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.

Ds just messaged to say he had bad news. I thought he must've crashed the car or someone in his house tested positive for covid. But neither (thankfully) his laptop won't work. He got onto HP and they said it was a motherboard fault and not repairable. He paid £750 (after student discount) for it august last year! He's not happy.

Yes good news @GoldenRuby though it can take up to 14 days to come out with symptoms (apparently) I don't know how soon after contact he's taken the test.

Good news @GoldenRuby and as you say, I think perhaps they were being overly cautious in suggesting a test was required but it's better that way I suppose.
@NewModelArmyMayhem18 DD also reported that Tuesdays are 'full on 9-6' with lectures and and she now has plenty of work to do! Still no sign of anything f2f on her timetable, I assume that won't change?

@juicy0 well in a way it's good to have some full-on days for them to have proper focus and build up some momentum for study again. I don't recall having such full-with-lectures/seminars-days when I was a student but I suppose it's possibly more effective in all sorts of ways to 'chunk' the learning. DS hasn't said anything else about f2f time so not sure if that's a thing or not. Will ask again.

that's a pain about your DS's laptop @icanbewhatiwant - any chance its still covered by warranty?

Ds2 has realised that whilst a chrome book is light and ideal for taking to F2F lectures its not so great when everything is on line. He's got a very high spec self built desktop which he sensibly, given its value,has left here at home; however his older laptop he took with him has apparently given up although it worked fine for DS3 all though lockdown . So he's already bought a new one - got a really good deal, Mum - which I'm sure he did, although seemingly not an economy model.

His bad news was that the freezer section at Ikea was broken /closed and he couldn't buy any meatballs.

Two of his flatmates have received their UEA C19 tests, he seemed to think it could only be ordered / registered through campus wi-fi???? However was on campus this afternoon and logged one.

Thank you for all your kind good wishes, I'm here now. It was a bit stressful at Heathrow as they are being so careful about who they are letting fly to Canada due to the boarder restrictions.
I've got an.open work permit, but no job, I get on the back of my DH, but then they wanted my marriage certificate, which I'd left in Canada, so DH had to scan me lots of stuff.
The flight was fine only about 30 people on the whole plane.
The dog was so happy to see me and is now glued to me.
It's so reassuring to read all your posts, it sounds like the online seems to be working and hopefully they will get enough teaching with the odd bit of f2f.
Hello to @Cafeconleche I know exactly what you mean when you talk about being a past student at UEA and it bringing back so many memories, my other DS is at Bournemouth Arts which is where I went in the 80, so I have the same type of experience.
@icanbewhatiwant bugger re the computer, that seems rather too soon for it to die!
I'm not sure if my DS has signed up for the on campus testing, I'm hoping to do a family chat in the next few days so hopefully find out a bit more then.
Anyway I'm sending you all a big wave from sunny Montreal 😁

Good that you're back @Itscoldouthere and had a lovely reunion with your DH and the dog. Just as well your DH was working from home, given the extra checks you had to go through - what a palaver though when all you want to do is get there.

Total PITA re your DS's laptop @icanbewhatiwant. That is no lifespan at all for a £750 model surely? I bet it's just out of warranty too, unless your DS was duped into getting the extended version which is entirely possible.

@boys3 boys and their toys. DS would be the same... Good that he's booked a COVID test on campus (I must nag remind DS to get one).

Lucky you having sun in Montreal @Itscoldouthere - it was a really rainy day here yesterday before a stormy weekend, apparently. So much for our usual Indian summer.

DS 2 is still muddling along. The f2f promised for his Engineering course is now one 2 hr slot per fortnight which is a bit disappointing.
I think the 5 hours for a subject on timetable in one day ( mentioned in other post) may be because subject tutors have scheduled in the self study sections as well to try to keep a structure for them. That's what has happened for DS anyway. He is trying but still not very confident with the work so far. He likes a classroom with others there. I have said to ask when they are in teams groups to meet up with the others in his breakout room later but he hasn't managed that yet.
Didn't get thro the second football trial so lots of sadness in phone call afterwards.

( its football for goodness sake, he's there for engineering, but I can't say that obviously! ).
Will try to visit this weekend and see how it's going really. He seems to be getting on with others in the flat so that's a positive.

Boys3, that made me laugh.
What is it with boys and Ikea meatballs???

@boys3 yes ds said he ordered his test and had to do it through the campus. Which he couldn't do until Monday when they went online.

@Itscoldouthere glad you made it. Hopefully you can relax a bit now.

I had FaceTime chat with ds last night. He says he is very happy (apart from the broken laptop) he's enjoying living with his friends. He is doing his covid test today. One of housemates had his back yesterday as negative. Ds walked through a park to UEA to collect it. He said it is a nice walk. Though maybe not when it's raining. They've found a free car park not too far away from campus they might use when it's wet.
He said he's had a few lectures but his proper full time time table starts week after next.
As for the laptop...I think he needs to push for it to be fixed. 13 months for a laptop that cost him £750 is not acceptable. Apparently it's completely dead. Not making any sound or responding at all. He bought it using student discount directly from HP. Luckily he took his pc too.

