The Student Room Group

Live Q andA with OfS, UUK and unis on how COVID-19 will affect your uni experience

Want to watch the video of this event? Click here!

Welcome to our second TSR Answers Live Q&A,
on Thursday 28th May at 4pm
How will Covid-19 affect your university experience?

We will be answering all your questions around how your university choices and university life may be affected by Covid-19, and we have a great panel lined up to get you the answers you need.

I'm glad to say we will be joined by representatives in Higher Education from two universities in England and Scotland, and senior members of Universities UK and the Office for Students.

I think this is a great opportunity for our users to get some clarity on where you stand right now and what your future might look like, that might be about studying online, whether you can change your uni choices, or if going to uni this year is still the best choice for you?

We are looking for some quality questions to kick things off, so if you have anything on your mind or any concerns now will be a great time to post them in this thread.

Reply with what you want answered at make sure you tune in next Thursday to find out the answer!

Then come back here on Thursday, 28th May at 4PM where our panelists will appear live at the top of the thread and will begin answering your questions.

Sign up for this session and the many others we will have lined up over the next few months here!
To view this event live you will need to become a member, sign up to TSR here!



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(edited 3 years ago)

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What would you say has been the biggest benefit/silver lining of the pandemic for universities?
Bookmarking for later
If lectures continue online should students be given reduced tuition fees? I understand this situation is completely out of the universities control but tuition fees pay for many things students will not get to experience if everything is online (eg: use of facilities like libraries, lab space etc) and working online is just not as good as actually being there.
Reply 4
For private candidates who are unable to get predicted grades and are having to take A level exams in the autumn, and possibly having to defer their conditional offer to Sept 2021 entry, will there be a more flexible UCAS deadline if they don't quite make their grades (when results come out in December) and want to reapply to different universities, but still start in Sept 2021? Otherwise it means that they will have to wait until Sept 2022 to start university because of A level exams being cancelled in summer 2020. Few universities have a direct application option - particularly medical schools.
Original post by SusannaW
If lectures continue online should students be given reduced tuition fees? I understand this situation is completely out of the universities control but tuition fees pay for many things students will not get to experience if everything is online (eg: use of facilities like libraries, lab space etc) and working online is just not as good as actually being there.

lectures going online doesn't discount access to libraries and labs?
I don't think any university is proposing to teach 2020/21 100% online - they're just moving one type of teaching (that is the most high risk and complex to deliver with social distancing and also something most have already been moving online to improve student experience) to online (and putting plans in place to prepare for any short term secondary lockdowns)
Original post by Jul2Mon
For private candidates who are unable to get predicted grades and are having to take A level exams in the autumn, and possibly having to defer their conditional offer to Sept 2021 entry, will there be a more flexible UCAS deadline if they don't quite make their grades (when results come out in December) and want to reapply to different universities, but still start in Sept 2021? Otherwise it means that they will have to wait until Sept 2022 to start university because of A level exams being cancelled in summer 2020. Few universities have a direct application option - particularly medical schools.

If you apply by the early deadline to 4 choices then you can use your 5th choice for another option in January or if you don't do as well as hoped and get rejected for the early deadline choices you can use UCAS Extra and Clearing to find an alternative place for 2021. There wouldn't be a need to defer to 2022
I have a problem in applying for accommodation. I don't want to apply for a loan. And I'm struggling because there is no jobs open at this moment.
Original post by justicej28
I have a problem in applying for accommodation. I don't want to apply for a loan. And I'm struggling because there is no jobs open at this moment.

why don't you want to apply for a loan?
that more money to pay back
Original post by justicej28
that more money to pay back

most graduates don't repay their loans. The repay at the affordable repayment amounts for 30 years and then it gets written off. The size of your loan doesn't normally make much difference to the amount you repay.

If you are choosing between taking out a student loan or not having anywhere to live I'd say that choice is pretty clear cut.
How do you expect courses that have a large practical component and industrial experience (arts, dramas, design, construction etc) to be affected in the coming academic year? :smile:
Many people are deferring entry to university who are currently in year 13 to September 2021. Will that make it more difficult for people who are currently in year 12 who want to apply for '21 entry to be successful in securing a place? (considering that there'll be more people beginning in 2021) If it is more difficult, would you recommend that those applying for university in September 21 who are currently in year 12 defer entry until 2022?
Reply 13
How will language speaking exams work?
Original post by Rainbow Walks

Welcome to our second TSR Answers Live Q&A,
on Thursday 28th May at 4pm


How will Covid-19 affect your university experience?


