UEA freshers (2019 starters) part 2

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Previous thread and hope you don't mind that I set up the next thread @juicy0. Just did it to ensure that we carry on chatting seamlessly

Thank you for all the good wishes everyone. We had a lovely New Years Eve, both boys stayed with us as we went visiting friends, which was so sweet of them.
@sluj I changed my name to this current one when we moved out of london to a very cold, old, renovation project house 7 years ago, but it will be very fitting for our next adventure so I think I will be keeping it.
Hope everyone had a lovely New Year, whatever you got up to.

Hope you don’t mind me asking a question about UEA applications in your thread. My DS is applying having already got three A levels. UEA has asked him to send it scans of his certificates. I thought UEA would be able to confirm his results through UCAS. Did any of your DCs get asked to provide certificates?
Also if any of your DCs are doing Maths how are they finding it?

Hi Fabtab, feel free to ask away as we are a friendly bunch
I think the universities only use UCAS for verification in the year the exams were set and after that it's up to the student to provide evidence.
As for maths, sorry I dont know about that. Have you had a look at the Student Room?
Both of my sons are very happy at UEA doing different courses. My first year can't wait to get back which is a good sign.
Between us we can answer a lot of your general questions so ask away.

Ds went to Norwich yesterday and met up with 4 of the 6 he wants to share a house with in sept. Out of the 2 that didn't meet, one lives too far away to get there for the day and the other lives in Norwich but works all week. Anyway, I'd sent ds links to a couple of properties that I thought looked good, one was £120 month each including all bills, cleaner and gardener. There are quite a few around that price bracket and less. Anyway, instead they viewed 2 other properties. One they didn't like. The other they did. They paid the deposit there on the spot. Ds informs me it is £140 week each without bills. So I'm a bit annoyed. That is quite a lot of money. He's refusing to send me a link to the property as apparently it isn't on rightmove where I was looking. But I know it's somewhere online.
We have been told by several people how much cheaper accommodation becomes once they leave campus. But this will be a lot more.
I know we need to leave them to make their own mistakes, but it's me that will need to give him all the extra cash.
Also the others they applied for they had to fill out forms, provide a guarantor etc. before signing anything. Then were told they hadn't been chosen. But this property they handed over a deposit without needing to sign anything. I know there will be stuff to sign, but I thought it should be read and signed first before handing cash over. Maybe I'm just overreacting.

Thanks @sluj that’s really helpful. May well come back with more questions if he gets an offer.

@FabTab welcome. Good luck to your DS with his application.

I can quite understand your annoyance @icanbewhatiwant. £140 per week x 52 is a sizeable sum over the year (probably more than many parents are paying for their own mortgages!). If your DS has a job during the hols couldn't you say that he can make up the difference from his earnings. It's one thing for them to learn by their mistakes when they have to pick up thte fall-out but quite another when it impacts on your money!

BTW DS has found his four flatmates-to-be, so hopefully they will get on the case looking for a house this coming term.

Also, starting to find DS and DD are back to their old 'annoying each other' ways, so I will be quite ready for him to go back next weekend, if only not to be spending my time refereeing petty squabbles!

Ds has come downstairs this morn and said they have now decided not to go with that house. Phew. It seemed a lot more than the others available. Apparently they can have their deposit back. Only one lad paid the deposit.
Back to looking again I guess.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 yes he did work all last summer and hopefully will again but he wouldn't earn anywhere near enough to cover that sort of rent. It's funny because he's very cautious about spending his money. I'm surprised he's going with more expensive property. But when in a group of 6 I guess you have to go along with everyone else.
Ds has broken his mobile phone. He has a savings account with money that we've saved for him or small amounts other family members have given or he's inherited over the years etc. I suggested taking some money out of that account for a new phone. It's not like he's earned that money himself. But he keeps saying he doesn't want to spend it. He's waiting for me to buy him a phone. I'm not buying it. He only had the other one 2 years. He's smashed the front and the back and now it isn't charging properly. DH has gone to get the cash out ds's savings account this morn. We will give it to him to get a phone. He needs a phone...seems like the answer to me. It's just funny how buying the phone is bothering him...but the more expensive rent isn't.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 I'm glad it's not just mine that argue with each other!

Mine too, caught them wrestling like a pair of primary school kids right in front of my new tv

Glad most siblings are the same.

