What it's really been like for 1st years this year? Made any friends?

[kintigsullor]

One of my DC is starting at university in September if all goes according to plan and is wondering what it has been like for 1st years this year? They have already been told lectures at no1 choice will be online. It's a long way from home and he wonders what's it been like socially?

DS was shielding so has met no one. He has enjoyed his course but otherwise it has been a bit sad and I am not sure what he will do for accommodation going forward

DS has had a pretty good year in the circumstances. He got on really with his flat mates and played a sport which he started in Autumn and has just got up and running again so has met people through that. He's on a practical course which had a bit of face to face teaching in Autumn, through which he met others through group projects that he is living with next year. Jan & Feb was a bit grim and he stayed at home for about 6 weeks before going back when face to face restarted on 8 March and now has quite a lot of in person teaching and access to facilities. His main hobby is gaming so he's also met people online through that (gaming society and tournaments).
I'm a lecturer and have been impressed with the quality of online teaching and the approach of the uni generally. I know he would have been much less happy hanging around for a gap year in a boring job and no chance of travelling.

Thanks for all the replies. Bit of a mixed bag by the sound of it. It's very sad reading some. I really hope things improve.

@Millylovespuddles

As a mum of a would-be September fresher, this is a depressing read. I guess we can only hope things improve.

Realistically, even with reduced/no restrictions in October, I doubt Uni will be back to "normal". It sounds more like the same weasel-worded "blended learning" which meant bugger all F2F last October for lots of Unis. At my son's Uni, none of his lecturers have even set foot on campus since last Easter, even in the months when "blended learning" was supposed to be happening, they were all at home. We're really heading towards a "two tier" system where it's only the students doing "practical" courses like science or medicine that get proper F2F and every one else watches on their computer screen. If that's the case, we need to demand a 2 tier pricing system too!

DD didn't really click with her housemates, so she's signed up for private halls for Year 2. Her course said they were going to be online only for the rest of the year back in Jan/Feb, including exams, so at least she's been able to plan. Annoyingly, they have no teaching in term 3, so a bit pointless going back on 17th May for an exam period which starts on 3rd May!

However, her uni have said they're hoping to put on a fortnight of "events" at the end of June, so if her subject also sort out some stuff (couple of the lecturers are really keen to get everyone meeting up in person), she may go back for that.

She's been comparatively lucky in that all her lectures have been live, so they've been able to ask questions/interact during lectures, and they managed to get most of the practical lab stuff done right at the beginning of the year. Didn't manage the big highlight module of the course which is a hands on practical one, but she's hopeful they'll get extra time on that in 2nd year.

surely not online next year? DS will be in his final year - 1 heavily disrupted by strikes and then the start of Covid, 2 massivly hit by Covid and entirely online. I can't imagine more online. Must be so hard for them.

Gap year isn't ideal either if things aren't opened up

Dd has made some friends in halls although she had to move room to be able to be part of the same household. They have signed up for a flat in a very central location for next year and will be close to facilities such as library, SU, lecture halls etc which have been not operating this year in the hope they can use them next. What has also been missing this year have been the societies and friends made through mutual interests. Society committees have tended to continue into next year as they have had so little to do which has a knock on effect on those freshers hoping to participate. I don't think a decision has formally been made on teaching style in the autumn yet but likely to be hybrid.

@MrKlaw a lot of universities are already planning for "blended" next year. And we now know the reality of that means predominantly online!

One of the problems is this is a seasonal virus so even if things start off ok it may go downhill by November. Unfortunately the university year doesn't align well with Covid!

Blended meant 8 hours in total F2F this year for my DD. Everything else online including computing labs with tutor in another continent with poor internet and unable to see students screens. Uni saying blended again next year but haven't confirmed what this means for each subject. DD going back to halls next year as she has a job as resident assistant. Hasn't really made any friends from her course. All her flatmates went home mid December but luckily one came back at the end of Jan so she only had 6 weeks on her own. Luckily she has a part time job and does an outdoor sport so has made friends thru these.

My DDs eyesight has deteriorated due to the amount of time she's had to spend on a screen. I hope Unis are forced to pay for eye tests (like employers are) if on line learning stays.

And of course very limited contact with others on same course and opportunities to collaborate, discuss or study together

My DD has really missed collaboration with others. Her main subject had group projects but they didn't go well. Only one of the other 5 group members contributed each time and it had to be all done online. Group work counts for 10% of grade so DD a bit pissed off. I suspect DD will transfer to another degree as she is not convinced on the teaching for this subject particularly if restrictions remain for another year.

DD has had a pretty sociable time. They've been discreet about it, but I won't say there's been a lot of social distancing going on; once it had swept through every flat in the block in the first three weeks (that WAS tough, isolating for a fortnight with near strangers) they've partied fairly hard but just done it quietly, and campus security seems to have largely turned a blind eye to gatherings in flats.

What she hasn't had, obviously, is any real experience of the university - had a handful of face to face sessions at the very start but everything has been online since November. Student Union has been pretty much closed, libraries difficult to access, has barely been into her department, never met most of her tutors in person, and has had human contact with very few people on her course which is a shame as they'd probably have more in common than she does with the people she was thrown together with halls.

She's arranged a house next year with people from her current flat - I won't say they're all kindred spirits but at least they're known quantities.

Some of her school friends are at universities which have been much more restrictive and fined much more regularly / heavily for breaches of regulations. Some have given up their residences contract and come home for the remainder of the year. The ones I feel sorriest for are those who have sweated blood and tears to get into Oxbridge and who got sent home at Xmas and have missed out on the experience of living in those amazing historic quads. They'll never get this year back.

Bloody awful. DS has been at Uni for 8 weeks. Had to start on anti depressants in January and has not been back since December.

