First semester of next year could be online

Please tell me this a very elaborate prank

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/apr/03/forget-freshers-week-universities-prepare-to-teach-new-first-years-online

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulleblanc/2020/03/29/for-higher-education-nothing-matters-more-than-september/#1e70d2ca538b

Please tell me this a very elaborate prank

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/apr/03/forget-freshers-week-universities-prepare-to-teach-new-first-years-online

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulleblanc/2020/03/29/for-higher-education-nothing-matters-more-than-september/#1e70d2ca538b

Why would it be a prank? If you hadnt noticed we have a rather big world event going on and the government doesnt know whats happening the next day, never mind several months away. They will make contingency plans for all outcomes. Your other option is to go in 2021 or pray very hard it goes away or invent and test a vaccine that works. There are more important things than whether students can get bladdered on freshers week.

I think you misunderstood my post, I am not upset because freshers will be cancelled (obviously I would enjoy it and all the other events but I’m not even a first year) my main issue is that there are many degrees for which distance learning just doesn’t work. I can’t imagine how engineers like me, are going to get an accredited degree if we do a big part of our degree with no detriment policies and no access to labs, there are going to be so many students whose qualifications are going to look messy and complicated by stuff like online learning and safety nets.

Recently I’ve received an offer (MSC 2020) from one of the well-known UK universities.
I am totally confused about what to do next - accept it, pay a deposit and hope that everything gets better and I’ll receive a visa, or avoid this.
Online education via Zoom or Skype at home, that’s not what I want exactly in exchange for paying full education fees.


Can you recommend anything?

Recently I’ve received an offer (MSC 2020) from one of the well-known UK universities.
I am totally confused about what to do next - accept it, pay a deposit and hope that everything gets better and I’ll receive a visa, or avoid this.
Online education via Zoom or Skype at home, that’s not what I want exactly in exchange for paying full education fees.


Can you recommend anything?

I was supposed to start a Fashion Design degree this year. Nothing is working on my favor: I can't do a semester online as I need workshops, machines and labs. I probably also won't be able to get a visa on time.

I am thinking of deferring. I get you, if we are paying the same fees as normal, it shouldn't be for online education. If you are able to wait, I suggest you do. You can do something else in that time. I know a whole year is a lot but believe me, at the end we will be very sad to remember that part of our education went to cr4p because of this.

The problem with that is next year there will be a lot more international and home students applying because A) there are more 18 year olds next year and B) because of corona a lot of people like you but also home students are deferring. So next year there will be more competition so your places won’t necessarily be guaranteed if you re apply (unless your offer can just be deferred)

I hope that will be the case for anyone with a pending offer, I believe unis should be a little more flexible to international students as knowing about what to do a month before isn't the best thing and because reapplying from zero will be such a pain.