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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Friend’s DS only wants a catered uni!

244 replies

Breakfastbars · 28/03/2023 12:31

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?

OP posts:
Sceptre86 · 29/03/2023 07:42

It wouldn't be the first criteria I would have used to rule out unis but then I wasn't choosing to live away from home. In a way it could force him to be more social of he isn't already and help make friends whereas some do find it more isolating in self catered halls. To each their own. I think your friend was just expecting you to nod at the list and say something perfunctory rather than any useful advice.

itsgettingweird · 29/03/2023 07:50

Of course it's valid. It's what he wants from his uni education.

No more or less valid than those who look at nightlife, distance to halls, distance to rented accommodation, distance to supermarket etc.

Uni is a whole experience beyond just getting a degree. It's tough. If you don't like the whole experience you won't do as well.

DonnaBanana · 29/03/2023 07:59

Surely every Uni is catered if there’s a Greggs or McDonalds close by

Stugs · 29/03/2023 08:00

DonnaBanana · 29/03/2023 07:59

Surely every Uni is catered if there’s a Greggs or McDonalds close by

😅😅

JumpToRecipe · 29/03/2023 08:33

As a point of interest: criteria is plural. If you are describing one specific factor which influenced a decision then the singular is criterion.

olympicsrock · 29/03/2023 08:44

I’m with you OP . There are far more important reasons to choose a university/ course. Even if there are catered halls he may not get a place in one.

ssd · 29/03/2023 09:12

I kind of get the feeling you are wanting us to criticise the boys choices op, but I'd say good for him.
I'd like catered halls now and I'm mid 50s. The appeal of shopping and cooking ended about 30 years ago..

Kazzyhoward · 29/03/2023 11:28

olympicsrock · 29/03/2023 08:44

I’m with you OP . There are far more important reasons to choose a university/ course. Even if there are catered halls he may not get a place in one.

"Reasons" will be subjective to the student. My son chose a uni/course based on future career/job prospects which lots of people (such as his teachers) were aghast about at the time, saying he should choose based on what subjects interest him and a Uni town he likes the look of. People need to accept that different people have different preferences/reasons. There is no one size fits all.

Middleagedspreadisreal · 29/03/2023 19:23

Not your business.

saffy2 · 29/03/2023 20:03

piedbeauty · 28/03/2023 12:56

Most unis offer catered accommodation to first years. Not many offer catered accommodation to older years! He'll have to learn to cook at some point.

But why are you worrying about it?

Is this true? And if it is true is it new?! 20 years ago I didn’t even know catered was an option!!! And I viewed a lot of universities as did my friends 🤔
’most’ universities cater for the first year though?

Twentyfirstcenturymumma · 29/03/2023 20:09

Seeline · 28/03/2023 12:40

It's none of your business.

It is a valid filter and may be connected to something that you know nothing about.
Starting uni can be very stressful - not many 18yo have had the experience of looking after themselves entirely. Whilst many can cook, they probably haven't had to plan a week's meals, make time to do the shopping, and then manage to fit it all in the one fridge shelf and one freezer draw that they get (if they are lucky). They will probably have done laundry, but in the machine that is available to them downstairs, rather than having to drag their washing across campus to wait for one of the few machines that is working to become available.
All whilst learning their way around a strange place, trying to fit in with complete strangers and study.
For many this is a real step up, especially if special needs are involved in someway.
Being in catered accommodation will help reduce the pressure in the first year.

This. Cut your friend's DS some slack..or are you actually asking for a friend, OP?
He'll meet people he'll want to live out of halls with during his 1st year and they'll muddle along fine in subsequent years. They have to sort out the 2nd year accommodation very early into their course btw

Lovely13 · 29/03/2023 20:19

I would love to live in catered university halls. But I maybe too old…sounds bliss

Justontherightsideofnormal · 29/03/2023 20:23

My DS is in a catered college of the university Cambridge. He doesn't rate the food highly. His halls have a kitchen but it doesn't have an oven or freezer so he shops every 3/4 days and cooks himself, only visiting the canteen if the food really takes his fancy (he is dairy and egg free).
Being catered was very very high on his list when choosing where to go initially but on reflection it wasn't needing to be high on his list.

Atethehalloweenchocs · 29/03/2023 20:32

I was in halls all three years I was at uni (long time ago, small uni) and one of the reasons was it was catered, cleaned and generally life was made as easy as possible. It was great!

changeme4this · 29/03/2023 20:40

He might be in for a disappointment when he gets there... our DD picked her Uni based on the curriculum however part of staying in Halls was to have at least one meal package as part of the accommodation offer for the first year, and there was no choice to opt out of that.

Anyhow she and the other students all found with the meals that they quickly declined in quality once enrolled and only picked up standards again for open days. For those who bought the full meal package it was very disappointing and I don't recall anyone staying on after year 1.

Might be worth them asking former students what they thought of the catering where he is hoping to study... ?

Kteeb1 · 29/03/2023 20:50

Well I picked a university based on which one would accept my crappy A'level results and it didn't do me any harm so as criteria goes he'll probably be ok.

InSpainTheRain · 29/03/2023 20:51

It's a valid filter, and it's up to her DS. If that's what he feels is important to him then fair enough.

CheersForThatEh · 29/03/2023 20:57

What's your son filtering by?

Bleachmycloths · 29/03/2023 21:06

Let her get on with it.

Notateacheranymore · 29/03/2023 21:22

Falmer halls at Brighton had some catered rooms back in 1998!!!

BookishKitten · 29/03/2023 21:24

Honestly, that is batshit. But glad that my uni won’t have them as we don’t offer catered accommodation despite being a top 3 university, haha

saraclara · 29/03/2023 21:34

This takes me back. My uni accommodation was catered and I loved it! So much more social, the food was good (and lots of it) and it built in a nice kind of routine.

I think it's a good filter unless, as you indicate, it means he's discounting unis that are really good for his subject.

Justontherightsideofnormal · 29/03/2023 21:35

BookishKitten · 29/03/2023 21:24

Honestly, that is batshit. But glad that my uni won’t have them as we don’t offer catered accommodation despite being a top 3 university, haha

What uni do you attend??

SnackSizeRaisin · 29/03/2023 21:43

NeverTrustAPoliceman · 28/03/2023 13:32

I chose my uni based on what the nearest beach was like. There are all sorts of valid reasons for filters.

Wish I'd done that!

SnackSizeRaisin · 29/03/2023 21:50

saffy2 · 29/03/2023 20:03

Is this true? And if it is true is it new?! 20 years ago I didn’t even know catered was an option!!! And I viewed a lot of universities as did my friends 🤔
’most’ universities cater for the first year though?

Show quote history

I think this was true 20 years ago, yes. If anything it's becoming less popular as students get fussier and have faddy diets etc. Plus students now seem to prefer small flats with en suites, not the long corridors with 20 rooms of traditional catered halls. As student numbers have risen, new student accommodation tends to be provided by private companies rather than university owned. Perhaps you didn't ask about catering when you were looking round, if it wasn't of importance to you?

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