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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Is anyone's dc meant to be doing a year abroad next year?

31 replies

geraldmeers · 21/04/2021 09:52

My dc is meant to be studying at a North American university for a year from September. Both home and overseas uni are operating on the assumption that it will go ahead, but I think we can't really know until perhaps a month beforehand, so can't sort out travel, accommodation, etc. On the other hand dc is not sure how late to leave all the preparation. I know nobody can give me a yay or nay on whether it will go ahead, but I'd be interested to know if anyone else is in this situation and what are your thoughts?

OP posts:
PresentingPercy · 21/04/2021 14:17

I think you assume it’s going ahead. If the universities think it will - that seems a good steer. Would there be any accommodation available 1 month before? How expensive will flights be? My friends’ DS has been in the Netherlands doing a masters and that didn’t stop.

Original poster
geraldmeers · 21/04/2021 16:46

I think the host uni is telling students to wait until they arrive before finding accommodation and book a hotel/airbnb for the first couple of weeks, but it all seems quite vague. The UK uni has cancelled some years abroad e.g. to New Zealand, Germany, Austria, and some are on hold. They expect USA and Canada to go ahead at the moment, but are still advising students not to book anything yet. It's all a bit worrying as dc has no accommodation in her UK uni town for if the year abroad is cancelled.

OP posts:
PresentingPercy · 21/04/2021 17:39

Yes, I do agree it is vague. I know my DD had to find accommodation when she arrived in Italy in late January years ago, but for the September start university she booked ahead - in April!

I guess it depends on availability of accommodation and I really do not know aoubt USA. It is very difficult to plan. Hotel/motel would be quite cheap but what if everyone has to do that?

Original poster
geraldmeers · 21/04/2021 21:02

Thanks. Hopefully we'll get some more info soon to enable at least a bit of planning.

OP posts:
PresentingPercy · 21/04/2021 21:40

You might find other posters in the same position but everything is so up in the air. Hope there’s a decision soon. Is the university actually teaching? Are students there now?

amarya · 21/04/2021 22:06

This year my niece's year abroad (modern languages) didn't happen.

RampantIvy · 21/04/2021 22:16

A couple of DD's friends who are doing languages are deferring next year because their year abroad have been cancelled. They are really disappointed, but can't do their final year without doing their year abroad first.

Original poster
geraldmeers · 22/04/2021 07:44

PresentingPercy students are at the uni but there's no face to face at the moment. At least dd is 2nd year so in a shared house with friends.

RampantIvy that's interesting - so when you say defer, do you mean taking a year out in the middle of their course? DD has talked about doing this if her year abroad doesn't go ahead. It's not a language degree, so the time abroad is not essential, but it would be a shame to miss the experience.

OP posts:
PresentingPercy · 22/04/2021 07:54

Would it be possible to negotiate one semester? Starting in late January? I’m sure accommodation here would then be a huge issue but a delayed start might at least be something.

MFL degrees simply cannot work without the year abroad.

Chemenger · 22/04/2021 07:57

Mine is meant to be going to Mexico, Spanish degree. At the moment they are planning normal teaching. My main worry is the ineptitude of her U.K. university, they seem totally disinterested in the whole thing and just say it’s her problem. I work in another university and we are much more organised, it’s very frustrating.

RampantIvy · 22/04/2021 07:59

Yes, a year out from their degree. The university suggested it.

RedRec · 22/04/2021 08:04

My son is supposed to be spending next year (his third) in Germany. Non MFL degree and is at York Uni. All still geared up for it happening, so far, with guaranteed accommodation at the partner university if it goes ahead.
York very supportive and proactive in preparing them for it.
He will be devastated if it doesn't happen now and so will I, for him.

PresentingPercy · 22/04/2021 08:49

I’m not sure how Uk universities can organise other universities abroad though. Mexico might not be the most organised country! Like Italy! They should be talking to the exchange staff but some overseas universities are organised and others are not.

Are they able to offer an alternative placement for Spanish?

Malbecfan · 22/04/2021 09:26

Mine is a non-MFL student who has been accepted at a university in Japan for a year. Her uni in the UK like them to go between years 2 & 3 which would be September 21 for DD. However, they have indicated that they would allow her to go between years 3 & 4 if Japan won't let her in. The Japanese university has said that they hope to make a decision by the end of April, so hopefully not too much longer to wait...

Original poster
geraldmeers · 22/04/2021 09:45

Malbecfan, when you say between years 3 & 4, how long is the course? My dd had this option, but it's a 4 year course, including the year abroad, so that would mean doing the year abroad in her final year. That would feel a bit of a strange way to finish uni, and, more importantly, it could make it harder to apply for jobs back in the UK, go to interviews, access advice from her home uni on careers/postgrad study, etc.

