The Guardian

Life as a fresher this year is a cross between Nineteen Eighty-Four and Lord of the Flies | Iris Clifford

With coronavirus rife and universities focusing on revenues, it feels as though we have been left to fend for ourselvesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage
Students protest outside Birley Halls at Manchester Metropolitan University, 2 October. Photograph: Molly Darlington/Reuters

It’s less than a fortnight into my first term of university and it seems like I have received more emails informing me of coronavirus restrictions than I have about my actual course. I am an undergraduate at the University of Manchester and, like so many others across the country, my introduction to student life has been a shambles.

Coming from a gap year ruined

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