@Thebrowndogs I think f2f for two hours a fortnight isn't great but better than seem to be getting. Sorry your DS didn't get picked for the football team - somehow for many, these things are more important than what they're studying! Sounds as if he's starting to 'bed in' with his flatmates which is positive.

Maybe your DS needs to escalate the issue with his laptop upwards if he doesn't get any joy with customer support @icanbewhatiwant? It sounds to me as if the motherboard is faulty (they don't normally die so quickly)?

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 yes they told him the motherboard is more than likely faulty and it will be irreparable. He's only got a WhatsApp contact for them. Not sure what to do really. 13 months is pretty rubbish for a laptop to last.

@Thebrowndogs would your DS be up for trying a new sport? The hockey club has 4 men's teams and many of those in the 4s apparently have not really played before coming to Uni. They also have recreational small sided drop in sessions. They seem to use Facebook to organise things so if he is interested he could contact someone through that.

@icanbewhatiwant, you could suggest that your DS asks Citizens Advice. If the company is admitting that the motherboard is faulty (as opposed to trying to say that the problem is something your DS has caused , then there is an argument that the laptop, or at least this component, was never fit for purpose. Worth a try...
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/if-you-need-more-help-about-a-consumer-issue/

@MarchingFrogs thanks. I'm not sure what to do really. Ds gave me the WhatsApp number so I messaged HP. A chap said laptop is 13 months old so it's out of the 12 months warranty. He said they will repair it for £370 he said they will definitely repair for that fee, probably putting in a new motherboard. It's already been in for one repair (free) so I'm not impressed with HP. I could take it to my local pc shop where we've always bought pc's/laptops etc before. They'll take a look as it could be something simple. Then we have to decide whether it's worth paying all that or buying something more basic as ds has his pc now.

DS got his Covid test result back today - negative

@icanbewhatiwant that’s such a PITA... DS had an HP chrome book a few years ago. It also stopped working after 13 months (motherboard) but we managed to get it repaired for free because we’d bought it at John Lewis and they give a 2 year guarantee on electrical goods. Since then I’ve only ever bought electrical items from them. They even replaced DS’s PlayStation when that packed up one day before the 2-year guarantee was up.

I bought DD's laptop last year in our nearest John Lewis via a sort of in-store Ckick and Collect process and she picked up the actual machine from her local branch, Grand Central in Birmingham, the following day.

Grand Central is one of the branches that is now staying closed permanently.

Thanks Goldenruby, he's going to try cricket I think which he can play but didn't go to the first session. Also has been to Basketball with guy in opposite flat so I am sure he will get sorted with something. He's worried about downloading software for one module but seems to be making some progress altho not there yet. DH can give more guidance I think. He has tried to do all the work so far but not confident it's right (maths) but there will be feedback/ support I'm sure. I suspect he offloads all his anxt onto me on the phone then carries on OK - that's what mums are for!!

PS. Thanks for the suggestion of Hockey GR, I will suggest it.
Sounds like your DS is off to a good start Ironoaks, fingers crossed for him

@Cafeconleche Yes that's good John Lewis repaired it. We usually use our local pc shop. I know they'd help. But ds got a good student discount through HP direct. I don't think he will be bothering again.

Yes, I'm with you @Cafeconleche with John Lewis being the place to buy electricals and white goods.

I wonder if there's a batch of faulty laptops produced by HP. I think it's really not on, not giving your DS the option to get it repaired for free. They could do an excellent PR gesture which would probably retain his loyalty to the brand but clearly if they don't go above and beyond, they will lose it! Such a wasted opportunity - do these companies not have long-term focus?

Welcome @Ironoaks. Good that your DS is settling in well.

The Grand Central JL was fab @MarchingFrogs, such a pity that it's been one of the victims of the pandemic.

Really positive article in the Sunday Times today about UEA, page 7 of the print edition, probably looks even better as placed underneath the less than positive report about Northumbria Uni (and by extension Newscastle Uni as well).

Article reports on the UEA testing, five confirmed cases out of 1500 tested so far. Best line in the article possibly:

UEA students are a week into their classes - some face to face - and, unlike in a number of other universities, no one has been fined, complained or gone home. Those who are self-isolating on campus have their food delivered and their laundry and rubbish collected.

I'm fairly sure that the journalist, Sian Griffiths, is a not a UEA grade, however she also had a very positive tweet for UEA earlier today.

Hurrah! A university where only a handful of students have tested positive, which runs its own £1.2 m testing regime and where face to face teaching is a min 2 hours a week. @uniofeastanglia seems to have cracked reopening safely!

I haven't read it yet (have subscribed to online, as I loved our Sunday paper reading ritual) but will do, however spoke to DS yesterday and he says he has no f2f teaching this term, everything online, maybe it's to do with the modules he chose, but I was a bit surprised/disappointed on his behalf.

DS is in new halls says it is very quiet, a lot of empty rooms, some students have gone back home, some still to arrive apparently flights a problem and some just not been taken up for whatever reason.

He has a full day in uni tomorrow the rest of the work online, will have to see how self motivated he is.