28 years later ...

My youngest daughter is in the process of applying for a university place next Autumn and last wekend was the second visit I accompanied her on, to the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK. It was a nostalgic trip for me, as I graduated from UEA in 1982 and this was my first trip back to the university since then.

After a horrendous journey involving a delayed flight, the M25 and South Mimms motorway services, we arrived in Norwich around half past midnight, which gave little opportunity for anything other than sleep. I had booked us into the Maids Head Hotel. When I had been a student in Norwich, it had been the most expensive place to stay and I vowed I would come back one day and try it. You can see it in the phot, on the left of which is the former Samson & Hercules nightclub, venue for many student parties when I was studying. It appears now to have been redeveloped into apartments.

The following day, we planned a brief walk around the city centre, before driving to the UEA campus. After a rather more expensive than expected visit to Tombland Jewellers, we headed towards the market and then through some of the backstreets. The market still has an impressive range of stalls and seeing the names of the pubs around the centre felt like being reminded of old friends!

We then headed out to the university, aiming to get a tour of the accommodation and see some of the campus first. After parking and walking onto campus, the first familiar sight was the Square, still the hub of social activity on campus, a student band was playing (very well) as we arrived. The grin that this view triggered didn't leave me for the rest of the afternoon!

After a quck look round the LCR (large common room) we were taken to see a couple of student rooms. Waveney Terrace, where I spent my final year, was demolished to build newer blocks recently and my first year home off-campus at Fifer's Lane, former officer's quarters for RAF Norwich, has also been demolished, now replaced by a housing estate. But the rooms in Nelson Court seemed fine, with en-suite facilities. How times have changed! We also visited rooms in Norfolk Terrace, a very 60's looking block which is now, apparently, Grade II listed! When I had been there, they had been the most desirable blocks, with views over the broad. You can see Norfolk Terrace on the right of this shot.

We then moved on to the Queen's Building in the School of Allied Health Professions within the Faculty of Health, none of which existed as part of the university when I was there. My daughter's desired subject is Speech & Language Therapy. UEA runs this as a three year course, whereas most other universities are delivering it in four years, so it was interesting to hear more about the differences. Suffice to say, the professional qualification at the end is the same and their experience is that around 80% of graduates find work within six months of completing their degrees, which is encouraging.

After a good grounding on the course, we went in search of a bite to eat. What was the Refectory in my day is now Zest, we had a good value and tasty lunch, rather more healthily prepared than in the 1980s. And then, our final stop before leaving was the Union Bar, where my baby bought her Dad a pint of Greene King IPA, a reassuring constant from my time, though the bar itself looked very different!

All in all, it was a great day. I can't believe it has been more than thirty years since I went up to UEA as a fresh faced undergraduate. But it was, and here is my student ID photo from the time, showing not just a fresher face, but rather more hair. So now, fingers crossed that my budding student gets the grades she wants and makes the right choice, for her, of where to study. But after last weekend's visit, if she chooses UEA, it will be fun to go and visit her there. Though for her sake, not too often!