Thread 18 - Corona Cohort Enrolling to Year 13 2021, Invasive Infections & Uni Uncertainty

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If you follow your local council on Facebook, they tend to post vaccine updates. My MP does too.

@mummabear74 DDs took a while to come back: licence applied for 7 May, sent photo form back a week later and it arrived 19 July

According to their website they are now processing provisional licences for 6 July www.gov.uk/guidance/dvla-coronavirus-covid-19-update

I'm another who is annoyed they can't just take the photo from the recently renewed passport, we have sent in another of the exact same photo (only did passport last year). DS isn't in a rush to learn to drive but it would be good to get the licence for when he is ready.

@ExtremelyDisorganised we have a few friends that used their passport photo on their driving licence. We had the option to but ds was 12 in the photo.

We applied online but then got a paper form through to send back with a photo even though we ticked that they could use the passport as ID. Anyway, he's in no rush so its not really a problem.

@20newnames we're just back from Bristol. I had no idea it was on a hill and where we were staying was at the top!! DD loved the city and the uni but I'm not sure. I prefer a campus definitely. The tour was great and very informative - the student who showed us round did a brilliant job. We didn't go in any buildings though.
It's worrying about the accommodation situation for Bristol. On the tour he pointed out that the north campus accommodation was a 30 minute journey away anyway, but free student buses take you all around the city and to the accommodation. So prob not much different than Bath tbh. DD ruled out Warwick as being too far out but I think I'm reality of you end up in north campus it's no different.
I like the idea of dd being in catered halls for the first year but in Bristol apparently that means breakfast and tea but no lunch. Sunday is breakfast and brunch but no tea. That would be fine but according to the guide, the catered accommodation only provides a shared microwave and fridge but no other cooking facilities. I worry that it would mean DD just misses her other meals rather than relying on microwave things.
We're off to Durham on Sunday so that will be a good comparison. So far Bristol and Leeds couldn't be more different.

@NCTDN
DS was really put off with how far things were spread apart in Bristol. Said he could cope there but wouldn’t choose it. The accommodation situation this year is awful though. DS would only ever put it as an insurance (and the offer is lower as he is at state school and qualifies for the contextual offer, no idea why as he doesn’t qualify anywhere else!). Insurance means no guaranteed accommodation so that sounds very risky at Bristol!

Bath is a 5-10 min bus ride up/down the hill so it’s really not as spread out and nearly all first year accommodation is on campus. I think York is DS’s current favourite though.

We need to find a suitable date to go over to Warwick one day soon. Did you just stroll round yourself?

NCTDN I wouldn’t be put off by no lunch, I think it would be a waste of time for most students as they are out doing things and not at all realistic to go and have lunch at halls. DS currently has breakfast and tea provided and just has a supply of bagels, salted butter so no fridge needed, fruit, crisps etc so can take packed lunch or just go out and buy something but I don’t think he ever does the latter.

@20newnames dd would also get a contextual offer for Bristol and like you I've no idea why- she doesn't anywhere else.
She's only done a virtual tour of York.

Not York, meant Warwick

@Volterra

NCTDN I wouldn’t be put off by no lunch, I think it would be a waste of time for most students as they are out doing things and not at all realistic to go and have lunch at halls. DS currently has breakfast and tea provided and just has a supply of bagels, salted butter so no fridge needed, fruit, crisps etc so can take packed lunch or just go out and buy something but I don’t think he ever does the latter.

Lunch is a big thing for dd. She doesn't eat much breakfast as can't face much then, so a big lunch is needed.

My DD is like that, likes most of her meals earlier on in the day then something light for tea. Catered halls wouldn’t have been for her as she now enjoys cooking and prefers the flexibility of cooking facilities. Do most catered halls do lunch then, I had assumed they didn’t ? Don’t know why I have assumed that though!

I don't know TBH, but think other places still provide more cooking facilities?

That’s made me have a look to see how places work and I can see that Bath are bringing in getting a weekly credit on library card so they can get meals at various places around the campus as an option . I had discounted catered as DS hates having to sit down with loads of people at a set time but the flexibility of a card system might appeal.

I think Reading has the card system too for catering, it sounded as though they had various packages available.

