Class of '18 still nattering.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

forgot the old link hang on a mo...

That is really tough for that boy and DD.
I hope it gets resolved soon.

My DD goes tomorrow. Has a picture of her room now which she's okay with but I think looks a bit grim! Bedstead in middle of room as cupboards in corners. In very old, quaint building so that's the style I suppose.

Sounds like it needs an artistic touch to decorating it Voilets.
dd also goes tomorrow.

yep. We have carefully chosen - cushion, throw, battery run fairy lights and a stack of photos and postcards.

Hope those at work and in apprenticeships are fairing okay. I taught one boy who was going 200 miles from home for his apprenticeship this year but he was well up for it.

That's very cool of the lad.

DH has injured himself to the point where he can barely walk - ruptured Achilles. His timing couldn't be better as we're supposed to be moving DD into her room tomorrow!
He was borrowing a van from work to take all her stuff in, but no way can he drive and I can't be insured on it so we have to switch to a plan b.
Hoping we can squeeze everything into my little car.
He still wants to come, but as he can't even manage the stairs at home, I can't see him getting up potentially 9 flights to DD's room!
And a fat lot of use he'll be at carrying - I was relying on him for the heavy lifting!

Nothing ever seems to go quite to plan does it? Always a spanner in the works.
Keeps things interesting I suppose!

HesMyLobster oh no! Your poor DH (and you/DD of course). If it is any comfort, both times we have done the halls drop off there have been student helpers there willing to help with carrying stuff. I was surprised just how much stuff I was able to cram into a Peugeot 108.

If it is going to be tight in the car can you look at DD travelling by train and you driving a full car?

For students struggling to settle in their halls, DD1 did not get on with her first year flat mates. In the end she just used the flat as a place to cook her food and sleep. She spent a lot of time in the library (good for studying) and made good friends on her course and these were the people she moved into a house with the following year.

It is difficult if accommodation doesnt live up to the hype. I remember at one of the open days there was a film all about how the flat mates all started as strangers then finally ended their degrees as the closest of friends with maybe even a hint of romance.

Oh no your poor DH.

Leave him at home. We left DH at home as there wasn't much room and as a threesome we wind each other up when stressed. Loads of student help if we had needed it.

Good luck.

"Hoping we can squeeze everything into my little car."

Could you hire a larger car for the day?

Sorry to hear that your DD is still having problems with her flatmates Fantasy. That would be DD's worst nightmare. Can she report them to someone?

We are off to an open day tomorrow, then I am taking DD to visit a friend at her university for the weekend. Bastard Northern Rail means I have to drive grr!

Lobster If you just have a front seat passenger can you drop the back seats for more storage? In which case DH gets to stay at home. Pack the rear footwells before dropping the seats, if you ram a duvet in there the seat will keep it compressed. A large vacuum bag will take two pillows down to nothing.

We had zero help and a Renault Captur, it took three trips to empty it but we are both in decent condition so it was ok. If you use some big reusable shopping bags then you can empty them in the room and fill them again from the car rather than trying to move (say) a filled underbed storage box in one trip. Been there, failed to do that.

It will be fine, it isn't what you planned but it will still work out. I should have that on a t shirt.

Lonerica has she looked at Megabus - they go from Meadowhall

That's a bit rubbish for you all Lobster - Achilles injuries are a right bugger. Hope you get sorted. Little cars can be surprisingly roomy - DS has a Yaris and with the back seats down there is tonnes of space.

There is a boy who spends a lot of time at DS's halls - he lives in the other student village but doesn't like his flat so mainly sleeps in with his old school friend who lives in the one opposite to DS.

I drove him back yesterday - he said being at home felt strange as he feels very settled at university now. He's only been there just under two weeks!

Knitting it isn't worth it for this weekend as we are going to Manchester tomorrow for the open day, then I am driving her up to Preston afterwards. She will come home on the train on Monday. Northern Rail are striking every Saturday for the next few weeks.

If it's any consolation Lobster we are in an incredibly similar position.

loni
It’s comforting for dd to know she isn’t the problem and others have spotted their awful attitude we’re hopeful of a move
Dd has an interview for mango positions are between 15-20 which is ideal for dd

Kitten been thinking of you - bizarre how we've ended up in such similar situations! If it wasn't the same moving in day I would have offered to help you and your DD with transport

I've looked at hiring/borrowing a larger car but I've only been driving for a year (health reasons when young/anxiety when I was finally allowed to start lessons made it a loooooong process!) so the cost/insurance is extortionate.
I'm more grateful than ever this weekend that I finally passed my test though, or we'd be in a proper pickle! (We live pretty rurally, closest train station 35 mins away)

DD2 wants to come with us too, so that's 3 of us in the car + stuff.
I'm going to make an attempt at loading up this evening then re-assess the situation.

