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.

That should say "thanks"

The issue is always coolish weather in this country, isn't it? It could be 30C but equally it could be dull and a decidedly unseasonal 17/18C.

Can't believe the young people have to arrive two hours ahead of the official graduation start times. What a killer for those on for the 9.30am slot.

Fingers crossed for your DS. Can't believe he's only just finished when ours is now a full two weeks post submitting his last piece of coursework.

Ds hasn't said anything about getting there 2 hours beforehand. I think his is 1.30pm and we are only 45 mins away. So all fine for us.

I didn't book photos with parents. When I booked it all I thought why would we want to take the credit. Ds has done the work, not us. But now I'm thinking maybe I should have. Do many have photos with their parents?

We have to be in the photos with them?????

DS2 still going - in the exam sense! - last one for him next week. Seems very chilled about it all, and does after all the second year covid disruption seem to have really enjoyed his third year. Not 100% sure but he seems fairly set for staying at UEA to do a masters. I think I have never seen him happier than this past academic year and if that continues with a further year in Norwich then I’m all for it.

@Sluj when I ordered the gown and photos there was the option for parents in one of the photos. I just paid for ds's photo on his own.

Ds said the only result he has so far is from his dissertation talk. As I said up thread, Ds didn't get the graphs from his parasite count to come out properly no matter how he did them, also he wasn't exactly sure what parts to talk about as he only had 10 mins. He got 55% which is 2:2 but that's only a small part of his final grade. So I hope he's done better in the other stuff. He was on 2:1 at the end of year 2. He knows he wouldn't get a first. The 2:1 would be great though.

@boys3 I think a lot are staying on for masters. 2 out of the 6 in ds's house are staying on. Another lad is in the army and carrying on down that route. Another has an internship in Scotland. I think if Ds thought he could do a masters he would. But he struggled with his dissertation and the final exams. He said the other exams all the way through he's enjoyed. It was just these last ones. He has really enjoyed the final year being hands on in the lab. He had only done lab work the first 3 months of his degree. Then they had strikes, then covid. I know it's been the same for all, so I'm not surprised they want to stay on.

We didn’t book the parents in the photo either - on the FAQs it says they have to be there 2 hours before - we got the 9.30am slot 😵‍💫

last exam on Thursday and he’s adamant he doesn’t want to do a masters

DS has gone off the idea of doing a Masters next year, primarily because of the cost. One of his former flatmates (a year ahead) started one and then gave up mid-way through because they couldn't manage doing one full-time and having to work part-time too to fund living/accommodation expenses.

The idea is 'parked' until he's had time to consider and apply for other options. I don't think he'd want to stay at UEA to do one (which presumably would make it substantially cheaper?).

We also have a 9.30am slot so it's an early start for us. DD decided against the pro photos so we will spend some time after the ceremony taking some on campus instead rather than against a backdrop in the sports park. Depending on when her gown has to be returned we might also go to Norwich Cathedral and take some photos there which is where the grad ceremonies were previously held.

The council didn't hand round long. Ds and his mates just received a council tax bill of almost £3,000 starting 17th June. They are moving out about 2nd July though. It's an HMO so I wasn't sure if they were liable.

They’re liable from when they are no longer students until they move out - trying to help ds2 sort his out as well

I don't know if there is an official date to go from. Ds's last exam was 17th which is the day the council tax starts. But 2 of his housemates had exams yesterday and one still has an exam. Do not sure how that works. Ds is moving out Thursday. But official move out date is 2nd I think. I've suggested calling the council. They should only need to pay 2 weeks.

There should be an official end of year for final year students. It should be the same for everyone, surely? They've been screwed over financially every which way with the pandemic and their courses. You'd have thought the least the universities could do is give them all a 'line in the sand' end date officially.

I expect it's going to cost more to do the admin for two weeks CT than it would to just overlook it @icanbewhatiwant . What a PITA.

@icanbewhatiwant from the UEA website it looks as if the 17th June is the end of the 'Study Plus and Assessment Period' so presumably it is the same for all the final year students (unless they're doing Medicine?).

the last official day is Friday 17th - it's on his certificate that we downloaded 2 years ago to let council know that he was exempt - we rang the council back at Easter as we knew the bill was coming. They were very helpful and said set up an account and let them know when they're moving out. We've done all of that but it's still showing the liability till the end of the year. He's home Sunday so I'm going to get him to ring them next week again and sort, I really don't want to get into applying for refunds.

I've got a feeling that they are liable for the council tax until their tenancy ends and not when they "move out". I'll need to check but that's what I understood as why would the landlord pay the council tax just because his tenants haven't stayed till the end of the tenancy but he can't let it to anyone else?
I am a little concerned that DS's housemates will all leave at different times and no one will clean the place !

Yes it's when the tenancy ends, that's the date we've given the council tax office. Having the same convo's with ds and his housemates re: cleaning - the landlady suggested she gets her end-of-tenancy cleaners in, which I thought was a good idea as they're never going to do it to how she wants it and they'll end up paying it anyway. DS going to speak to the housemates about it

@Sluj I think you're right in thinking that. DS was debating (they have to pay until mid August) whether to move out and come home to avoid paying CT on their student rental. But I told him that it won't enable him to swerve the payment unless his remaining in-situ flatmates agree to shoulder the extra cost. What self-respecting low-on-funds no-longer-a-student young person would agree to that? Very few.

Yes Ds moves out tomorrow. But tenancy ends 2nd July. So only a couple of weeks to pay.

Your DS is lucky to only have a couple of weeks to pay @icanbewhatiwant . DS will have two months but lives in a significantly smaller house-share (it's tatty and ex-LA so not likely to be above a Band D I wouldn't have thought) so hoping it won't be more than around £120 in total.

@LouisCatorze theirs is band G. As they stayed 2 years they negotiated a slightly earlier contract finish. At the moment Ds doesn't anyone else is going in there.

Band G is expensive but to be expected for a property of that size (it accommodates eight, is that right?). But by the looks of it, Norwich CT is quite high for everyone.

Your DS and his flatmates were wise to negotiate an earlier contract finish though. DS is paying circa £900 needlessly really. Wouldn't mind if he was there but he's not, he's with his g/f virtually full-time, now that he's officially finished at UEA!

Yes it has room for 7 students, but he's only allowed to have 6. I think 5 beds upstairs, Ds and another lad have bedrooms downstairs.

I took ds2 to Norwich clothes shopping today. So ds1 came to find us. None of them in his house have phoned the council yet. I went in to use the loo...there wasn't a space in the kitchen that didn't have a dirty plate/bowl/glass etc. the toilet wasn't good either. I didn't dare go in his room. Ds wants to move out tomorrow. Dh wants him to come home in the morning as there's a farming event locally, with lots of employers looking for graduates. But Ds says he's too busy. So I'm trying to persuaded him. Ds said he really doesn't want to move out tomorrow. He can stay until Saturday morn. really. But he wants to come home to pack. No doubt there will be stuff for me to wash.

The long awaited trip to America might not happen. Ds has just dropped some stuff off, told me he had a sore throat. So covid tested...positive 🙈