UEA (2019) dealing with the unexpected and on to 2nd Year

[juicy0]

New thread for the parents of 2019 freshers. Thank you all for sticking around!
At the start of the year we never would have guessed the topics that are currently being discussed in this page but I'm grateful we still have each other to help navigate our way through this with our DC.
With the emptying of 1st year rooms seemingly on hold for many until the end of lockdown our thoughts will soon turn to 2nd year accommodation and whether term is likely to start as normal in September.

@Itscoldouthere that's great news. Well done for your DS - onwards and upwards.

After my DS's good news earlier in the week he is a little bit down as his course director emailed him to say she has concerns about his ability to cope as the work gets harder this year. She did say though that she thinks much of this is about organisation, study and essay writing skills which can be improved with support. She is encouraging him to use the Learning Enhancement team and his personal tutor for support, and I hope he listens. He is so self conscious about asking for help because of his dyslexia, but this may be the wake up call he needs to realise he has to do get through this year. For him I think that not being able to do Sports Night/team socials for the time being is probably a good thing - he can still play and coach hockey but he has to put the hard yards into his work without too many distractions.

@Itscoldouthere well done to your ds. I bet you are pleased. Now you can hopefully move on.

@juicy0 yes I find all this covid stuff is getting worrying. How long are we going to have to go on like this? How long before schools have to shut? Or maybe they'll stay open...but then I'll worry about them bringing Covid home. I am trying to not think too much.

I'm glad ds1 has moved out when it comes to Covid. I didn't really want him out socialising much...then when he did go out, the only time he ate out with friends, was when his friends brother had his positive covid test. At least he can relax a bit now. He spent the night here last night, his car was serviced today. He packed it up with the rest of his clothes, his computer and other bits from his room and left for Norwich about 4pm.

The 5th person was moving into his house today. The last one over the weekend. Ds said a couple of days ago that they were told not much more was being added to the timetable at this time. But more was added today. All online though. I hope he gets some hands on stuff as they need it for biology.

DD has just scrolled through her timetable for the term and she has 2 hours actually face to face this TERM. Absolutely everything is online, lectures, seminars, all of it!
I feel extremely disappointed given that the message from uea has been, and still is, large lectures inline but other small group teaching face to face.

@juicy0 OMG I thought DS meant two hours a week not in the whole term?! That's poor ;-(.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18
It may be different for different modules but literally all DD's lectures and seminars say 'online event' apart from one 2 hour IT session.

And a two hour IT session is really human-centric not. Will ask DS. How grim :-(

I was reading the planned Medical school fresher events for UEA this year. Its so sad, everything is either with their medic family of 6 or via Zoom. Lots of info about what they would normally be doing and promises to do that later in the year. For instance the guided tour of Norwich has been replaced with a link to the council's self guided tour. So sad.
There is some sort of light show/laser show planned on campus which sounds good though. Take your flat and alcohol of choice down to the fields to watch it.
I feel really sorry for this year's freshers and at least our DC got that exciting start last year.

I totally agree @sluj at least our lot did get freshers. I have to say though I'm disappointed with the uea's offerings for welcome week. Compared to other unis I really don't think they've tried very hard with alternative events. They have the huge grass area around the lake so they could easily have organised outdoor events with marquees to allow socially distanced 'rule of six' or 'bubble' events with live music or DJ's

Yes freshers must be a very different experience this year.

One nice thing about ds having the car in Norwich. He always went clay pigeon shooting every other Sunday (March till October) with dh. Last year he stopped in sept. once he'd moved to Norwich...now he can still go and meet dh there. They are meeting today. It only about 15 mins from Norwich. So he's nearer him than we are.

That should say it's nearer him than we are 🙄

Sounds lovely that they can continue doing a son and dad activity together @icanbewhatiwant.

well DS2 finally back in Norwich. Sharing with three others in a house he'd never actually set foot in before today. Not great kerb appeal :) but inside very clean, looked like new carpets, mainly new / good condition furniture, although perhaps a bit too much in his room, decent galley kitchen with plenty of storage space, and, although this was via a Face-time tour after drop off, what looked like a very spacious and recently refitted bathroom. About a 10 minute brisk walk to the city end of the campus. His main feedback so far is the lightning fast broadband - I always thought our home broadband was ok sems to allow netflix, x-box living; zoom calls all at the same time but apparently not :)

So all good on that front, although from what I gather he's still waiting for his final timetable for the term. I get the impression that most, if not everything is going to be online. So some creative thinking for his subject society; one of the clubs he does has already re-defined itself as a sports team, and careful reading of the new government guidance should allow the MH group he helps with to have covid secure face to face sessions beyond the general rule of six limit.

@boys3 yes my ds told me how good the internet is. They had a choice of speeds when they ordered a broadband package. We moved a couple of years back. Our speed here is 45mbps which seems super quick as it was 0.02 at our previous house (and still is) but he's now discovered real fast broadband.

Ds has now gone back to hardly replying to my messages. Exactly how he was when he went away a year ago. I suggested getting plenty of food in, incase they have to go into isolation. I suggested getting paracetamol too, incase he gets ill. But messages get ignored.

He did say he's happy in the house. He also said he has some lab time in his time table. That's good. Unless it gets cancelled.

