University 2020-2021 Part 12 - Now they are second year students.....Hard work starts and getting more and more smart

[sammyjoanne]

Our last page: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/4189210-University-2020-2021-Part-11-Final-Furlong-For-First-year-Freshers-Then-Freedom-Follows?pg=8

As you can see from the last title, no longer freshers anymore. And now heading into second year, so this year it counts towards their grades, hence the 'hard work starts' and getting more and more smart as they go through their degree.... lol sorry I did try to be a be a bit witty with the title, but not as good as the last one, or the brilliant 'empty nests, warm vests and covid tests page' lol.

This thread is a follow on from our previous threads from when our dearest were freshers September 2020 to Summer of 2021.

@SandyIrvine that sounds like a sensible plan. Ds has to go as he's studying Spanish. He's suddenly decided to apply to British council to be a language assistant in Spain rather than going to a uni out there. The deadline is in about two weeks....His organisation skills leave a lot to be desired. I'm worrying already how he's going to function out there!

Dd should have majority face to face this semester, including a tutorial on Mondays at 9am ! She too has a place abroad for next year, where hopefully she can take modules as part of her degree.

No 9ams this term for DD. She found last terms early starts on Tuesday and Wednesdays hard going because of the noise in her halls (Monday/Tuesday popular clubbing nights with Edinburgh's "elite" with pres and posts in the common room).

Glad the year abroad is working out for others. School friend of DS2 did a British Council place in Spain. Loved it.

My dd also has a place (actually two) abroad next year and is having to decide where to go. Hopefully all countries will be offering face to face tuition by next September!

@SandyIrvine thats really harsh for your DD, hope shes ok. And @Cleebope2 I really hope they listen to the complaint and provide more contact hours.
@choirmumoftwo hope you had a safe trip on Sat and enjoys her music meet ups, and also @specialted too. Specialted did you manged to get to Austria in the end? And hope he gets to go to Spain :)
@Gardenia22 and @LIZS exciting times on the study abroad programme.
Hope you all keep us posted on the study abroad adventures.

DD met up with a friend at Manchester so we drove her up with her stuff on Saturday and the plan was for her to stay overnight there and they they her to Lancaster on the Sunday. Manchester piccadilly and finding somewhere to drop her off proved very difficult and we eventually found a car park near by. Then sat nav decided to take us home not the M6 route, but snake pass in the Peaks which took an age to get home to Notts. DD2 just had the elastics on her braces today which is causing her a bit of grief, I dont know how long they will last. I give it a week and she will just find them annoying and take them out. DD1 still plans to be part of Badsoc and playing badminton with her best friend, and also doing baking once a week. And the street shes in has the chinese new year lanterns which looks pretty cool :)

@sammyjoanne yes we made it to Austria! Had a fab time with no dramas.
Dropped ds off at the weekend, his bedroom was quite revolting so we beat a hasty retreat and left him to it. We decided to stay overnight in Lancaster spontaneously and managed to book into a fabulous hotel in the centre called the borough. We went to several pubs and swung into spoons to say hi to ds who was mortified! Was pacified by being bought a round of drinks then we scuttled away. Really enjoyed exploring the city on foot, and we saw those lanterns too @sammyjoanne !!!

@specialted oh wow yes best leave him to his bedroom, and im sure he appreciated the round of drinks :) Glad you enjoyed Austria :) Its been a busy few days for us. DD2 has mocks in two weeks so were helping testing her on her biology. She hates biochemistry so trying to get to grips with that.

@specialted I stayed at The Borough back In November when visiting DD. It was excellent and only £60 for bed and breakfast. Big comfy room and excellent shower.
They host a comedy club on a Sunday night but if you happen to be in a room above the function suite, don't bother getting a ticket - you'll be able to hear the whole show😂😂😂
All finished by 10 though so not a drama!

Just checked out the website, it looks pretty great. The borough looks very nice, might have to try that one out :)
I think its back open in the spring, but if you ever get chance visit Morecambe winter gardens. Its like stepping through a time warp. I did a ghost hunt there a few years back and its pretty active. Its ran by a group of volunteers and they are slowly restoring it :)

Evening everyone. Its been a while :)
DD is doing ok. Strikes at Lancaster this week and some of next week. DD had an emergency meeting last week with her supervisor. Her module in quantum physics is not going as well as she liked and is taking a while to do the calculations, so they have done some stratagies to get the questions done quicker come exam time. Supervisor thinks shes doing ok. Shes also applying for internships this week. One of her housemates(and 2 of his uni friends) was on BBC Three last night. 'Squad dates' it was called. A valentines pilot dating show. They booked out a seminar room so they could all watch it together. DD is coming back on the train a week on Friday for the weekend. They also had a house inspection, so the house is now spotless, for now.
Hope you and yours are doing well :)

DD is doing Geog and has now had their overseas fieldwork confirmed. They're going to The Alps and Geneva for 12 days in June which will be fab. She was hoping the Vancouver trip would be able to go ahead but Canada has too many restrictions.

