UEA (2019) Surely 2021 (and getting on for halfway through our DC's degrees) things have got to get better????

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

New thread following on from the previous one.

Lots of and into 2021.

When I said 30 cases...I meant in uni students tested on campus. Not in Norwich itself.

DS2 got formal confirmation that he has passed his second year. Although based on his online exam results that seemed a certainty but nice to get it formally confirmed.

He's hoping for a more normal final year; after the disruption in years 1 and 2. That certainly would be very welcome. Although I'm not 100% confident it will turn out that way. Fingers crossed.

Leaves his second year house next weekend then back into his new house in early September. Hopes to get quite a few shifts in where he was working over the next month or so.

Yes DS2 got confirmation that he passed too, great news.
Meanwhile DS1 had an online "celebration of excellence " graduation from the med school. Basically 3 speeches then they were supposed to join in with the Hippocratic oath from wherever they were. Massive technical difficulties and basically a waste of time. DS was on a train to Oxford though so didn't care too much. So that's it, 5 years marked with 40 minutes of live stream which froze between every 5 words. Hoping for better things next year 🙏

Not heard from DS since he briefly came home last weekend. Hoping he's passed into his third year without any issues. He will no doubt tell us in his own good time!

He moves into his third-year house in mid-August. Not entirely convenient given that the current contract finishes at the end of July. He seems to have managed to find a friend's to stay at locally and for the intervening 10 days.

What an anti-climax for your DS1 @sluj. Five years is a long time to spend at one university so sure the lack of a proper graduation ceremony will be a particular disappointment.

Still don't quite understand why they can't hold outdoor graduation ceremonies. It's not as if most universities don't have the space. You'd have thought that they'd have thought up a more satisfactory conclusion to studies than a glitchy online experience!

Yes you'd think they'd do outside graduation ceremonies, perhaps staggered throughout the day. My dc's have missed out on things like the year 11 prom and my year 7 missed all his end of year 6 stuff. But graduation has to be the most important of them all, it's the end of education. Will we be having a graduation by next year? It makes me wonder the way things are going.

I'm pretty sure the students will pay for a graduation ceremony in their fees too. Another way they're being shortchanged.

It's very strange that people are allowed to go to Wimbledon, Wembley and Silverstone en masse, and yet in situations where some form of celebration is a rite of passage for young people, proms, graduation, end of school events have been cancelled in the usual format. So unfair.

Lovely news that our DC have successfully completed their second years amidst a backdrop of covid, quite an achievement given the circumstances. Along with 100% online learning many of them have had to cope with the loss of loved ones during the pandemic whilst living away from home, tough life lessons in such isolated circumstances.
I really hope their third year will be a more normal experience but the numbers and headlines don't make for great reading do they? Here in Norfolk they are pushing hard for all
18+ to get vaccinated but the take up figures are dropping. Can/will unis insist on at least one vaccination before students return to campus?

Here in Norfolk they are pushing hard for all 18+ to get vaccinated but the take up figures are dropping. Can/will unis insist on at least one vaccination before students return to campus?

That's disappointing @juicy0

DS2 and DS3 had their first one nearly 4 weeks ago and will get their second one just before start of term or sooner if I can bring it forward. DS3 is off to Birmingham as a fresher so I'm really hoping for some F2F for him. DS2 very happy with his second year results - it's been a hard slog for them all!

A level results permitting, DS2 will be adding to Norwich's tally of fully-vaccinated 18 year olds in September; he is in group 6 and had his second jab at the beginning of June.
The least vaccinated member of the family is DS1 - was registered with an ordinary local GP in Bristol, so if there was any university initiative to vaccinated students early, he wasn't involved in that and iirc, he turned 24 at just about the same time as 23 yr olds were invited to book and then he had no centre closer than Bath to book at for while. Finally got his first jab the day before 20 yr old DD got her 2nd, but has now moved to quite near the surgery which did hers early (I spent the weekend trundling round the country playing Mrs Pickford), so may be lucky if he registers there, I suppose.

• @marchingfrogs* Best of luck to your DS2, what does he want to study? Between us we will have lots of experience of the different halls too if he has any questions.

