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Higher education

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

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Original poster

university nightmare

80 replies

Strangeways19 · 02/03/2022 19:45

so my dd has gone to uni last September she did a levels and a further college course to help prepare her. Is it normal though for tutors not to show up to tutorials regularly? or the students to be told that they can't access the equipment they were told on intake would be available to them? DD rang me last week in floods of tears because of the way that the technical support had told her to forget doing the work she wants to do until she's in year 3, she pointed out that this very person had told her that she only had to ask and they'd find a space and time to ensure she could make use of the resources (all of which are there for the students anyway!), this has been dragging on for a while now. I have only experienced her being upset like that a few times, meaning she was very upset.
She has been to the course leader who told her that she had to be 'more persistent' when trying to access equipment (this is despite the technical support blocking the access because according to them, she is at the bottom of the food chain, being a 1st year & all..!). I just think it is so unreasonable for her to have to hassle people so that she can access the equipment she came to uni to learn about and try. Surely they should be encouraging her?

I think understandably she is questioning why she is wasting her time at university, when the tutors aren't interested, and she can't access the things she needs in order to do the work she went there to do.
Is this slackness from a uni normal? We are at least half way through the first year and it seems to be getting worse rather than better, she has raised it now so we will see how things go, has anyone else experienced this slackness?!

OP posts:

TottersBlankly · 03/03/2022 06:14

That does sound unusual.

Has your DD recounted the experiences of other students in her year? Are they all having the same difficulties? If so, they could make a group complaint. If not, one would have to ask why the course is being made peculiarly inaccessible for her.

KittyBurrito · 03/03/2022 06:23

She needs to speak to her student reps, and together they can make a representation to the programme leader. If that doesn't get anywhere, escalate to the Head of UGT/PGT (as appropriate) or Head of School/Department (as appropriate). There are channels for resolving complaints: she doesn't have to put up with this.

AlwaysColdHands · 03/03/2022 06:30

She should go to her head of department/ school and make a complaint. That will get listened to

PermanentTemporary · 03/03/2022 06:42

It doesn't sound great but with lots of friends with children in the first year in particular... they all ring their mums at length when things are bad but they never update when they're going well! I think just be the listening ear and suggest she books a meeting with her tutor.

GlacindaTheTroll · 03/03/2022 06:42

If first years are using equipment that does stuff that they wont be covering until year 3, what are the third years meant to do - miss out on their labs because they've been booked by other people? Which as it's not far until finals wouid be deeply unfair

Thus sounds like an issue of managing bookings, and prioritising these close to finals (especially if there are practicals for assessment already underway)

I'm concerned that your DD is so very upset about sonething as rountine as a lab booking (especially one that is not for her study this year). Could this be a sign that she is not coping well at the moment? Has she made friends? Has she sorted where she'll be living next year? Does she feel on top of the first year work?

Laptopsandmouses · 03/03/2022 06:52

I’d be very concerned for her op. She’s what five months in, and trying to do final year work? Complaining about the tutors, crying, and saying she’s wasting her time?

I suspect she’s looking for reasons to leave and dripping it in to prepare you. I’d be very concerned for her as I’d think she’s not coping.

Has she developed a friendship circle with her peers on the course?

Ruinedwalks · 03/03/2022 06:57

How do you jump to the conclusion that she’s trying to do final year lab work?

FloBot7 · 03/03/2022 07:00

It's definitely not normal for tutors not to show up to tutorials. Were they on strike? Some (but not all) universities have had strikes recently. I would have expected them to communicate about any strikes but thought it was worth mentioning. If she looks at the university intranet she should be able to find a complaints handbook. I would suggest she follows the formal procedure so it can be escalated higher up if it isn't resolved. At the university where I work the first stage is the course leader (who sounds unhelpful in this case) but after that it goes outside the department to the director of education. It is usually someone of a similar level at other universities.

User76745333 · 03/03/2022 07:01

Why is she focussing in third year work? She needs to remember that she’s a first year, not a phd student.

Which university is it?

BuanoKubiamVej · 03/03/2022 07:01

Is use of this equipment normal and expected for 1st year undergrads? How much technician time is needed for her to have what she wants and would it be feasible for all interested 1st years to command that level of resources?

In my experience 1st year undergrads don't use specialist equipment except for following set practical tasks which are part of the curriculum and have dedicated resources specifically set aside for them. Later on in the 3rd year there might be an extended individual project which has scope for unique investigations and then it moght well be reasonable to get some access to such resources. I am thinking of things like electrom microscopes and xray diffractometers, where you simply wouldn't let a 1st year undergrad have unsupervised access, so if a 1st year wants to use it they are actually asking that someone with the appropriate training and experience gives up their time to use it on the student's behalf. And there's always a queue of dozens of PhD students and postdocs needing to make measurements so the equipment isn't sitting there idle.

So whether or not she is being reasonable depends on a host of factors.

Libertybear80 · 03/03/2022 07:08

Is it though? A university nightmare?
If you catastrophise then your daughter probably does too. Tell her to make an appointment with her supervisor and keep out of it!

GlacindaTheTroll · 03/03/2022 07:11

@Ruinedwalks

How do you jump to the conclusion that she’s trying to do final year lab work?

the technical support had told her to forget doing the work she wants to do until she's in year 3

I do work on the basis that lab techs know what is covered when

MarchingFrogs · 03/03/2022 07:11

@Ruinedwalks

How do you jump to the conclusion that she’s trying to do final year lab work?

