Holiday in term time

mazworld15

Would appreciate any comments from students or parents, DS has got a place at Uni which wasn't on the cards when we booked to go to Floria for 2 weeks at the end of October! Thinking it's not a good idea for him to be away for 2 weeks when he'll only just have started so thinking of moving it to December. Wanted to know if a lot happens if he missed the last week before they break for Christmas? thanks for any replies

tacpot12

Given how early they break for Christmas, could you not move it to the first week he is off? 

I think the impact will depend on how he is doing, and also when his exams fall. If he will have exams in January he could be missing out of some of the preparation for the exams. However, the first year is not that critical; his marks in his first year won't affect the final grade of his degree, but if he has to pass any module that is only taught in the first term then perhaps he shouldn't miss a week. 

mazworld15

tacpot12 said:

Given how early they break for Christmas, could you not move it to the first week he is off? 

I think the impact will depend on how he is doing, and also when his exams fall. If he will have exams in January he could be missing out of some of the preparation for the exams. However, the first year is not that critical; his marks in his first year won't affect the final grade of his degree, but if he has to pass any module that is only taught in the first term then perhaps he shouldn't miss a week. 

Thank you, we could, wanted to be back for Christmas as dad is 84, but yes good point I appreciate you replying

theoretica

The university will have an absence policy - some can be very firm.  But does he know how much will be in person and how much online?  Could he log in from Florida?

mazworld15

theoretica said:

The university will have an absence policy - some can be very firm.  But does he know how much will be in person and how much online?  Could he log in from Florida?

Thank you we can get a flight on the Wed and they break up on the Friday so am hoping it wont be too disruptive, he's doing American Studies and Film and we're going to Florida, hopefully he could do stuff online

Spendless

How late can you leave it before changing it?  A Uni student's timetable often isn't 5 days a week (but can depend on the course) plus there's yet to be an update over whether they'll do blended learning (part online/part face to face). The cynic in me tells me this won't be announced until a lot nearer terms starting. The reason I think that is I tried numerous times last summer to find what the guidance was over returning Uni students and found precisely nothing. I tried looking before we signed up to a year's private rental agreement.

Of course we all know what happened next and my DS had precisely 8 weeks of blended learning before it all went online, and remained so until the end of the academic year. We live 100 miles from DS Uni with no direct train route and as DH said it would have been cheaper to pay for him to go by taxi for the f2f days he was in, than pay a year's rental. Even SAGE saying 'we told the Government to delay students going back' that advice was given on Monday 21st September, the start of freshers week for many universities, so pointlessly too late.

Anyway I'll get off my rant about it,  it's just to make you aware that the liklihood (IMO) about you getting details about timetables and online learning is likely to come as late as possible and after student's have committed to rental agreements. 

Spendless

Or alternative suggestion having just looked at the Uni concerned 9from your other thread) is moving to early September a possibility, being back before term starts? You'd have to take into account any quarantine restrictions on arrival back in UK. 

mazworld15

Thanks Spendless, really appreciate your advice