I lived in self-catered halls about 10 mins walk from my department at uni, we had a proper kitchen between 6 of us. I don't recall going back for lunch often, we either grabbed a sandwich from a cheap place near the department and ate in the common room there or went to the pub for a liquid lunch. Don't remember eating in the pub, just drinks and crisps. Or went to the student union for a jacket potato or similar. Money was probably not as tight in those days though, pre tuition fees and student loans and you could sign on in the holidays and claim housing benefit in term time. I was on a high-contact time course though, timetable similar to 6th form and all in one building, it might be different if more of your study time is self-directed.

I'm really not sure what will suit DS, he likes to cook but I don't think will cope with the unpredictability of others leaving a mess, or finding someone else using the cooker when he was planning to (autism = a need for predictability for him).

Finally the walk in vaccine places near me are allowing 16+ and I also got the text for DS yesterday but we are going on holiday (UK) on Sunday so think he should wait until we get back in case he feels ill with it.
DH felt quite unwell after his first and that was Pfizer too.

DS still not very interested in looking at unis or making any decisions but having spoken to some mum friends with same age kids, it seems he’s not the only one. I think most on here seem pretty sorted with their plans and that had concerned me!

I think few catered halls have decent cooking facilities. Reading certainly have a card system and I'm sure I've seen it at others but can't think where. I think Nottingham still uses dining halls - all on campus halls are catered there. Again it doesn't cover all meals - I think it was 19 across the week.

I'm not sure I really like the idea - it would result in quite a regimented timetable having to fit round meal times. I also feel it could be a bit if a waste of money - oversleep so miss breakfast - particularly if there aren't early lectures every day. Missing dinner if you go out with friends etc. Annoying having to stop if you are working because it's time to eat. The card system would mean having to go out in all weathers for each meal too.

DD still not really engaged with the while looking at uni thing. She is going to Birmingham so we’re trying to see different types of campus layout to get her thinking a bit more about it, but she doesn’t know what course she wants which limits any shortlisting

DS not engaged with looking at places either. Good point Seeline about having to go out with the card system. I think on balance self catered will be best option for him .

I remember friends at Bristol missing a lot of hall meals because they were doing things in the evening and it was not worth going up to Stoke Bishop and coming back. People certainly would not have gone back for lunch. Covid made a big difference to the usefulness of catering last year for DS1. He had barely any breakfast but generally managed to wake up for lunch. He could have had 3 meals a day apart from Sat and Sun evening, although they ended up giving them pot noodles and snacks for those meals too. He likes hall food, but lots don't and end up getting a lot of takeaways, but there are some very wealthy people at St Andrews for whom cost is irrelevant.

The reason for Bristol's huge contextual list is an effort to change the private/state stats.

The card system never appealed to my older two. Both wanted self catered anyway but Dd got allocated catered as she went to her insurance. I’m sure it was just a way to get more income by the uni as she had a perfectly adequate kitchen in her halls. Though at least the catered option involved a sit down dining hall.

I doubt that any catered halls offer lunch on weekdays so the card system would suit someone who prefers to eat more at lunchtime

@Decorhate

The card system never appealed to my older two. Both wanted self catered anyway but Dd got allocated catered as she went to her insurance. I’m sure it was just a way to get more income by the uni as she had a perfectly adequate kitchen in her halls. Though at least the catered option involved a sit down dining hall.

I doubt that any catered halls offer lunch on weekdays so the card system would suit someone who prefers to eat more at lunchtime

St Andrews halls are like boarding school - 3 course lunch every day!

@Monkey2001 Is St Andrews quite compact then? DD’s halls were quite traditional but without the lunches. Allegedly appealed to those who had been to boarding school!

Ds1 is at UEA no catered offered there. Ds2 is thinking Sussex, no catered there either. It would have been nice as an option. At least Ds1 has learnt to cook while away, he likes to have a big, cooked brunch. Then he cooks himself an evening meal. At home as he's working his full time summer job he has 3 meals. Ds2 would rather sleep all day, eat a snack about 4pm then he has cooked dinner with us around 6pm then late at night he will go downstairs and have cereal. All the wrong way round 🙈

@Decorhate yes, very compact. 10 mins from bed to medical school (or other science/maths/business). Arts in town, so 15-20 min walk.