DD rang me last week in floods of tears because of the way that the technical support had told her to forget doing the work she wants to do until she's in year 3 sort of gives a hint?

gogohm · 03/03/2022 07:19

I don't know what course ... but I'm assuming it's science, engineering or art/design because there's no equipment for most courses!

For science and engineering for the first 2 years you do set labs at the time appointed so she would not have the issues you describe. Tutors not turning up is fairly unusual but not unheard of especially with covid, a lot is online too - rescheduling at short notice is fairly common too. I have 2 at university and ex is a professor, I know how university works and I'm a bit confused by your post, it doesn't seem like the experience I've had.

It does sound like she's trying to run before she walks though, sitting down with her personal tutor who can explain how the course progresses would help perhaps

But whatever is happening you need to let her manage the situation she's an adult

Zillamop · 03/03/2022 07:20

Could she transfer to another university?

cyclamenqueen · 03/03/2022 07:24

It sounds to me as if she was under the illusion that she can pursue whatever interests she has at university. However an undergraduate degree has a curriculum, within that there can be quite a lot of flexibility however actually as a first year she is fairly low in the food chain.

vjg13 · 03/03/2022 09:27

@PermanentTemporary

Absolutely, this. You have had some really good advice about the structures of science and engineering courses and that was also my experience many years ago. Throw COVID into the mix and many of the 3rd year and PhD students will be behind on where they should be. Is she on top of her work generally, happy with a friendship group and have some accommodation reserved for next year?

Thehonestybox · 03/03/2022 11:12

I had the same experience on an art course at Nottingham Trent. I also had friends at Manchester Met and Camberwell who said the same thing.

Years later, I always wished I'd switched unis after first year, I had about 20 lectures in the whole three years, they were always cancelled at short notice.

LilyPond2 · 03/03/2022 13:54

As the OP hasn't given details of the course or the equipment that her DD is trying to access, I think it's very difficult to assess who is being unreasonable here. I know it may be outing, but I think OP you would get much more helpful advice if you specify degree subject and what equipment it is that your DD is trying to access.

parietal · 03/03/2022 14:00

Access to specialised equipment will normally be dependent on things like health & safety training and the availablity of tech support. If this is typical for 3rd year students on your DDs course, it is not clear why she should need access in 1st year. the university can't just grant access to anyone who asks.

She needs to contact her tutors and her course reps, or even better to sign up to be a course rep herself.

chesirecat99 · 03/03/2022 14:44

You have had some really good advice about the structures of science and engineering courses and that was also my experience many years ago. Throw COVID into the mix and many of the 3rd year and PhD students will be behind on where they should be.

This applies to art and design courses too. One of DD's friends has just graduated from a fashion degree. Due to university COVID closures, by the time they got to their final year they hadn't been able to use much of the equipment and social distancing guidance meant that there just weren't enough "equipment hours" for them all to be able to complete their final year projects in time so they had to be given extensions. It's likely that this year's final year students are playing catch up so need to be prioritised.

Original poster

Strangeways19 · 03/03/2022 22:20

Thank you all for your helpful comments.
She's not trying to do year 3 work only year 1. She's been fobbed off by the technician I think because they are under stress.
She's made lots of friends & has sorted her accommodation out for next year too, she's not normally emotional type or easily rattled but she was told twice that she could do this work - it's not science but art, & she is now being told she can't. She feels deeply misled.
The tutors didn't show twice for tutorials - she asked the course leader why this was & was told that she didn't know (!)
Anyway he then showed up late for the next one.
I feel like she takes her work seriously & is feeling that some of the tutors don't although I agree with the person who said that there is some sort of mismanagement of booking time in the different areas of the departments.

Just something else that I'm aware of, she took a year out & started making & selling online, her stuff went viral a couple of times & she was pretty successful in selling her work. She went to university to expand on her knowledge & experience as an artist, I think she's got loads of personal drive, & no she's not even able to access her preferred medium.

She's now booked a meeting with student support services & I've been in contact with them just to say we're here should they need to contact us or we can help in any way
I am just so annoyed that we're paying for this & she's having such a hard time.

OP posts:

SeasonFinale · 03/03/2022 22:26

The student is an adult Why on earth are you contacting her uni?!

Original poster

Strangeways19 · 03/03/2022 22:27

@parietal no that's not it, she isn't doing 3rd year work, this is yr 1work she went to university to do - it's mismanagement of facilities.
She's not doing science!! She's doing art & her medium is ceramics which they initially said twice that she could access - this is why she did the course. Now they've U-turned & she's upset & understandably annoyed about this.
She's going for an appointment with the student support, hopefully they'll help her access the parts of the course that the university said she could in the first place & is part of the course.

OP posts:

Original poster

Strangeways19 · 03/03/2022 22:34

@Thehonestybox you're bang on, she'd on an art course & cannot access her preferred medium, she's massively frustrated & as she was told that she could do ceramics twice which is why she chose that course, she's understandably upset.
She's also had a lot of success selling her stuff online last year & is this is probably a bit of a sting too - I wonder whether part of her is wondering if this course is going to give her what she thought it would - to develop her work

OP posts:

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