’t finish until 2 June and is wondering if it will be busy/noisy in Durham much before then, or whether to take them at home. One of her friends only has one exam!!!

I think he has two? Finishes them on 15th May? Must depend on subject/modules? He has a LOT of summative assessments/coursework! He is worried about being distracted if he goes back before, so may do them here

DD has only just got the results back from her January exams. In spite of the stress, panic attacks and falling asleep in the middle of one she did very well, thank goodness.

Well done to your Dd! Superhuman effort to get through them!

Thank you Zanda

@bigTillyMint- thanks, hmm maybe better to stay here until the exams are done then, if socialising is going to be up and running well before.... Mine has one more summative and one formative to write before Easter, then reading and revision, it’s non-stop.
@RampantIvy - super well done to your DD

Thank you @Baytreemum.

On the uni Facebook page there are parents of students complaining that their DC are hardly being given any work - one or two lectures a week. Some of these are second year students. What kind of degrees and which universities are doing this? A lot of people think that all degrees from all universities are equal. How can this be when it seems like most of our DC on here are working their socks off and others elsewhere are doing so little?

All of DD's friends in her house share (doing an assortment of subjects) are working very hard just now.

@RampantIvy, that is a question close to DSs heart - whilst he knows it’s difficult to compare without doing the same subject himself at different unis, it does feel like he isn’t getting as much support, and is having to do more written work than perhaps some of his friends are at different unis. And equally, some of his friends doing different degrees at the same uni as him.
Very hard to compare.

Yes DD and all her housemates doing lots of work and usual timetable of lectures and seminars (the latter camera on Teams affairs). Their subjects are 2 different social sciences , maths, law and film studies. They’ve all got essays to get in before the end of term which contribute a substantial percentage towards the final degree. I simply don’t believe that courses are only offering one lecture a week. Students might not be accessing everything that’s on offer but that’s their lookout surely?

Yes, the lack of support. DD's course director basically told her cohort that they were adults and to just get on with it.

for those of our DCs on three year courses it’ll be pretty full on from now - second year counts towards the final degree but will be online, then third year will be heads down. Barely any ‘normal’ life at all - the short window where they might be able to let their hair down at university will be hard work and preparing for exams. I hope they find some time to enjoy things..

If I were a student mid-way through doing a three year degree course in the current climate, I think I'd make sure I had one helluva summer vac!

@NewModelArmyMayhem18

I completely agree. If restrictions are lifted I hope my DS parties til dawn every day!

@blametheparents they surely deserve it!

is there much option even this summer? I wonder if we can get away somewhere - I'd resigned myself to being at home but maybe it'd be good to see if we can get out to our usual haunts even if just for a short time.

I'm tempted to recommend DS doing a gap year after graduation as they'll have been in solid (and not fun) education for so long after this

@MrKlaw - I guess we don’t know 100% yet, we can look at the unlocking timeline and be hopeful, but we all know this may well slip.

We’ve booked a UK holiday and have a foreign holiday booked (which has been postponed from last year, we booked it in September 2019!)

DS has (jokingly) said that he and his housemates will all get married if weddings are the only parties that are allowed! 😂😂

Thats not a bad idea :D

My young people have bought festival tickets and hope to take a short break abroad later in the summer and are looking forward to pubs opening and having gatherings of 6 round garden fire pits!