Friend’s DS only wants a catered uni!

[Breakfastbars]

Rather than filter unis by campus vs city, distance etc, my friend said her Y12 son is only picking ones that offer catered accommodation. This is ridiculous in my view and, even when I pointed out that he will only live in halls for the first year, she got cross and said she thought it was a perfectly valid filter. AIBU?

She explained that in a previous post!

@Stravaig read my PPs. Using catering as first filter rules out Warwick and Imperial (for maths!). But anyway, his choice

I think it’s a brilliant criteria. I chose to be self catered but it was very isolating. All the people in a catered halls made friends much quicker and easier as they got to mix with a bigger group in the dining room. I only mixed with my very odd group of flat mates. I was really envious of them at the time and regretted being allocated a self catered flat in a hall.

Completely off topic but I read this as "12 year old son" I was wondering what on earth he was doing thinking about Uni 😄

No, ruling out universities based on catering is HIS CHOICE. What is YOUR PROBLEM? Take a moment and reflect on your own motivations in starting this thread.

Totally understand this. But very different from ruling out entire universities (Warwick, Imperial) because they are entirely self-catered

@Stravaig please stop shouting. Thanks

Capitals are a standard format for emphasis online.

Such bollocks😂

Maybe he wants to.spend an extra two hours a day studying not shopping, cooking and washing up.

Not your circus, therefore not your monkeys and not your problem.

FWIW, I think it's ridiculous too, but hey Ho!

incorrect. Use bold or italic for emphasis. Capital letters are shouting. Good on OP for pulling you up on it

If catering genuinely is his top criterion and he is very able then he should honestly reconsider Oxbridge. Yes, terms are short but Imperial (as an example) is pretty high-pressure too. It’s a common misconception that all teaching is 1:1. 1:2 or 1:3 is much more usual, especially in a big subject like Maths. With the exception of the odd occasion when my tute partner was ill I didn’t have any 1:1 tutorials until third year.

Bath is good for maths and one of the halls has catering 👍

Cambridge colleges have good catering too but I don't know what's provided vs what you have to buy.

No, whole sentences or paragraphs is shouting. Capitals are perfectly acceptable for a word or few, and often preferable depending on device, font and eyesight.

The theme on this thread appears to be diversity of ability and diversity of choice.

I ruled out a bunch of universities on the basis that their websites were poorly set up. Most universities offer a catered package so it’s not like they’re limiting their options to some ridiculous degree.

I think it’s as sensible a filter as any.

I enjoyed catered accommodation at uni in my first year. Met lots of people, it gave a great focal point to the day, some of my best memories are of eating all together.

Lived in a shared flat the next year, but was often still out when the others were cooking together (they ate really early!), so basically existed on bread and cheese for a year, with the occasional McDonalds, as couldn’t really be bothered to cook for just me.

Then moved into a different shared house next year, joined in with the cooking, and managed to be perfectly competent at it, despite not having cooked the previous two years.

I still don’t bother to cook when it’s just me eating. I can however cook very nice meals for my family, and do so 3-4 evenings per week.
Not wanting to, or not being able to cook at 18 doesn’t necessarily mean you are on a road to no cooking skills for the rest of your life!

Do you not think we all have enough to worry about with our own children's lives and uni experiences without worrying about our friends' children as well? Your friend has asked you for advice on the best unis for maths so give them the advice and then leave them to it.

Do we have an award for Massive Reach of the Day?

On the other side of the coin DD ruled out Nottingham, because most halls are catered and she didn't want catered. She is vegetarian and enjoys cooking and eating good food. She finds cooking a good way to relax and unwind. She knew that toxic kitchens with health hazrd fridges were a risk, but DD just didn't want to eat boring, badly cooked mass produced vegetarian food.

Yikes, I think I would find you really stressful as a friend.

I read this as a sort of lighthearted post, and yes it does sound silly to restrict yourself to places that just offer catering.

To be honest when you're applying for a course like Maths which is offered by pretty much every uni, it can be very hard to narrow down your choices, so filtering by preferences is not a bad idea, whether that's catering, city size, distance from home, whatever.

Personally I'd rule out Warwick and Imperial too, for different reasons (Warwick Uni location and cost of living in London). Others would be delighted to go to them. Personal choice 🙂

It's a completely valid filter. Mind your own business.

I lived in a catered hall for a year and it was fab, but I didn't choose my college on that criteria. And as you say, I was only there for a year, I cooked for myself in a bedsit or house share for the rest of the time.

YANBU but I guess it's up to them and what they can afford.

There are plenty of adults who live by Deliveroo so maybe that's an emerging trend. It's a bit sad but not your concern.