OP posts:
Chemenger · 22/04/2021 10:07

I understand that the UK university can't do the overseas university's organisation for them but where there is an established exchange, as in this case, there should be better communication. The university she is going to is an excellent one (I have several Mexican colleagues who have vouched for it!). What the UK university should be considering is the consequence for the students if they cannot go (after all, they now have experience of this) and some contingency plan. At the moment they just make statement like "this is a compulsory part of the course" and refuse to consider changing location which does nothing to help the anxiety. In every aspect of their teaching and organisation her UK university has been disorganised and apathetic in the face of COVID. Its particularly galling to hear how little they have attempted to professionally teach when I have been busting a gut to do the best I can for my own students. I suspect she will get better teaching in Mexico!

FoolsAssassin · 24/04/2021 07:05

Sympathies, we have been in this position this year and it has been a complete nightmare, only mitigated by a lucky situation here in the U.K. with accommodation.

DD is. MFL and has now lost her year abroad and not sure what she has done online with her host university is going to have her where she should be for year 4. A lot of her class deferred so going next year if it happens. A few universities have done an inverse year so goimg for final year but her university refused to consider it. It was a night,are sorting the medical stuff for the visa .

She was able to book accommodation with her host university then had a few months to cancel so was able to see how it planned out. A few foreign students did go but were stuck in their rooms learning online which sounded pretty grim, especially with a big time difference to the U.K. DD had online lessons for the first term with really early start so did at least get something. Really sad for her so try not to think about it much.

Malbecfan · 24/04/2021 12:52

Sorry @geraldmeers I haven't been on MN since Thursday as I'm up to my eyeballs in CAGs.

It's an integrated Masters course but with an optional year abroad. So it's 4 years without the year or 5 with it. At the moment, DD gets the maximum loan but DH now has a reasonable job so we're going to have to keep working to pay for the next 3 years. However, with the stress this government is causing, I'll probably either leave or peg it Sad. Sorry but I'm at the end of my tether with the dithering, the lack of information and most annoying of all, the timing of everything which is normally right at the start of a holiday, meaning you lose the entire holiday as you re-plan everything only for it to change again on a whim.

PresentingPercy · 24/04/2021 13:46

It is perfectly reasonable for students to continue here in year 3 as long as they are not MFL students. MFL would require another placement.

Every year seems to have issues - Covid or not. the British Council frequently withdraw offers for example. At the last minute. DD's boyfriend back in the day had his Grand Ecole Erasmus exchange offer pulled. He went to another one but it all happened in late August.

Essdentially the "nice to go" people might not go. All the DC who are staying here for 3rd year will stay and will get the university offering. The MFL students are in a far more difficult situation. They need to go.

Yes. I think we all know some universaities are crap. However decisions need to be made for those where the year is not vital.

FoolsAssassin · 24/04/2021 13:53

It is perfectly reasonable for students to continue here in year 3 as long as they are not MFL students. MFL would require another placement.

Not happening with my DD as far as we are aware...

FoolsAssassin · 24/04/2021 13:58

But to be fair she has had some online tuition so different I guess , though less than ideal.

drivinmecrazy · 24/04/2021 14:09

DD has just firmed her year 3 placement at Córdoba uni (Spain) as part of her MFL degree.
She had hoped to study in Argentina but the partner university pulled out.
Fortunately her university has some good partnerships and somehow, goodness knows how, has maintained participation in Erasmus so her financing has not been impacted much to our relief!!
But she's at Royal Holloway which is a small uni so they have been able to find placements for all the students.
We're really disappointed for DD though. We have family in Spain and she has spent much of her childhood there so it's not going to be the big adventure we and she had hoped.

ifonly4 · 24/04/2021 14:39

DD has a year in Germany. Non MFL. Quite a lot of foreign unis have cancelled on her friends/other students and her uni have warned her the same could happen. However, they've been told to apply for modules in their UK university in case.

She has to empty her uni accommodation next week and has to make the decision whether to put items in store. If she knew she was going she'd send everything home (600 miles) rather than putting into store for 16 months.

worstofbothworlds · 24/04/2021 14:46

As a lecturer (though MFL) and someone with a bit of knowledge of Mexico I would not assume anything there will happen, but if it does, it will not be safe to send students there. Medical care is in a dire state and if a student were to get ill for a non COVID reason it would be negligent of the university to have sent them to that situation.
TBH if it was my DC I'd be advising them to ask if they can find their own placement e.g. TA in Spain.

worstofbothworlds · 24/04/2021 18:33

That should say NOT MFL.