Starfleet that's brilliant that he feels so settled already.

Fantasy everything crossed that your DD gets settled with some like minded people soon.

"Dd has an interview for mango positions are between 15-20 which is ideal for dd"

How would she have time to work so many hours and get a degree?

There is clearly a lot of disparity in hours between different subjects/types of subjects. DD will have 30 contact hours a week, plus homework. The son of a friend of mine did the same course in his first year and said that he spent most weekends doing homework during the day. He couldn't have fitted in a part time job as well.

It's no wonder that there is so much snobbery (or respect, depending on how you look at it) about science degrees as there is a lot more work involved.

loni
Unfortunately dd has to work that amount of hours to survive there is no way she can possibly live off £140 a month. It isn’t viable in London.
She will do the bulk of her work on Saturday and Sunday and then Wednesday on her day off.
It will be hard for her but it is either do it or drop out because her accommodation leaves her with nothing
She has 9 contact hours but her degree is heavy reading and essay writing
I don’t agree with the fact that science students think she have a right to be up themselves towards BA students. Not everyone wants to do a science degree, it’s unfortunate that they have more hours but I would think they have less reading.
The science students get there £9,250 worth whereas arts students are in less but pay the same?

I see. There is no way DD is going to university in London then, not that she wants to.

I was only repeating what the uni student told us BTW. DD doesn't have the skills or interest to do a humanities degree as she would find it as difficult as your DD would to do a science degree. It just seems that there seems to be far more content to be covered in class in a science degree than in any other type of degree. I guess you have to be more self disciplined to do a humanities degree to do all the reading around the subject.

Loni
London is doable, dds circumstances are just different as she had no choice with accommodation had she had her old accommodation she would only need probably 8-10 hours for a job but it wouldn’t be necessary she could have survived without a job.
It wasn’t a personal dig at you as a parent of a humanities child I hear it a lot but when you add in reading and essays etc it’s probably around the same hours.i agree you have to be disciplined

I know - all that self discipline that disappears down a vodka bottle.

lonicera because it is a four year course in Scotland and a longer term, AND because some students are only 17 at the start, in effect covering A level style work for Year 13 equivalent (only at uni not in school) I think it is a different style of learning; also is it my imagination or do most people do two subjects automatically at the beginning? My friend's son did Philosophy and "minor" subject which was more historical at Glasgow and loved it, and he is now in his 4th year; quite a steady yet eclectic intellectual worker too. I think the only criticism she had was that they didn't give them the reading lists until they arrived every term, so they dossed gamed in the holidays a bit.
A levels are just much more intense than university style work, doesn't mean it is easier at university, just a different approach.

Well, son starting to be more chatty. He asked for coathangers today. And reminded me of my kind offer to buy him some decent shoes by reminding me of his shoe size! And he seemed to be awake by midday, heavens be praised I was really worried there...Actually he asked me to send coathangers but I just directed him to a shop where I had bought the last batch (Boswell's on the High Street has everything you'v forgotten Lobster) and told him to use his own £5 not mine!

Lobster dh didn't come with me. It was fine doing it solo on foot, and good exercise for the overworked brain so if he comes with you in the little car and doesn't help at all, that is still a bonus. I think you can squish things down and possibly do another trip at a later stage for the rest of the clothes or books, especially if she is catered?

"because it is a four year course in Scotland and a longer term, AND because some students are only 17 at the start, in effect covering A level style work for Year 13 equivalent (only at uni not in school) I think it is a different style of learning"

Are you saying that doing a degree at a Scottish university is less onerous than studying in England? Do they spread a three degree over four years, or do they cover more?

Maybe DD should consider looking at some Scottish universities to ease the load?

I think dd has around 16 hours of contact and they are told if they are doing more than 48 hours/week of work then they need to speak to the Director of Studies.

Lobster, that's so sweet of you. Good luck with the packing and with the journey tomorrow, it sounds like it's going to be anxiety making. We sound pretty similar with our driving issues too!

It is called an MA rather than a BA but I've never heard it suggested that a MA from Edinburgh say is any better than a BA from Nottingham. They also waive tuition fees for English/Welsh students for the 4th year, but obviously you still have to stump up the accommodation parental contribution for a fourth year. They LOOOVE English/Welsh students because they actually pay tuition whereas the Scottish and EU students, for which there is a quota, don't, as I'm sure you are aware of.

But others whose children are at Scottish unis will know more than me! I just have several friends that attended Edinburgh many many years ago and they all thought the work was more "spread out" but I suppose they didn't have much to compare it to. Durham also does 4 years doesn't it?