DS was happy last term as most of it was F2F (after the first year of everything being online). But this term, he's pretty miserable as it's nearly all back online again, which he didn't expect. It seems to have been done by stealth rather than any formal notifications. Not a happy bunny at all. Just one term of F2F in 2 years of Uni really isn't on.

Dd is ok, also applying for summer placements.. much of her course has been f2f this term which she was pleased about despite a lot of 9am starts. She said the first proper lecture in the new building was amazing and it was nice for her to meet more people on your course too.

She seems to have a good work/social life balance.. She has a nice little job proof reading and rewriting reports (from her bed) which pays quite well and will hopefully look good on her Cv.

Ds has suddenly decided he doesn't want to be at uni right now (despite nice friends/gf etc). He says he's doesn't want to be studying and doesn't know where his course is taking him. He also finds doing a joint honours very hard, he seems to have double the work of his friends doing single honours . So he's decided to take the rest of this year off and come home and think about what he wants to do. Uni have been v good, he's just going through process of pausing studies for a year and maybe starting again in sept but just doing one subject. Feel proud of him for being honest with us, he is def abit low about it all. Told him he needs to get a Job whilst he's at home which he's happy to do. Ideally he would have taken a gap year before uni but what with Covid etc didn't seem much point. Hopefully he'll go back but tbh his mental health is the most important thing and I'm just glad he didn't have this wobble whilst on year abroad with no support!

DD still completely face to face thank goodness, and apparently not affected by the strike action either.

@specialted Hope your son is ok. And im glad the uni has been supportive of him taking a break from studying. Im sure he will figure it out and get to where he needs to be :)
@Kazzyhoward wow thats not very good having back to online again. restrictions have finished which is a shame a uni should be dragging their heels like this.

@Kazzyhoward

DS was happy last term as most of it was F2F (after the first year of everything being online). But this term, he's pretty miserable as it's nearly all back online again, which he didn't expect. It seems to have been done by stealth rather than any formal notifications. Not a happy bunny at all. Just one term of F2F in 2 years of Uni really isn't on.

Perhaps he should investigate who the big donors are and what their views are on the subject...?

www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2022-02-11/durham-universitys-biggest-donor-withdraws-funding-over-covid-restrictions

Lost this thread for a bit. Ds has been in Morocco since September, missed Christmas as the borders were shut . After Christmas his housemates got covid so they have all been isolating and teaching went online. He came home last week when the borders finally reopened so he could get his booster. Due to fly back today but given the storm not sure is he will make it.

Have to say lancaster have been brilliant with ds taking time out. They've agreed to let him restart year 2 in sept, just taking one subject rather than two. They organised all the student finance side of things and have been very supportive. Ds feels happier with this plan and hopefully come sept he'll be feeling ready for studying again.

@geogteach thats nice hes able to come home for a bit :) hope they move from online to in person soon. Hope he managed to get back. The weather has been attrocious.
@specialted, has your DS had to sort out accommodation for September, or was that already in place? And nice to know they have sorted our finance and the course, that is great news :)
DD is in private halls this September. Its near kfc and subway which will be a huge temptation im sure.
Orangeblossom, Daisy, Choirmum, glad things are going well for your DC :)

@sammyjoanne have pm'd you

DD came home this weekend. Did connecting trains Lancaster to Leeds to Langley Mill (notts). On the way home did Langley Mill to Manchester piccadilly, then onto Preston and then onto Lancaster.
Both took about 3 to 3 and quarter hours which wasnt bad (its 2 hours 20 wihout traffic in the car). Celebrated DD2 finishing her mock yr 12 alevels and went to Chiquitos. DD1 saw my parents and FIL and her nephews, and baked brownies with her sister, and watched encanto on TV so she got a lot done in a short space of time. Another 6 week stint now as DD1 is not coming back until 9th of April. hope you and yours are all well :)

Lots happening for Exeter DD. She's got her place at uni in China for next year. And has been meeting with the uni chaplain to discuss her vocation and where she goes post graduation.

And York DD is currently doing a placement in A & E.

DD is still commuting to London this year. She looked at private halls in Wembley this week. She is very anxious about moving there in case she has a bad experience like she did last year. I am not sure what to say. I’m trying to encourage her and to say positive things but not say too much and her to think I’m nagging.

@Empra123 thats great shes got a placement in China, amazing news, and York DD too sounds like shes doing well too :)
@aibutohavethisusername our DD is doing private halls in September too with completely new people. She loves her current housemates, but some are doing placements and others are joining a group of partygoers which is not her kind of people so shes taking a chance and getting together with a flat of 12. She is excited though meeting new people.