How often does your child come home from uni?

[DiaDhuit]

My eldest started university last September, and she probably came home about 2/3 times a half term. It's around a 1hr 15mins drive and 3ish hours on the train. How often does your child come back?

They don’t really have half terms at uni, though? Do you mean 3 times a term? 6 times a term seems like an awful lot. Is she happy there?

My DS came home twice in his first term. Then once in his second term then never again apart from Christmas/Easter/Summer breaks. I’d visit him once a term to take him out for lunch.

That's a lot.

Dd is about an hour away. She did come back a lot last year as she was learning to drive and coming home meant she could practice. But sometimes her grandad went to her taking the car she is insured on (he's meet her after her part time job on a Saturday)

When I was in uni I probably went home once every 6 weeks or so, terms were 14 weeks long so it workes out about 2x a term

Some of my friends would go home more, some less. Most people went homr at least once a term.

I enjoyed uni but also missed my parents and friends at home, plus weekends tended to be slow at uni as people go out in the week and sometimes nothing would be going on.

DS has just finished his first year. He is in London we are on the South coast so easy travel. He has been home twice though we text several times a day. I (jokingly) told him I didn’t expect too see him before Christmas when he first arrived

Plus it doesnt really matter what other people do.

Some people like partying every night, some people like evenings at home. Your DD has the right to shape her life how she wants, and if coming home thay often makes her (and you of course) happy then thats fair enough. Not everyone will enjoy the traditional uni life and not everyone has to have the same experience. Plus some halls are really shit and she might prefer to stay if shes living in a house

I went back for Christmas once and a few weeks in the summer. I spent the rest of the holidays working near the Uni or travelling. But my home wasn't a very happy one so I avoided it as much as possible.

It varied. First year it felt like she was home lots as placement was here and she still attends her hospital appointments. This last year wasn't as much but she had come home just before lockdown for placement that got cancelled.

In 4 years ds only came home for holidays, bar once, when he was having a wobble about his MA Final Project, and I bought him a Eurostar ticket to come home to Belgium for a week.

I never went home again. Took fortnightly trips 4 hours by train to see my boyfriend, but jever went back to the house I grew up in. When summer came round I moved in with his family so could see my family, but not to sleep there. There may have been a very occasional overnight trip for xmas etc over the following years, but honestly, my bedroom had been immediately redecorated and given to a sibling, there was nowhere for me to be and it wasn't home anymore.

By contrast, I'm fairly sure my kids will end up living at home for uni as we have 6 within our city and it will be more affordable.

I came home about once every 4 weeks in my first and second year, and about every 6 weeks during my year abroad (only an hour or so by plane) in my third year. I loved uni but I’m very close to my family and I missed my dog! In my fourth year I had a boyfriend who lived in the same town as my parents so I came home pretty much every other weekend and a lot of the weekends I stayed he came to visit me.

I really don’t think it matters as long as she’s happy.

About once a term probably. And I'd go to visit once or twice a year for a weekend as they were both in great cities I loved to explore.

I went home frequently as my uni was only an hour away by car. I moved from a big city to a small city uni so I found the nightlife rubbish. My halls were grim and the people weren't 'my' people so I looked forward to coming home and going out with friends who had stayed in our home town for uni.

I went home for Christmas and Easter and over the summer but my parent did pop down during reading weeks to visit me (staying in a travelodge or similar).

I came home every weekend my first year of university, I was doing a nursing degree and placements just made me realise how important family was, a 90minute drive and I was home with my Mum with a cup of tea and a chill on the sofa. Loved it, so glad she didn't mind. Just because I came home didn't mean I wasn't settled at uni, I stayed up if there was a party or an assignment deadline or weekend shifts/night shifts, but on the whole I wasn't a partier, and I just wanted my own bed... Uni accommodation is never the most comfortable. Plus, Mum had sky tv and I had terrible wifi for streaming at halls, needed my Grey's Anatomy Fix.. haha

I was at uni in my home town and probably made it home for Sunday lunch once or twice a term (usually with a small crowd who were delighted to get a full roast).

Mine is at drama school and lives in a shared house so slightly different. 2 hours journey by train. Comes home a few times a year. We go up for the day maybe twice or 3 times per semester. She is home now for lockdown but I know how much she misses London. Doesn't mean she loves us any less, but she has found her own place.

Christmas, Easter and Summer holidays. Although this year he didn't make it home at Easter due to lockdown and only came home at end of May once all coursework handed in. He is 3hrs by car 4 - 4 1/2 hours by train away.

Dd is at college in our nearest city, but moved there, to live with her BF a year ago.
Before Covid she'd usually come over every other week, for the afternoon/evening and I cook for her.
She doesn't stay though, she goes home.
It's about an hour/hour and a half, door to door.

She has a year round flat so doesn't have to move out in the summer.

We were lucky [well, I think so anyway - not sure about DH], that our DS got his second choice of Uni - locally!!!! So we could see him all the time. [His first choice was near London]

He's working and in his own flat now - about 10 miles away.

Tomorrow he'll be 28 on 28th!!!! Yay!
I wanted to have a nice celebration for that happening - but feeing a bit constrained with Covid...

I went to uni 500 miles away, and came home at Christmas and Easter, and the first summer holiday.

It depends on the uni, as some with a large number of live at home or from the next city over/uni is In their closest city distance students will likely go home at the weekend or most weekend, and it would be dull to be hanging about on your own. As PP mentioned, in Ireland it is very common for this to be the norm.
I lived a short cheap flight away from home (back in the days of £10 easyJet flights) and I tended to go home every holiday and for a weekend in the middle of term. I didn’t have a magical uni experience (I wasn’t friendless by any means, but I didn’t have a tight band of mates like I imagined I would). If I could have hopped on a bus/train at short notice, I probably would have done it on a whim more often if the weekend was looking quiet.
Plus it was nice to go home and indulge in some comforts!

I came home every weekend when I was at Uni but everyone does that where I went to uni.

DD2 has just finished her first year. Came home for about ten days at Christmas, and then at the end of her halls contract at the beginning of this month! I have really missed her, but still am very happy that she seems to have found her “people”, is really enjoying the course

My DS1 went to uni in the town we live but stayed in the uni halls. If I wanted to see him I’d go to the shop where he worked part time.
He would come home for Christmas and summer holidays but we made do with text messages mostly.
Maybe because he lived near us he didn’t feel the need to visit. My DS2 went to uni 100 miles from home and visited every six weeks or so.