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How has your Covid uni experience been so far?

Write what uni you attend and how’s online learning been. In my case, totally unproductive. No one has their camera on, there’s silence in breakout rooms - barely any discussion going on, lecturers seem to be so lazy the classes last 30 min instead of an hour. Ugh we need refunds!!

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.....literally shite
I'm a first year at sheffield hallam, the online classes are okayish but rn we're doing group projects and doing them with random people over zoom is a total pain. Also i don't live in dorms and have made a grand total of 0 friends so there's that too.
Reply 3
Avatar for TJ1997
TJ1997
18
Just out of interest, does anyone think it'll get better next year?
University of Groningen; Netherlands...it's been pretty good tbh. The online aspect is ok, and I taught some classes (I'm doing my master). I've heard horror stories mainly about the UK though lol. I think over here it's been handled about aswell as it could be....but i already have a degree so I'm not new to education persay... I think that makes it easier...

And frankly after three years of being forced to take exams with my pen and my memory... This is pretty simplistic.
Original post by TJ1997
Just out of interest, does anyone think it'll get better next year?

Doubt it, they will be spooked abiut variants probably....cases still remain stubbornly st 5K despite all the vaccines.... I'm sure some not vaccine covered variant will either develop or cause trouble....

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/02/05/964447070/where-did-the-coronavirus-variants-come-from

How variants develop, hint it isn't kids partying like they claim lol.
Durham university. Useless year. Didn’t learn anything new. Got covid in October and still can’t taste.
Reply 7
Avatar for Joleee
Joleee
19
shite. i'm just disappointed because i tried to warn students that they shouldn't go to uni this year because of lockdown and distance learning cuz i experienced this during lockdown in 2020. now you're complaining as though thought uni would be normal. in what universe :dontknow:
Reply 8
Avatar for Max1989
Max1989
20
I've been one of the lucky ones able to go in, be it full PPE and reduced numbers, the legal socialising aspect has been a life line. It's been terrible and I've struggled a lot but I'm just thankful the government gave my course the go ahead to practice as that's how I acctualy take things in. We were one of only 3 undergraduate courses at my uni who's seen practicals this year.

A bit annoyed that I spent a fortune on acomodation without any social aspect and only having a quarter of the practicals we should of but oh well its almost over, should at least be a bit better next semester.

So uni's been bearable, helps what I do is extremely interesting to me and the lecturers are interesting too, it got better as it went along but socially it's been very depressing, luckily the legal socialising in uni has given me a bit of motivation to not drop out for a year.
Reply 9
Avatar for Anonymous #1
Anonymous #1
OP
Original post by Realitysreflexx
University of Groningen; Netherlands...it's been pretty good tbh. The online aspect is ok, and I taught some classes (I'm doing my master). I've heard horror stories mainly about the UK though lol. I think over here it's been handled about aswell as it could be....but i already have a degree so I'm not new to education persay... I think that makes it easier...

And frankly after three years of being forced to take exams with my pen and my memory... This is pretty simplistic.

I was gonna go to a uni in the Netherlands and now I regret giving up on it😩 Could you elaborate on the horror stories you heard about the UK?
Also, did you do bachelors in England? How would you compare British and Dutch education? I am now thinking of doing masters in the Netherlands
Original post by Joleee
shite. i'm just disappointed because i tried to warn students that they shouldn't go to uni this year because of lockdown and distance learning cuz i experienced this during lockdown in 2020. now you're complaining as though thought uni would be normal. in what universe :dontknow:

I did not think that uni would be normal but I was told that my learning would be blended. When I started uni daily cases were at 4k and no one expected them to rise to 60k at one point. Anyways, imo lecturers could do a lot better with online classes and that’s what I’m complaining about. It is possible to make seminars more engaging but they just don’t bother. Plus, my assignment feedback is constantly getting postponed and is usually so vague like they highlight a sentence and write “?” in response. That’s why refunds should be inevitable. Like, especially in my case, coming from a country where education is free to experience this “excellent British uni” but in reality have 8 zoom calls a week for 9k
Original post by TJ1997
Just out of interest, does anyone think it'll get better next year?

I really hope so!! We can’t loose hope people! I think that everyone is so frustrated and exhausted with the situation that no matter if there’s gonna be 5k or 10k cases a day, it is going to be different. Especially, because there are so many student protests. Also, I’m not from the UK, but from what I’ve heard schools are now open, why universities aren’t?
Educationally it's been pretty good. Online lectures are far superior to in person ones for so many reasons, it means we can choose when to cover them, get breaks between them (last year we had 5 hours back-to-back including one in the middle a 15 minute walk away from the others so we were always late), lectures are broken down into topics rather than having to start a new topic 5 minutes before the end or having 5 minutes left to do in a new lecture which always makes them more disjoint, but they can't not start it as otherwise we'd run out of time at the end of term. I miss the social side of lectures, and it does mean some lecturers have taken the opportunity to go waayyy over time with almost every lecture which is a bit frustrating but if we didn't go back to in person lectures I wouldn't be complaining. Tutorials are better online as you can sit there with your notes, in the warmth of your home and discuss things. The socially distanced ones we had in first term were much worse than the online ones once people got talking. Did have a few terrible ones in October where no one would talk and it was just painful though, and probably helps most of mine happened to be scheduled for early morning or like 5pm so you tend to get more people who want to be there at that time than the middle of the day ones.
Socially naturally it hasn't been great, but the uni has tried their best. Constantly adapting plans, obviously a lot of stuff moved online, but any social space that could be has been opened as much as possible (even if it's booking only with your household etc.) Most societies have done some stuff online at least although I'm not sure what engagement has been like as I haven't been to much :colondollar:

Original post by Anonymous
Durham university. Useless year. Didn’t learn anything new. Got covid in October and still can’t taste.

