DD is taking a year out from her medicine course and is spending a year in London taking a BSc degree in a year. Its a lab subject but has has been entirely on line. Indeed some in her groups are not even in the country.
There are relatively few medics taking her options. Its mainly third year and Masters students, the former know each other, the latter don't. The only time she has had any contact has been when stuff is delivered. The University postroom mislaid something important so it is now sent to our house, and she takes it round to whoever is doing that bit of the lab work in their bedroom.
It is totally bizarre. The course is great and on the whole the others are bright, helpful and hardworking. But there is a huge missed opportunity in terms of networking. If she maintains her interest into her career she could well be working in a mixed team of medics and scientists. They could even be people from her course. But she won't know them.
In one tutorial the person leading it mentioned something about 'friends'. (It might have been in the context of some testing and not asking friends.) She was the only medic and pointed out she had no friends. The academic thought about it and then agreed. He had not realised that current rules preclude her from seeing anyone her own age, apart from an occasional walk.
The friend thing is difficult. At one point a group of three had to do a presentation,. One boy was lazy but popular. They essentially carried him through the group work. But his friends then lobbed them soft questions following the presentation. Tough for those who have yet to meet anyone.
Our wifi was down on Friday, and DD is facing a bunch of end of term deadlines. But when she checked the University library was closed. She ended up attending one tutorial sitting in her car parked outside a neighbours house, using the neighbour's wifi password.
Their teaching ends at Easter. She is resigned to getting a degree without having met a single person on her course.