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!

We bought DS a fire pit for Xmas. They’ve already used it in their back garden with just their household!

My dd is well.in front with her work in the hope that she may be able to party during the last term. Hopefully on course to be able to end second year with a high 2:1 or 1st which would be great going into her final year. I thought she'd be more upset on missing out on uni life but she's been very pragmatic and has more sympathy for those who missed proms and graduation.

@MrKlaw I think a lot of new graduates will be taking a gap year as soon as horizons are well and truly expanded!

LOL at the idea of young people getting married to have the chance to have some fun! You never know though! You may find young people re-evaluating relationships big-time in light of the pandemic.

DD said a friend spoke to tutor earlier and was told her uni haven't ruled out everything being online from September for a term. Any other students heard anything like this?

@RedHelenB

My dd is well.in front with her work in the hope that she may be able to party during the last term. Hopefully on course to be able to end second year with a high 2:1 or 1st which would be great going into her final year. I thought she'd be more upset on missing out on uni life but she's been very pragmatic and has more sympathy for those who missed proms and graduation.

DD and all of her friends on her course are behind and struggling to keep up. The lecturers keep firing lectures at them at a rate that they wouldn't be able to do if they were being delivered face to face. They did at least manage to do a lab practical this week.

I think students doing degrees that include a practical element are struggling a lot from what DD says.

@stsrfish4 I haven't heard this, but it wouldn't surprise me as the scientists have predicted another wave in the autumn. Which uni is this, please?

DC London uni saying on their website lectures are online for first term

Oh no!

@RedHelenB I think your DD is right - our second years have benefitted from having a “proper” freshers experience having done A levels, prom etc in the time honoured fashion, had enough time to form a friendship group in halls, via their course or extra curriculars so they are now living with people they know and like, and haven’t been imprisoned in Halls. Yes online learning is not ideal but I think on the whole they’ve just got on with it. Let’s hope they manage to finish their degrees next year in a “normal” way

DS says they're having face to face lectures after the Easter break. He's not heard anything about being 'online only' for the first term of the upcoming academic year either! Watch this space.

online for one term of their last year would be depressing. That’d be every year of their degree impacted and what little ‘normal’ uni life is left for those on a three year course is really only that term as then it’ll be full steam ahead on exams.. Hope its not true.

I totally agree @MrKlaw.

They said on our local news that UEA are getting ready for students to return face to face after Easter. But ds is there and hasn't heard anything. But it is 5 weeks until they are due back (one more week before the 4 week Easter break)

Ds was saying they should have been on a trip to some salt marshes this month. But they've had to research it and write and essay as if they've been there. He said he'd like to have actually visited. They've also watched the lecturer online doing the hands on practicals in the lab. it is quite disappointing to just watch. But they are obviously all in the same boat.

Ds said they have had several exams, usually the grades go towards the final degree. But due to covid they can look at year 2 grades and year 3 grades and pick the grades from year they prefer.

DS says he has had his last lectures/seminars for the year - just exams after Easter.

Surely there will be no viable reasons why they can’t be f2f again after the summer if the vaccination programme goes to plan (which it is so far amazingly )

The problem is that they seem to be expecting another wave after the summer

They've also watched the lecturer online doing the hands on practicals in the lab. it is quite disappointing to just watch

Same with DD. She also remembers and understands more by doing it herself rather than watching someone else, and is struggling with some of the content.

@RampantIvy it's frustrating isn't it.

I think there will be a revolt if that’s true and I’ll be up there with them! Ridiculous. I’m in school every day with unmasked primary children (I’m masked) and yet young adults can’t be trusted/tested to be in a lecture hall.

Durham is currently saying they plan a blend of f2f and online but not to return for term 3 until gov says so. DD says loads of students are already up there. Her house is full as are all her friendship group’s houses.

It’s madness if still online in sept. Everyone over 18 will have just had a vaccine and there are warehouses full of rapid flow tests. If unis don’t want to do f2f it is because they either prefer it or gov is washing their hands. With schools open how on earth can it be justified? Ok maybe huge lectures could be online but everything?! So bored of students being treated differently from rest of country.

That's true. We cannot deny students normal university activity when everyone (almost) will have been vaccinated. This is grossly unjust and needs to be tackled.

Not sure what we do as parents. I know my dd is really fed up but was only at her uni about 10 weeks so hardly knows anyone and doesn’t feel very powerful.

I guess we write to our mps

Unless something goes horribly wrong and deaths/hospital admissions go up again, I cannot see how universities have a leg to stand on saying they won’t be f2f.

This is why the various on going bit of cv19 litigation are useful. last year's first bit failed. However some legal letters have won and there was the victory of one case - substantial meal case recently and others are in the pipeline (where there is no justification for a measure).

That’s interesting Xenia. Unis said things like ‘if circumstances allow’ so are covered for anything? So one case a few miles away with a prevailing wind and they stay closed for f2f?