Just this week he has said he wants to change course and start again as a fresher in September. We will support this and can only hope his tutor actually bothers to reply to his email requesting help with a transfer of course.

He was fined for talking to someone not in his bubble in November. Put him off returning tbh, said there were security patrolling the halls to ensure no-one spoke to anyone they shouldn't. He got on with his flatmates but only because he had to. They are not people he would normally be friends with.

I truly, truly hope next year is better. If not, i don't know what he will do

Two first years here one in Nottngham one in Glasgow. Both made some friends but pretty shit really, Glasgow DD has been home since Christmas and not going back till September.

Nottingham better bigger flats - seems to have a good social life and sport is on.

Online learning has been hit and miss for both

Biggest plus has been refunds from halls as on campus. (Nottingham daughter was home till mid March)

It’s been a bit crap, tbh. DS is in Manchester which has had strict tiers on top of national lockdowns. He’s had zero F2F, hasn’t met anyone doing his course. On a positive, he’s got on well with his 7 flatmates, but they aren’t sticking together next year. He’s stayed in hall apart from Christmas and Easter so has at least had some independence.

My son is in 2nd year And the lasts 2 years haven’t been great. He had 4months of normality but the last 3 months of his first year and all of this year has been online.

Not the uni experience he expected,

Dd starts uni this year and we are hoping for something normal.

Ds is in a townhouse style halls of 12 first years

He's had a really good time as most of them have gelled and are happy to socialise together in the shared kitchen . I suspect that the 2 periods of 10day covid isolation that occurred in the first six weeks helped with the bonding

They were all home from the start of December to mid February because of lockdown but he and the three others on medical courses all went back as soon as they possibly could . Since Easter everyone is back and they are having fun - booked trips to weatherspoons etc

He's moving in as the only boy with 5 of the girls to a shared house in September so must be doing something right .

I should add that he's had little to no f2f teaching. His 8 person practical group bubble were all assessed by filming their practicals and submitting the videos .

Teaching has largely been through pre recorded videos and on live 3 hour session done on zoom each week

His 4 week January placement was also cancelled so he's doing a full eight weeks from June until august .

Crap. In flat of 6, initially ok then 3 of them decidedto exclude others which ordinarily wdn't matter but no clubs/societies, only allowed to mix with small number, porters determined to catch and photograph anyone breaking roolz, no in person teaching, only 1 lab (for science course). Decided to leave after 1 term.

DD has made the best of what has been a chaotic year and has loved it.

The main things that have worked for her were choosing a uni in a really pretty place with lots of outside space (Bristol) and choosing hall in the centre (Clifton) so even during lockdown she felt connected to the outside world, rather than being on an isolated mainly closed campus.

And choosing a hall with a shared bathroom and kitchen and with a lot of people on the corridor so the chances of gelling and being able to socialise with at least one other person was higher than if she was in a small flat with her own facilities, shut behind her door. As it is she got lucky and her whole flat (12) got on really well so they have made their own fun within their bubble. They are going to share a house next year.

She started off f2f lectures but they soon went on line and that's a shame but she has been keeping up with assignments and enjoys the course.

All the way they have been given opportunities to relinquish their room and have the rent refunded but as a group they decided to stay (there are a couple of international students so out of solidarity they all stuck together - and isolated together when the invariable time came some of them were struck with covid.)

It hasn't been the rounded uni experience they should be getting and she wishes they could have F2F (like schools.) But it has meant she has 'hysterically bonded' with her flatmates and they will be those friends for life you hope you might meet at uni.

Offspring here has made the best of it, but as everyone has said it’s been very limited - all lectures online, one socially distanced, face to face seminar before they moved online too. Hasn’t properly met anyone other than flatmates and the clubs and societies have done nothing. Thankfully, the flatmates get on well, so they’ve found a house to share next year. I think that what keeps offspring plodding on is the thought that a gap year with most plans thwarted or cancelled would have been even worse.

Thank you everybody for sharing your tales of survival.

kindlyensure I love your "hysterically bonded".

Main things I am taking from this are that social opportunities during the time of covid depend very much on luck - whether you actually get on with your flat/corridor mates and the larger the space you are sharing the better.

Greyhair59 very sorry to hear that about your DC though I imagine it has happened a lot this year .

@TheReturnOfTheMaud

Offspring here has made the best of it, but as everyone has said it’s been very limited - all lectures online, one socially distanced, face to face seminar before they moved online too. Hasn’t properly met anyone other than flatmates and the clubs and societies have done nothing. Thankfully, the flatmates get on well, so they’ve found a house to share next year. I think that what keeps offspring plodding on is the thought that a gap year with most plans thwarted or cancelled would have been even worse.

I think that's very true. If my DS wasn't retaking an A level this year because he was stiffed by CAGs last year and trying to learn to drive inbetween all the lockdowns, he would have sweet FA to do!

@kindlyensure That is really well put. I think that sums up dd's year too. Two flats (one of 6 and one of 8) in her block have morphed into one flat and I think their friendship has developed in that sort of "backs to the wall" "we're in it together" . There are people there she probably wouldn't have been friends with in other circumstances but they've got on with it and all isolated together as some folk tested positive, they've looked out for each other as they've been ill (completely unrelated to COVID), and they've made their own fun together when they've not been able to go out anywhere. That does 'bond you' through the shared experience. They've sorted accommodation for next year in different factions - I'm not saying it is some sort of fictional "aren't we all lovely people" utopia, but they've worked out when to mix and when to leave one another alone, but isn't all that part of growing up? Learning that it is okay to not be particularly fond of people but still get along with them on a day to day basis. At the same time, some of them will probably stay friends for life.