That's interesting, I assume you're in first year?
I'm at Durham and I've found it relatively good, although I admit if I hadn't been able to meet people in first year it would have been harder :redface:
Its been... ok. Thats it literally.
I spent the first term in halls with my flatmates but we’ve been advised not to go back after Easter. The only contact I get with other people on my course is through group projects, and subject related module discussions. All practicals have been cancelled :sadnod:
THE was that I didn’t need to pay my spring accommodation cos I wasn’t living there.
Original post by Lemur14
Educationally it's been pretty good. Online lectures are far superior to in person ones for so many reasons, it means we can choose when to cover them, get breaks between them (last year we had 5 hours back-to-back including one in the middle a 15 minute walk away from the others so we were always late), lectures are broken down into topics rather than having to start a new topic 5 minutes before the end or having 5 minutes left to do in a new lecture which always makes them more disjoint, but they can't not start it as otherwise we'd run out of time at the end of term. I miss the social side of lectures, and it does mean some lecturers have taken the opportunity to go waayyy over time with almost every lecture which is a bit frustrating but if we didn't go back to in person lectures I wouldn't be complaining. Tutorials are better online as you can sit there with your notes, in the warmth of your home and discuss things. The socially distanced ones we had in first term were much worse than the online ones once people got talking. Did have a few terrible ones in October where no one would talk and it was just painful though, and probably helps most of mine happened to be scheduled for early morning or like 5pm so you tend to get more people who want to be there at that time than the middle of the day ones.
Socially naturally it hasn't been great, but the uni has tried their best. Constantly adapting plans, obviously a lot of stuff moved online, but any social space that could be has been opened as much as possible (even if it's booking only with your household etc.) Most societies have done some stuff online at least although I'm not sure what engagement has been like as I haven't been to much :colondollar:

That's interesting, I assume you're in first year?
I'm at Durham and I've found it relatively good, although I admit if I hadn't been able to meet people in first year it would have been harder :redface:


Yes, I’m in first year. Just stayed in Durham for 3 months(1st term). As an international student I had to quarantine for 24 days(14 days upon arrival and 10 days after getting covid). It was awful. Duo is the worst website ever. Looks disgusting and it took me a week to find my lecture lol. The uni didn’t reduce the tuition fees either. We(international students) pay £21,000 per year. I like Durham city a lot tho.
im a first year and uni has been dead af. however, im glad i went bcs i am making progress towards the career i want.
Original post by Anonymous
I was gonna go to a uni in the Netherlands and now I regret giving up on it😩 Could you elaborate on the horror stories you heard about the UK?
Also, did you do bachelors in England? How would you compare British and Dutch education? I am now thinking of doing masters in the Netherlands

It's a breath of fresh air tbh, after three years of UK undergrad lol. But it's not necessarily better persay. It's just personal taste, I'm also German/American so I'm sorta closer to home. The Netherlands is also a pleasing country in alot of ways, the canal the relaxed culture it feels very fancy. Even in comparison to UK or Germany. More developed directly is likely not accurate but fancier definitely lol. Also going to one of the research uni's makes you feel kinda special.
Original post by Realitysreflexx
It's a breath of fresh air tbh, after three years of UK undergrad lol. But it's not necessarily better persay. It's just personal taste, I'm also German/American so I'm sorta closer to home. The Netherlands is also a pleasing country in alot of ways, the canal the relaxed culture it feels very fancy. Even in comparison to UK or Germany. More developed directly is likely not accurate but fancier definitely lol. Also going to one of the research uni's makes you feel kinda special.

Ah okay! tbh I am now kind of thinking of transferring to UvA from Uni of Leeds because I have not enjoyed one bit of this academic year. And the Netherlands’ tuition fees compared to UK🥺 I have until May 1st to apply but I’m torn because I haven’t experienced campus/social side of studying in the UK and my opinion is purely based on online learning. Do you think it’s worth to transfer for an undergrad in the Netherlands?
Original post by Anonymous
Ah okay! tbh I am now kind of thinking of transferring to UvA from Uni of Leeds because I have not enjoyed one bit of this academic year. And the Netherlands’ tuition fees compared to UK🥺 I have until May 1st to apply but I’m torn because I haven’t experienced campus/social side of studying in the UK and my opinion is purely based on online learning. Do you think it’s worth to transfer for an undergrad in the Netherlands?

Honestly, yes.... No doubt you'll enjoy it more lol. Leed's is kinda meh tbh. It really lacks that unique selling point. University of Amsterdam on the CV is definitely better tbh.
Horrendous. I’ve literally been into the university four times since I started the course in October. Seriously thinking about dropping out rn

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