Off to Norwich today to pick up DS1 for the last time with his 5 years of accumulated stuff. It has taken 3 trips ! I think it will be quite emotional for him but he is ready to start his new job and go on to the next phase. I'm glad we still have DS2 at UEA or it would be quite emotional for me too

@sluj he has applied for History of Art, so will be aiming to squirrel himself away in the Sainsbury Centre for most of his time there, I suspect.
Moving DD home (year abroad next year) from Birmingham last month took two trips (330 mile round trip, so DH and I did one each). Last weekend, I moved DS1 from Bristol back to Birmingham, but did it via a day out in Oxfordshire and an overnight stay near Bath. Minor panic when I discovered that he had only couriered one box on ahead, rather than the promised two, but it all went in eventually, barring a clothes airer, which can be a spare for his former flatmate or a treat for the new tenants.

Oh History of Art sounds great @MarchingFrogs. What A Levels did your DS2 do? I ask because DD was quite keen on doing it at A Level only for us to discover that it's been discontinued (since 2018)!!!

Good luck with going to Norwich today @sluj. What hot weather to be lugging heavy 'kit' about in! Hoping your DS1 will be doing most of the lifting! I'm sure when you've spent five years at a university, it must be a massive wrench moving on.

DS is getting ready to move into his year three accommodation, so a week of mega cleaning ahead.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 DS2 did Art, English Literature and Maths. Plus Physics in year 12, dropped after AS - he was originally intending to apply for Architecture (obviously not at UEA, but would probably have applied to NUA). His school never offered History of Art A level as far as I am aware; I'm not sure anywhere round here did.

Thanks @MarchingFrogs. DD definitely won't be doing Maths A Level!!!! Good luck to your DS2 with his exam results.

Just got back from Norwich with all his worldly goods. No idea where that is all going to go.
We went to Wroxham for lunch. What a very strange mix of pretty and slightly tacky that place is

The Broads always strike me as a place that time forgot! Stuck in the 1960s/70s? That water looks very inviting though!

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 thank you - I'm not sure how much of a track on results day he is keeping (I must admit that it keeps slippingmy mind that it's a Tuesday this year...).

@sluj yes been to Wroxham a few times. I thought I recognised the photo. Last time we went, we went on a boat trip along the broads (pre covid)

@sluj mmm wroxham is an interesting place isn't it 😂

@MarchingFrogs I'm a bit loathe to ask as Tuesday was not 100% wall to wall success for every DC but good news for your DS2 I hope for a place at UEA next month?

@boys3, thank you, he actually exceeded his offer (and all of our hopes in one subject, by actually getting his original prediction) and so yes, will be off to UEA. He has even been allocated his most desired accommodation (Norfolk Terrace), so he is a very happy bunny this week.

@MarchingFrogs fantastic news ; well done him.

I have the delights of transporting DS2 back to Norwich and DS3 in completely the opposite direction to Aberystwyth next month. I was initially somewhat smug about how low the hall costs in Aber are as compared to UEA, which itself is pretty good value compared with many. Until with a six hour one way journey hotel costs start to get factored in. :)

Our ds3 is off to Birmingham - so extra travelling for us too!

En route to Norwich to clear out and clean ds2 current house and move home into new house. Dreading the kitchen, I don’t think the girls in the house lifted a finger as it was always a mess when we picked him up. He hasn’t been there for 2 months

Well done to your DS3 @NotSorry.

The problem with Norwich is that it’s not en route to anywhere. :)

Good luck with the house cleaning. Quite lucky with DS2’s house as they all pitched in and although he was last to leave a final hoover round and wipe down of kitchen etc was all that was needed. I thought it was left in as good a condition as realistic, but they still got docked some money from their deposits. I advised DS2 that £15 out of £400 probably was not worth quibbling over, even though the faults found were dubious, one lightbulb not working, and some dust. Not sure where the latter was. And of course the actual agent inspection looks to have been some time after vacating.

He moves into his 3rd yr house second week of September.

Well we’re here and the kitchen is filthy 😡