We will be answering all your questions around how your university choices and university life may be affected by Covid-19, and we have a great panel lined up to get you the answers you need.

I'm glad to say we will be joined by representatives in Higher Education from two universities in England and Scotland, and senior members of Universities UK and the Office for Students.

I think this is a great opportunity for our users to get some clarity on where you stand right now and what your future might look like, that might be about studying online, whether you can change your uni choices, or if going to uni this year is still the best choice for you?

We are looking for some quality questions to kick things off, so if you have anything on your mind or any concerns now will be a great time to post them in this thread.

Reply with what you want answered at make sure you tune in next Thursday to find out the answer!

Then come back here on Thursday, 28th May at 4PM where our panelists will appear live at the top of the thread and will begin answering your questions.


Sign up for this session and the many others we will have lined up over the next few months here!

To view this event live you will need to become a member, sign up to TSR here


XX
Reply 15
Original post by PQ
If you apply by the early deadline to 4 choices then you can use your 5th choice for another option in January or if you don't do as well as hoped and get rejected for the early deadline choices you can use UCAS Extra and Clearing to find an alternative place for 2021. There wouldn't be a need to defer to 2022

I understand this would be the case for someone making their UCAS application in Oct 2020, but I'm referring to a situation where a private candidate who is a graduate has applied in Oct 2019 to do medicine, has one conditional offer that requires A Level chemistry, which she will be taking in the autumn exam series because she was not able to get a predicted grade from her exam centre. As the result does not come out until December 2020, she may be told by the uni that she has to defer entry to Sept 2021. If she gets an A grade that's fine - she'll have met her conditional offer and would start in Sept 2021. But if, for example, she only gets a B, and needs to re-take in summer 2021, she might have wanted to broaden her options - eg apply to other medical schools as well. But all the while she has this conditional offer, she cannot do a new UCAS entry in Oct 2020 - is that correct? She would have to decline her conditional offer and start all over again, I believe. But I would be happy to know if it's possible to do a new UCAS entry in Oct 2020 and still keep hold of the one conditional offer.
Original post by Jul2Mon
I understand this would be the case for someone making their UCAS application in Oct 2020, but I'm referring to a situation where a private candidate who is a graduate has applied in Oct 2019 to do medicine, has one conditional offer that requires A Level chemistry, which she will be taking in the autumn exam series because she was not able to get a predicted grade from her exam centre. As the result does not come out until December 2020, she may be told by the uni that she has to defer entry to Sept 2021. If she gets an A grade that's fine - she'll have met her conditional offer and would start in Sept 2021. But if, for example, she only gets a B, and needs to re-take in summer 2021, she might have wanted to broaden her options - eg apply to other medical schools as well. But all the while she has this conditional offer, she cannot do a new UCAS entry in Oct 2020 - is that correct? She would have to decline her conditional offer and start all over again, I believe. But I would be happy to know if it's possible to do a new UCAS entry in Oct 2020 and still keep hold of the one conditional offer.

UCAS can’t defer conditional offers into the next cycle. If an offer is conditional by September then UCAS will automatically reject it.

Anyone taking autumn exams would need to reapply for the 2021 cycle (a university might offer reassurance that they will be made the same conditional offer for the new cycle). That means 5 choices again.
What are the benefits and drawbacks of taking a gap year this year?

Under what circumstances would you recommend this as a good idea for students?
(edited 3 years ago)
Reply 18
Original post by PQ
UCAS can’t defer conditional offers into the next cycle. If an offer is conditional by September then UCAS will automatically reject it.

Anyone taking autumn exams would need to reapply for the 2021 cycle (a university might offer reassurance that they will be made the same conditional offer for the new cycle). That means 5 choices again.

Thank you - that's really helpful to know as presumably it also means she'd have to take the UCAT exam again as well in order to apply to those med schools that require UCAT. Do you have any guidance on this as well - or whether there might be flexibility around this due to the cancellation of this year's summer A Levels?
Original post by Jul2Mon
Thank you - that's really helpful to know as presumably it also means she'd have to take the UCAT exam again as well in order to apply to those med schools that require UCAT. Do you have any guidance on this as well - or whether there might be flexibility around this due to the cancellation of this year's summer A Levels?

I think the only thing to do is to keep in touch with her universities and be ready to reapply for 2021 entry (for either her current firm and some new choices or the same universities again if they are happy for a reapplication in her circumstances)

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