University 2019/20 intake: Gearing up to graduation (for some but not all)

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Previous thread

That's awful. Is this Liverpool by any chance? They did this before.

Kent

That's shocking @VanCleefArpels. Perhaps there needs to be measure of how unionised/politicised the academic staff are across all the universities. Clearly some are a lot more so than others.

Oh no @VanCleefArpels that’s terrible. No mention of marking strikes from DD. She’s home and happy and seems very grown up. Each time she’s been home she seems more mature.She said she was really sad to leave Durham this time as it was so sunny and beautiful. I think she’s starting to feel sad about the end looming. She has lots of work to do, both uni and her wfh job and her Malta trip next week.

Latest is that essays due in April not now due till July, which was meant to be the month of the graduation ceremony. Uni statement says graduation schedule unchanged by this action. So query is it worth doing the work at all. Asaarrrggghhhh

@VanCleefArpels that is a totally ridiculous situation! What a trying time our DC have had.

You’ve hit the nail on the head simbobs

Well for dc1 some good uni news here. In the past 2 years DC's exams had consisted of online 24 hour instead of " usual " exam where he has to write something in 2 or 3 hours with pen and paper.
This suits DC better as he is a bit slow in getting things written down on paper.
They have (finally) decided to carry on with this in their final year.
But he says he only has 2 exams, that doesn't sound like a lot??

DD will have 2 F2F exams and 2 online exams. Her winter exams were all F2F as well. She was so nervous that she had a full on panic attack in the middle of one of them.

Her dissertation is complete and will be handed in today.

yeah, DC said that the argument to carry on with online was because students were not going to be very familiar with F2F exams.
Must feel like such a relieve to be able to hand in completed dissertation.

Well done to your DD @RampantIvy!
That’s just awful @VanCleefArpels

DS seems to be feeling OK about getting his diss in by the end of the month and says he has 2 essays and 2 online exams next term. Well, he was yesterday (after a few afternoon beers with his mate) when we were out for dinner for his 21st

@Notagardener yes mine says final exams are online as they were told they have all been online so far so will continue to be, as that is what they are used to.

I don't think Ds has been effected by strikes.

This is why DD had a panic attack in her last exam because the last in person essay style exam she had was in 2018 when she took her A levels.

Newcastle aren't making the allowances that other universities are.

As an aside, I was on the WIWIKAU Facebook page reading about students who are finishing in April (presumably first years) and have no assessments or exams to do. What kind of courses and universities do this? Even during full lockdown DD had exams at the end of her first year.

I hesitate to say this, but are these for what might be considered as less rigorous degrees at less highly regarded universities?

Happy birthday to him @bigTillyMint and we’ll done to your DD @RampantIvy

@icanbewhatiwant same for DD - I think years below are having old style exams though. Not that they will be marked of course.

@RampantIvy Friend’s daughter is in final year of a humanities degree at a Russell Group uni. She had no exams at all in Y1&2 due to Covid & apparently is not having any this year either.

Does she have lots of assignments @Decorhate?

Maybe it's different for STEM degrees?

I’m assuming regular essays. Plus a dissertation this year. But still. I’m just jealous really, thinking how much better I would have done at uni without end of year exams

@decorhate, DS only has 2 online exams - he wishes it was more as he much prefers them

DS had an open book exam earlier this term but I'm sure he doesn't sit any 'Finals' exams per se. He just has a couple of pieces of coursework to do. But he prefers exams too @bigTillyMint!

DD has no exams but several assignments due around the same time as her diss. She has completed all of her research and data for her diss but now needs to put it all together by mid May.

Hope your DD enjoys her trip to Malta @Benjispruce5.

Thanks @NewModelArmyMayhem18 she’s going on Wednesday just as the weather starts to go down hill here, so she’s very lucky. Not that she’s getting out in it much as she’s at her desk most of the time.

I reminded DD that she needed to organise a graduation gown, but she has no idea how to go about it. She knows the day of the graduation, but not the time. Does the university advise on gown hire?