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!

DD's room in hall was very nice Miffy. We bought her a little hand-held vacuum cleaner as well as a dustpan and brush as she found the cleaners didn't come in very often.

ROFL at 'intensive household skills course'!!!

DD has asked several times how the washing machine works.
Trouble is, could well throw her when she gets to Uni and finds they are coin/token operated.

On the plus side, she can cook. But needs a lesson in cheaper ingredients.

We used collapsible plastic boxes to move stuff. You need to check when the accommodation is allocated what sorts of beds they have. Both my DCs had beds with storage underneath. You lifted up the mattress and then and then a wooden lid type affair. So if you have this type under the bed boxes will not fit.
We also found that the thin metal coat hangers were best as it meant they could get more clothes hang up in the wardrobe.

Thanks secretsquirrels. I think DS has applied for 38 weeks accomodation. At least thats what he told me when stating that he had applied for en-suite accomodation as it was only £10 more! "£10 more times how many weeks?" was my reply - well that will be £380 more then . Think it's time to start the lessons in budgeting.

Before DS started uni, I asked him to work out his weekly food budget (was about £20), gave him that and told him he had to buy, prepare and cook all his meals for 1 week
Both DS have admitted it was really useful, and brought home the importance if being able to cook more than just pasta and sauce!

Great thread Thankyou. I've got some stuff saved from reading last year's contributions and also from the student room.

We saw some lovely cheap bed linen the other day in Dunelm but didn't buy it as some of the Durham beds are bigger than singles but smaller than doubles and I don't want to end up with stuff that doesn't fit. DD is loathe to shop before she knows where she's going whereas I'm a planner to the nth degree . I foresee a very busy and expensive September ...

Hurrah mumslife.

Miffy - my dd is at Bristol University & the residences are cleaned as follows -
Halls and stairways - Weekly
Kitchens/pantries – catered residences - 2 times a week
Kitchens – self-catered residences - Weekly
Bathrooms/showers/wcs - Weekly
Bedrooms and en suite shower rooms -Not serviced – student responsibility
(cleaning of kitchens does not include disposal of rubbish or doing students’ washing up).

Halls provide a dustpan and brush, a mop and bucket and a vacuum cleaner. All crockery, pans & cutlery provided at my dd's hall so check the website when she gets allocated before buying stuff!

Laundry Facilities
Washing machine (£2.00 for eco wash up to £2.40 for a super wash) 3 x Dryers £1.00 Fixed ironing boards and irons

Great news Mumslife - let the shopping begin

Woohoo Mumslife, shop until you drop!

Thanks year of the goat hand held vaccum cleaner will be good handy thing to have must get one.
littleham phew, thanks for the cleaning rota at bristol, actually its very generous with what they will do and equipment they supply, that really put my mind as rest with overall cleanliness, I just need dd to remember to at least vaccum and clean her bedroom on a regular basis and throw out bin bags. I can imagine if they leave dirty plates with food left in their rooms it wont take too long before theres maggots, mould and funghi growing eww yuck!
mumslife well done, glad your dd got the accomodation she wanted, one less thing to worry about.

Another thing ds did was to open a second bank account - loan went in one and a standing order went from there into the other for a monthly amount - (did it weekly to start with) to help him budget. Sort of like a housekeeping account so the loan wasn't gone before freshers week was out - he doesn't bother with it now as he's learned to budget

Eatyourveg Do both need to be student current A/C's for that?
Asking as some of the T&Cs only allow one student account (IIRC LLoyds & TSB)

On the subject of budgeting there is a huge variation in "how much is enough". I got a feel for it from last year's thread. Obviously there are restraints on family finances and how much parents can help, plus catered or self catered makes a difference. Some students seem to manage part time work but many don't. (There will always be a poster who managed to work 40 hours a week while studying for her degree and expects everyone else should do the same).
Cost of living varies but the biggest factor is the student lifestyle. Some of DS's flatmates have unlimited budgets and they spend a lot on entertainment and travel.
Uni clubs, sports and entertainment are all more expensive than DS expected and he doesn't use them as much as he might.
DS had a Lloyds under 19 account before he was a student and it converted to a student account. He also has a savings account with pathetic interest but he manages them on line and moves money from one to another.
I struggled to get DS interested much in budget and managing his finances before he went but I made him listen. He has in fact managed very well and takes pride in his frugality. He spends far less than I expected on food.

One thing that caught me out was that I hadn't booked hotel accommodation for when I dropped DD off at uni. I hadn't liked to do it early somehow in case I tempted fate and she didn't get the grades. By the time I did book I couldn't quite get the days I wanted. So those of you driving a long way or flying in- I suggest you sort accommodation early.

mumslife Yes the account number was the same.

I'd thought about that too Goats, but booking hotel accommodation is tricky until you get your allotted day & time to deliver DC at Uni though, isn't it?
Also, I think DS will end up in Clearing, so no idea where he'll go!

Horsemad Tough that your DS might be facing clearing. Is he sure he won't even make his insurance?
They do allocate an arrival slot but I think most people ignore it we did and scramble to get in asap

If dd gets her firm we can easily drive there & back the same day. If it's her insurance, it's further north than I've ever driven before so overnight accommodation def needed!

I cheated last year. I booked hotels in different places and then cancelled the unnecessary ones on results day. Some hotels allow you to cancel ahead of time with no added fee.