Compulsory study year abroad cancelled

dinkygirl

Hi, no idea if anyone here can help or point me where I need to go for advice. 

My daughter has just finished her first year at University of Leeds studying Japanese. In September she was due to travel to Japan, just outside of Osaka, for a year of study. The uni in Japan has cancelled the study abroad for the autumn semester so far, meaning she would go in January. The university in Japan end the school year in May plus have spring break so she’ll likely only get 4 months of study and no idea what format that’ll be in. 
This year abroad is compulsory with her course, not part of a sandwich course as it was with all the other uni’s we looked at. 

Leeds are very reluctant to give any information, understandable to a point, however we are getting increasingly anxious at the fact that she’s got no idea what she’ll be doing next year. They say they can’t swap years 2 and 3 over as year 3 study is based on how they get on in year 2 abroad. There is also information on the Leeds website that states they cannot guarantee ANY abroad placement that is cancelled due to numbers of applicants for the following year so if they take the year out we still won’t know what’s going to happen. 

Half her remote learning has be Pre-recorded, she has been made to feel bad by her personal tutor (also the organiser of year abroad study) because she’s been asking what’s going on, they didn’t find out about the semester cancellation until a student went for their medical and the doctor told them he’d been told it had been cancelled. And to top it off if they do make arrangements for something at Leeds for next year she’s got nowhere to live, she’s made no real friends to share with because no one’s had the chance to as they’ve all been back at home. 

I just don’t know where to go for help. Do we go down the route of her dropping out take a year out and applying at another uni, starting again or do we just plod along where it seems she’s going to continue to get the substandard course that’s nothing like promised?

Grumpy_chap

When did all this news land?

If it was very recently, which it sounds like it may be, then it is possible the University are simply not giving information because they simply don't have it and matters will be resolved in the next couple of weeks.  I am sure the University will have some way of managing the change in overseas study profile, along with everything they are adapting for COVID.

She should have a personal tutor and that is most likely the first person to contact to seek clarity, but be prepared the answer may not be immediate.

Arranging accommodation if needed for next year should be doable - are they even going to be back at the University or still remote next year?

MovingForwards

Universities are having to react to government guidance, it's hard for them to confirm anything in advance at the moment and they are presently working out various plans and back up plans while attempting to cover unknown changes that may, or may not, happen. Tutors don't know themselves, lecturers are quickly rewriting lectures and adapting them to the current circumstances.

If she wants the normal university experience then perhaps she should defer for a couple of years, maybe then things might be more settled.

What she is facing is the same as anyone else attending university at the moment. Don't for a moment think universities, tutors and lecturers are happy about the situation, it's out of their hands too. 

Quite possibly the only university running almost normal is the Open University, but even they will have to delay some of the face to face elements.

2childmum2

To be fair I don't think she is facing 'what everyone else attending university at the moment' is facing.  My daughter is just on her way home from her first year.  She know that next year is happening, that there will be a course put on for her (albeit probably still on-line) that she is not likely to get the practical lab work she should (chemistry), and because she knew that there was a course to go to, she has arranged somewhere to live

The ops daughter has no idea whether there is even a second year for her to attend - she doesn't know if the university are putting on any sort of course for her (even if it is on-line) or whether she needs to find somewhere to live (most students have this sorted in January before the September the course starts).  

I don't have much advice (but lots of sympathy) - is there someone in charge of the second year, or of the course in general she could ask, if she feels she isn't getting anywhere with her personal tutor?  They probably don't have a plan in place yet - but they should be communicating something about what they are trying to do. 

cheshirelabrador

Looking at the Leeds university website the degree is 4 years and includes 480 credits.  For a BA (Hons) you only need 360 credits, so presumably a degree certificate would specifically mention the year in Japan as an included extra, just like a sandwich degree certificate.

Presumably the year abroad is scheduled to start in September this year but as Leeds Uni don't know what the situation will be in September they can't say whether it can go ahead.

Personally I think it would be sensible for the university to defer the 2nd year, so they spend the next academic year in Leeds and the following one in Japan but that's just my opinion. The university might have to rework the 3rd and 4th year modules if the year in Japan is done in the wrong year.

sheramber

cheshirelabrador said:

Looking at the Leeds university website the degree is 4 years and includes 480 credits.  For a BA (Hons) you only need 360 credits, so presumably a degree certificate would specifically mention the year in Japan as an included extra, just like a sandwich degree certificate.

Presumably the year abroad is scheduled to start in September this year but as Leeds Uni don't know what the situation will be in September they can't say whether it can go ahead.

Personally I think it would be sensible for the university to defer the 2nd year, so they spend the next academic year in Leeds and the following one in Japan but that's just my opinion. The university might have to rework the 3rd and 4th year modules if the year in Japan is done in the wrong year.

But the next year there will be   another year of students due to study abroad as well and not enough places for them all. What then? 

Since there wouldn't be any plans for the second year study as the students should have been abroad it will take time to  make alternative arrangements. 

Since it has just happened the tutors probably know as much as the students.

As for not knowing anybody at uni. She is in the same position as she was when first going. She didn't know anybody then either. 

There must be other students on her course so she will not be the only one.

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2childmum2

The student's union at my daughter's uni are useless - they just back up whatever the uni says.  I sat through half of a question and answer session with uni staff hosted by the student's union - the SU just accepted everything the uni said, even when they didn't answer the question or gave unsatisfactory answers - no follow up questions or comments at all.  I gave up watching half-way though, I couldn't bear it any longer!

sheramber

the OP's student union may be different

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MalMonroe

Why not contact the BA Japanese Programme Manager, Mr Morimoto?  He should be able to give you some information, or point you in the right direction.

The Students' Union at every university is just run by the students, they won't have any information about how the course is going to be run next year. 

His link - https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/languages/staff/996/mr-kazuki-morimoto