Preparing for Uni in 2015

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Carrying on from yr13 thread, here thought we could share our ideas for Uni preparation.

All welcome, not just those in above thread. Would especially appreciate contributions from those who have 'been there'

Topics that spring to mind, and a few recent threads on them are :

What to take What to take , What NOT to take, Shared accommodation

Clearing out rooms

How much to contribute What does it cost, How much needed weekly, How much are you subbing

Budgeting, cooking, and other life skills to learn Easy recipes for teens

Leaving friends, family, boy/girlfriends behind

Us coping without them - noted series of 'Empty Nest' threads.

Hope all the links correct!

All ours have finished Uni now, but I do smile at the long detailed lists I see on here sometimes. Popcornpaws' list is almost exactly what ours took plus a duvet and pillows. The best thing of all was this mattress topper. Nothing else.

What is it with all these mattress toppers ?
not thinking of peas and princesses oh no

The beds in DD's Uni had a fixed plastic cover on them (but probably undrestandable ) Horrible to sleep on, hence the mattress cover.

I had just assumed dd would take her current duvet and bedding - not sure why I would buy more!

And can't they print at the library/etc? Is a printer really necessary?

Assume the need a duvet as otherwise they'd need to bring it each time they came home.

Atia DS will need his old bedding on his bed for when he comes home.

Oh, we have enough spare stuff for that. I'm going to do this as minimally as possible, lol.

My DD insists going to the library to use the printer is no good, too many other people with the same idea and you can't get near it.
Mattress toppers because they are always basic thin cheap ones in flats/halls.

DS being abroad is giving me a little taster of what it will be like when he's (hopefully) away at Uni - the house is so quiet, even though DS2 is here

It feels very odd thinking this will be us in Sept!

Dd1 is going to house sit for a friend next weekend, for nearly a fortnight. So that will be interesting all round!

Im joining in if I may
DD is hoping to go to uni come September , results permitting , Im not sure if she worked quite hard enough , but we will find out soon
DS is already at uni , and will be on campus again next year, he took old single duvet covers , and bedding we already had [ nice navy duvet cover from Next with a mini cooper on it from when he was about 9 ]
One tip I will pass on is dont buy plain white crockery from Ikea , everyone will have it
Find a dinner set from a charity shop with blue flowers or something else on it so at least they know which is theirs

DS is off to see his girlfriend tomorrow and DD is off to Zante , so a chance for us to get used to being home alone !

Hello doIlooklike a tourist!
Horsemad - both my DDs are currently abroad with their music group. They have sent me a total of 2 texts each.....it has been a very quiet week!

I think I shall get DD to pick the 'loudest' crockery possible

Ha ha hellsbells - that's more texts than I've had from either of mine during their respective trips abroad this summer! They only text when they need collecting

I'm also now on the lookout for loud crockery

Welcome doilooklikeatourist, where is your DD hoping to go?

Horsemad DD is hoping to do Performing Arts at uni of Gloucestershire
She passed the audition , and needs 300 ucas points , and as she had Ds and Es last year , there was a lot of catching up to do

Dd had a name which is a noun which is a common motif on crockery, so I'd thought I'd get her some 'personalised' kitchenware, lol.

I don't feel I can help my daughter to prepare till I know where she is going. The starting dates and the sorts of things she might need will be different depending on whether she gets her firm or insurance offer. In any case both offers are high.

I did my daughter a laptop a month or so back. I am also encouraging my daughter to cook more, and also avoiding trying to micro-manage her to encourage independence.

But apart from ensuring that Student Finance has the necessary details I am holding fire.

I have heard that most university towns contain shops and that students have access to wi-fi. So if she arrives without a particular useful item, it can probably be obtained without difficulty.

Yes Too, that's how I feel. Dd could end up in very different accommodation depending on results. I think I'd rather buy stuff as needed than try to cover all eventualities beforehand.

Horsemad the house is so quiet, even though DS2 is here This is how it felt when DS1 went off to uni last October, even though DS2 is the noisy one. Of course DS2 missed DS1 as well but when I asked him how he felt being the "only", he said that there was less lag on the broadband .

Secret squirrels - my two are always bickering about the broadband lag!
DS2 will love having the broadband all to himself!!

Hello all - just dropping in - not allowed in our house to even contemplate the possibility of going anywhere in October! Looking forward (hopefully) to an expensive and panic stricken September. Fortunately neither choice is very far away, geographically speaking, so can always drop off missing "stuff".

I can see the sense in a printer. I was at the LSE as a mature student 4 years ago, and NOBODY used the university printers as the queue was too long/erratic - and nothing was provided in paper copy - eg power point slides etc, so if you were a dinosaur like me and needed to print them off to scribble on in lectures, you just had to do it yourself.

TooTypical - my dd also needs high marks for both firm & insurance. I have started to get a bit anxious (obv not letting her know that) as she doesn't have a back-up plan. Have been secretly googling Clearing etc!