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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

University arrivals should be staggered

64 replies

theendofsummer · 21/09/2019 19:03

Absolute carnage in our city again. Students all arrive in one weekend. Solid traffic jams and disruption.
Why can they not be scheduled to arrive over two weekends? 🤔The pollution form all the stationery cars was horrible

OP posts:

yulet · 21/09/2019 19:06

But who would want to turn up to university a week late?

Sure it's a pain but it's pretty predictable, and only once a year.

stucknoue · 21/09/2019 19:08

They are staggered, you get a 30 minute slot and it's over 2 days. They have to arrive by Sunday night here because freshers and introductory lectures start Monday. Where there's 2 universities in a city then usually they start different weeks, certainly is the case here.

The motorway was full of cars with duvets and clothes horses today!

Agitetur · 21/09/2019 19:08

I doubt it’s carnage, a busy and a huge influx yes.carnage,no
Given you’re a uni city it happens every year it’s not wholly unexpected
Students add a vibrancy to a city and bring money and good reputation

OMGshefoundmeout · 21/09/2019 19:09

It could be a lot worse. Imagine living near Wembley stadium or a premier league ground. You’d have all that traffic many times a year and a lot of anti social behaviour too.

RainOrSun · 21/09/2019 19:09

Yulet: depends on the university. Oxford used to kick all the students out at the end of each term, so 6 times a year the place ground to a halt. I learnt to mark the term dates on my calander, and plan to not leave the house!

LisaSimpsonsbff · 21/09/2019 19:11

If they split it over two weekends you'd just end up with two weekends where the town centre was a no-go with mega traffic jams.

RoomR0613 · 21/09/2019 19:18

But who would want to turn up to university a week late?

One of my university corridor friends didn't find our kitchen for a week and forgot where his halls were for the first few days so bunkered down with some randoms shagging until he worked it out.

The best part was his room was the closest one to the kitchen. He had to walk past it to leave the building.

RandomMess · 21/09/2019 19:28

😂

Just wouldn't work!!!

Actually here it is split over 2 weekends.

Freshers the first weekend returners the following one...

Fortunately I am out of town for the freshers arrival!

atleastimhousetrained · 21/09/2019 19:29

I guess if you live in an university town it’s kind of expected ...... it’s what, 3 times a year?
Try living in a tourist hot spot 🙄

SnuggyBuggy · 21/09/2019 19:32

What LisaSimpsonBFF said. It's just one weekend, you must know when it is, couldn't you plan ahead and lay low?

Stayawayfromitsmouth · 21/09/2019 19:33

It's not so bad. Everyone knows about it for weeks ahead with newspaper notices and the traffic management boards, etc. Just avoid the ring road and roads near the halls and it's fine.

Barneybobo · 21/09/2019 19:35

What makes me laugh where we are is that all the parents have the great idea to go to the nearest Tesco thinking they are being clever not bringing it all from home. For my nearest Tesco it is there busiest day of the year even taking into account Christmas and new year.

RandomMess · 21/09/2019 19:49

We stupidly didn't realise one year and popped into Wilkinson's 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Never made the mistake of going into town again!

Love51 · 21/09/2019 20:04

It is a pain in the bum, especially if you live just outside a city where there is also a major race on tomorrow meaning some of the roads are shut, half your family are running in the race, and you agreed to take your children to watch. But it'll be ok til I want to leave!
It does happen every year, but it is inconvenient. The university has different priorities than not inconveniencing other people who want to use the city, and neither would want to open a week late - it isn't like football where Sky and police stop both brands playing on the same day!

Inferiorbeing · 21/09/2019 20:07

I used to live in a uni town, I just stayed in on arrivals day and avoided the nearest supermarkets to the uni for a couple of days!

stucknoue · 21/09/2019 20:17

@Barneybobo

So true, popped into Morrison's which is by the halls that are mostly international students a week ago to get a last minute thing for my dd (who was off to university this week) and the homewares aisle was like a tornado had blown through, decimated and one poor young chap trying to restock whilst desperate students try to grab things from his restocking trolley. There was no rice left in the supermarket either my favourite checkout assistant told me (I go in a lot, it's by work) and distribution were sending an extra truck (it's not even a case of them getting more stock in because modern supermarkets don't have huge amounts of storage due to just in time supply chains)

Ginfordinner · 21/09/2019 20:19

Are you in Newcastle?
Both universities have had drop offs today, and Newcastle were playing at home.

We took DD today and it was pretty stressful.

Original poster

theendofsummer · 21/09/2019 20:33

Love51 looks like we are in the same city

OP posts:

MrsLinManuelMiranda · 21/09/2019 20:39

We dropped DD off last Friday(13th) . She spent the first night alone in her block of 8 flats as everyone else was arriving on the Saturday or Sunday!

Notthecarwashagain · 21/09/2019 21:01

I dropped DD off 3 weeks ago. House is paid for from 1st September so she can bloody well get her moneys worth! Much easier than last year, struggling to find a parking space to lug all her stuff from.

Also means she can have a break from noisy DS before she starts back.

Passmethecrisps · 21/09/2019 21:08

I live in a small uni city so smaller numbers but over a smaller space. We were students here too so know what to expect - we just stay away from the supermarkets really. In a bustling city I can see the sudden influx must be challenging so I have some sympathy. But staggering by a week doesn’t work. Who wants to pay extra bed and board for a week where nothing is happening or move in the day lectures start? It must be one day at most? Annoying but not massive

RandomMess · 21/09/2019 21:11

My town is very reliant on the uni for its economic success!!

I find it hilarious how much the locals, and the very many employees complain about how anything student related impacts on them...

Boom45 · 21/09/2019 21:14

Think I'm in the same city too. Two big universities, both starting back same week and then shutting the roads for a run on Sunday. Fun, fun, fun!

Dljlr · 21/09/2019 21:17

For most unis it is staggered: Freshers start a week before returners.

pallisers · 21/09/2019 21:21

I live in Boston/Cambridge USA which has multiple universities. They pick different move in days but it is still a bit chaotic. Freshmen move in a week before everyone else.

Every year despite warnings everywhere some poor kid "storrows" his moving truck. The bridges over storrow drive (which goes along the Charles river and is an access point for Harvard/MIT/NEU/BU/etc are too low to accomodate a uhaul truck and every year someone drives under one anyway and gets stuck adn the city grinds to a halt.

Graduation is worse. I think I spent 12 hours in my car in harvard square one year when I foolishly drove in on graduation day.

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