Covid: 'I've wondered if I want to go to university this year'

Flat-mates Lowri and Sion are on the same Welsh course at Aberystwyth University

School students are currently grappling with whether to go to university in the UK - but after Covid-19 affected every area of our lives, should they bother?

The pandemic seems to have had an impact, with the number of Welsh students deferring their entry to university rising from 855 in 2019 to 1,070 last year, figures from student admissions service Ucas show.

But the figures also show the number who did not defer rose slightly, from 18,975 in 2019 to 19,000 last year.

And one of those who took the plunge is Lowri Bebb - but she admits she was very concerned as she faced going to Aberystwyth University.

"I was wondering if I would even be able to come - and, if I was able to come, I would probably be sent back before Christmas," the 19-year-old from Caernarfon remembers.

"But, it's been much better than I thought it would be and we've definitely made the most of the situation."

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This is despite the fact that Lowri says the flat she shares with Sion Edwards, who's also on her Welsh course, is pretty much the only place she has seen.

"I haven't really been on campus at all, this term," she said.

"The library is quite strict - you have a booked slot to go to get your books and then you go back to your halls.

"So, it's a bit weird - when you go on open days, you go on a tour of the campus and see all the facilities. I haven't used any of them really - I've been in my hall and that's it.

Most university students in Wales are working online until Easter at least

Sion accepts the year has been very different "to what people expected".

"But, we've tried to make the most out of every opportunity we've had," said the 18-year-old from Ruthin.

"We've been learning online and had been been learning in the classroom.

"We've been out and about in Aberystwyth, making friends - and, to be honest, it has been very good."

The approximate 135,000 students in Wales - are having mainly online lectures and seminars until Easter but Universities Wales said a small number of health and practical courses are having face-to-face learning.

Have you got your money's worth?

Lowri sympathises with those who do not think students have had their money's worth during the pandemic.

"I think the standard learning has been different, but I don't think the university could have done more because it wasn't possible to do face-to-face learning this term," she says.

"And, although we do pay for it, you have to understand the situation and it's not safe at the moment."

Sion says it has been useful to be back on campus to avoid the distractions of working at home.

"By coming here to work in silence, and to see our friends again [it's been good]," he said.

"Obviously, not going out and mixing as much as we did in the first term. But, by coming here and doing the work we, as a flat, made the most of working."

Should A-Level students still go to uni?

"Yes, 100%," says Sion. "Don't let the situation stop you.

"Before we came here, we didn't have a clue how it was going to be. We've made the most of our time here and I think we've gone through the worst period of it now."

Lowri admits she did consider deferring for a year.

"But, I'm happy I didn't because we've had so much fun," she says.

"The worst case now is you're going to be put in a flat with 10 people the same age as you - you are not, not going to have fun."

'I'm hoping everything will be back to normal'

Evan Jacob, who aims to study biochemistry in Cardiff, says life "can't stay at a standstill"

Evan Jacob, who hopes to study biochemistry at Cardiff University from September, has been having doubts.

"The way students have been treated this year, has made me wonder whether I want to go on to university," said the 18-year-old from Tredegar.

"But, I'm hoping that everything will be back to normal, well normalish by September, and we won't be in the same boat as people last year."

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For Evan it will not just be all about studying, though - he wants a good social life if he gets to Cardiff.

"I think that's a massive part of applying to university - actually, 'What kind of life do you want when you get there?'," he says.

"But, I think everyone's worried, or were worried before doing an application, whether or not it would go ahead or whether or not we'd have a normal experience - but, I think life can't stay at a standstill. We've just got to keep moving and hope things will get better, eventually."

Will the pandemic leave universities struggling?

Prof Dylan Jones-Evans agrees the sudden switch to an online teaching model because of the pandemic has been a challenge for all universities.

"We've lost a significant amount of international students over this period," said the professor of entrepreneurship at the University of South Wales.

"All the universities in Wales depend on these in different ways.

"If you have a budget that is dependent on this - and each international student is bringing in £15-£20,000 each - then losing those students, even temporarily, will have an impact."

It is likely to have an impact on future investment, in both the universities themselves and the wider economy, he explained.

And Prof Jones-Evans says the learning experience for students will likely never go back to the way it was.

"Having crossed that [digital] rubicon, can you get back to a model of face-to-face teaching? Probably not," he says.

"What will have to happened is that we will have to have this balance on campus - the campus will be the experience every students wants.

"They want to come on campus and mix with fellow students to discuss, to debate, to have your normal student life.

"A lot of the knowledge that students will gain, that can be delivered online. So, it will now be that balance between what you do on campus and what you do online."