Reading on the other thread, seems a lot of students are getting Covid. I don't know how it's going with the students at UEA. Anyone heard?

@icanbewhatiwant not heard anything in terms of any confirmed cases at UEA. However DS2 has said he’s signed up for the fortnightly testing, which I’m really pleased about.

Ds1 does the ONS antibodies testing, his test showed no antibodies present. As we are in a very low case area probably not surprising.

@boys3 I don't know anything about testing every 2 weeks. Is that available to all?

I know a few that have done the antibody test. DH did a covid test today as he was asked to do one for ipsos mori. I think they pick people randomly looking for asymptomatic people. The pin prick one for antibodies sounds better though. I'm fairly sure none of us have had it. I'm sure it wouldn't go through 5 of us without any of us noticing.

@icanbewhatiwant DS2 just mentioned that he'd had an email about it, so I assume its open to everyone. Although if all however may students there are at UEA took it up the logistics would need to be pretty slick, but with it being a local initiative they've probably already thought of that and planned accordingly. let's just not let Dido anywhere near it

Good to hear that there's some lab time @icanbewhatiwant I haven't heard from my DS as to how his timetable is looking, but I'm hoping he's got some time on campus.
One of my friends daughters is at Exeter Uni and she's having to quarantine as a friend she met up with tested positive, they are also second years and haven't been on the campus yet.

Unbelievable!

@juicy0 where did you read that? It would make sense though...if things are bad at Christmas. I know it won't go down well with lots of people.

It doesn't surprise me about students potentially having to stay put for Christmas - cunning how they're flagging it up now most have gone up for the start of the new academic year though.

To be honest it was always going to be a minefield with students criss-crossing the country.

It's grim though to imagine Christmas without our young people even being a possiblity though.

Not heard much from DS since he's been back but he's been working hard (only finishes his job tomorrow). Hopefully, he'll be more communicative once he's got a bit more time.

Yes I see it's on the news now. I thought the same...they've waited until the students have gone back or started. The freshers will find it hard staying there for Christmas, especially if they don't get on with people in their flats. At least year 2 and 3 students should be in accommodation with friends.

It was a headline from the i newspaper on twitter last night but it's everywhere this morning. Christmas without my daughter in these circumstances in unthinkable, if she was off having a great time somewhere then I'd feel differently but with the situation as it is I think she'll need a break from her four walls at unit if only from a me ya health perspective.
She seems to be doing ok although there isn't anything much to get involved in in terms of welcome back events. She's enjoyed meeting up with friends in different households and has done some pre season netball training. We've had a good chat about the importance of making sure she gets out and about and has some sort of routine in order to avoid endless days with little structure or purpose. She's proposed getting together with a couple of friends on the same course to virtually attend lectures together in one of their living rooms just so all the online learning isn't done in isolation. She also has her job in the su bar which gives her human contact and she's not unhappy that shifts will finish by 10pm rather than 2am
I'm immensely proud of her optimism and can do attitude to the uni situation but I'll be trying to maintain regular comms to make sure she's ok. We are lucky in that she is only 30 mins away and have reassured her that she needn't remain In her house if her housemates leave or it just isn't enjoyable being there.
Looking at the comments on the Facebook group I think perhaps some parents are more worried about it than their children are. I'm trying to adopt a 'wait and see' approach until term is properly underway and they've experienced virtual teaching full time.

@juicy0 it's great you have communication with dd. Ds tells me nothing. He hasn't read the last few messages I sent. I expect they flash up on his phone and he rolls his eyes and doesn't open them.

I don't mind if ds has to stay in his Norwich accommodation for Christmas. As long as he's happy. I am near enough to go visit him and drop Christmas goodies off. Obviously I'd prefer him home. I can see how it could a big problem for many. Surely they won't make them stay though. Even if all students do this regular Covid testing they'll still need to isolate for 14 days after the last test they take on return to home. So I guess that's what they'll have to do. A bit like coming home from abroad.

I can't see there's any other solution.

I suppose realistically we are all in for an uncertain Christmas.
I'd already accepted the fact that we will be apart from the boys this Christmas, they can't come to Canada (no tourists being let in) and if we come here we have to isolate two weeks in both countries, so it just won't work, but I realised this week's ago so have got my head around it now.
If the 6 rule is still in place they will spend Christmas day with a friend in Cambridge who has children their age that they have been friends with all their lives.
If they change rules to no households mixing then I suppose they will have to stay in their houses, but in theory so will their housemates so it should be ok.
Myself and DH will probably be the sad ones without them.
It's hard having to live this way not knowing what you will be able to do in the next 6 months or more.
I'm feeling particularly fragile today as the dog is being picked up, he'll overnight in a kennel near Heathrow, then flys tomorrow. I managed to keep it together and not cry when I said goodbye to the boys, but I'm a bit of a blubbering wreck about the dog !

@Itscoldouthere I don't blame you about the dog. They don't understand what's going on...that doesn't help. How long till the dog arrives in Canada? Does he/she have to quarantine? When are you going to join them?

I am fairly sure we will get told not to go anyone else's house soon. Our government talk of something...then Scotland do it...then England follows soon after. So it could even be all winter of no visiting. Though seems silly if we can meet at pubs. But I guess they need to stay open.