Mine used to be dreadful but they've improved immeasurably over the past year or so. However, after the initial 'honeymoon period' upon DS's return, prolonged by his being ill for over a week, they are back to some of their old ways.

Well...there's a bit of a dilemma regarding the house I said they viewed. There are 6 of them in the group. 3 want that house...2 don't as they can't afford it. Ds is siding with the 2 that are saying no.

There are some good 4 beds online now. But if the 3 that don't want the bigger house drop out they need a 4th person to go in on a 4 bed.

So...it's getting complicated!

@FabTab hi, welcome to the thread. Ds2 applied in the year after taking A levels and was asked by UEA to submit scans of his A level certs. Not sure if this was before or after offer confirmation, that said he only submitted the UCAS form less than 48hrs ahead of the mid Jan UCAS deadline.

@icanbewhatiwant complicated for my DD on the housing front too. Plenty of 4 beds for her and her three flatmates but one of the group is insisting on having 2 bath/shower rooms and there are hardly any houses that fit that criteria. There are a few 5 beds with 2 baths but they don't want to look for a fifth sharer and are holding out for a four bed, two bath house within 20 mins of the uea. I'm not sure they will find one!
DD would be happy with one bath and has seen a few houses she'd be happy in but they can't all agree.
She's happily stay in her halls with the same group for another year if only that were possible.

Thanks @boys3. DS is hoping to get his certificates soon so he can send a scan but it isn’t easy as he has to pick them up in person and he’s not free during the school day.

@juicy0 have you seen what is available via the SU page? I can't look on there and ds doesn't seem to be looking on there. He's looking on rightmove etc. There are some 4 beds with 2 bathrooms on there. Or at least a second shower room.
It is difficult when they are in a group. The 4 bed houses are working out about £80 week which is much better than the £120 some of ds's group are set on.

@icanbewhatiwant yes looked at homerun page but when you make contact with landlords many of the houses are already let. The site doesn't seem to be very up to date. I haven't seen any 4 bed with 2 bath for £80 a week advertised anywhere, I'd be grateful for a link if you've seen any so I can forward to DD. There seem to be more reasonably priced houses closer to the city but they want to be close to campus, much to my surprise!

@juicy0 I'm looking on rightmove but I have put within one mile on my search. There isn't much coming up within half mile and they seem more money the closer they are. 4 of his friends say they are taking a car anyway. So getting there won't be a problem. I walk 0.7 mile to the primary school in 10 mins so I thought that is a good distance.
Ds says it is really stressing him now...3 still want the big house, 3 don't. Maybe they should have decided on a price beforehand.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-76414543.html

This is a 4 bed. @juicy0

I forgot to say it is just over half mile I think.

Thanks @icanbewhatiwant I'll send it to DD. The only problem with them driving in is the cost and availability of parking on campus.

@juicy0 yes I know. It's a sore subject. Ds wants the car from sept/Oct. 4 of them out the 6 are taking a car. One can't drive.
Dh has said he bought the car and ds is not taking it to uni. If they really do need to drive in or drive to the shops then surely they only need 2 cars between 6. It hasn't gone down well with ds. But he's now accepted it or for the time being at least.

To be blunt, I think four cars between six students is absolutely absurd unless they're living in some far out village with poor/non-existent public transport links. Whatever happened to walking or using a bike? I thought this was supposed to be the 'climate change' championing generation?

Sorry me on my hobby-horse - I will climb down now .

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 yes I totally agree with you. Ds keeps tells me off for having a suv which he says are the worst cars for the environment. He's correct in the fact I no longer need a car that size for lots of reasons. When I eventually change my car I will get something smaller. I asked him why he's criticising me when he wants a 5th car between 6 students. He knows now and has accepted he's not taking his car. But if I said he could take it he still would. We used to live in the sticks so had to rely on cars for most of his life. We moved nearer the village recently so I walk just over half mile to the primary school with my youngest. I cycle to work. Ds2 has a short walk to the school bus pick up. Ds1 missed out on being able to walk he even got collected for school by a taxi. So he's quite reliant on a car or you could just call it lazy 😉 he hadn't been on a public bus really before going to UEA.

The plan was to get house hunting this week, but ds has been in bed since Sunday with a flu type bug. He says his legs are very painful and has a headache, having eaten non stop since coming home he's now not eating anything much. I've banned him to his room as the rest of us don't really want to get ill. I know...I'm not very sympathetic am I?