Preparing for Uni in 2015

[circular]

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!

Where do they get the news of their loans for tuition fees? I understand they pay directly. Wonder where he sees th ebill and interest accruing.

We had jab here - no symptoms yet - yesterday so fingers crossed.
Yes the menace of gaming. Pls let DS make friends and not need too much gaming!

Just had an "important please read" email from DS's accommodation above moving in on Saturday.

Very precise instructions. His building starts on the 5th floor of a shopping centre. Driver has to stay with the car in the designated car park which is in the basement underneath the shopping centre until all unloaded and then car has to be moved to the Tesco car park. It says if the students belongings do not fit into two supermarket trolleys then we need to rethink . There will be lots of help from older students, so literally car unloaded into two trolleys, collect key (take tenancy agreement and id) then up to the room.

Violets - probably on their student finance England account? Whether it starts showing now or when they graduate, I don't know?

Thanks Muffinmonster and Horsemad. Finance instalments showing up now and for fees.

Unis do have half-term breaks, don't they? Just checked the website for DD's term dates and there is no mention of breaks.

We missed our summer holiday this year and I am now turning my thoughts to spending the October half-term somewhere far, far south of here. But then will DD even want to come?

No, no break until Xmas.

Some universities have "reading weeks" I think, but no, not really half terms.

Definitely no half term before Christmas muffin. DS has 3 'reading days' at the end of January but other than than it is fulll terms.

I daren't break the news to DD.

She'll be having so much fun she won't mind!

I haven't been on here for ages. New Kitchen refit nightmare dragged me away from MN. Hope everyone is ok. We getting . DD is going next Monday. She's all packed up, but she seems to have very little possession?? 1 large suitcase, 3 plastic underbed storage that's full and 2 holdalls (one of them stuffed with just teddies) anybody else child has very little worldly possessions to their name. Everything she has only occupies a tiny corner of the hallway??

Most of dd's possession seem to be food and kichen stuff so I suppose if you are not self catering you could have a lot less. The rest is just clothes, bedding and bath stuff. She's not taking any teddies.

DS's kitchen stuff is in two largeish boxes - his flatmates will think Jamie Oliver's moving in!! The reality will be very different

What made me laugh was how he's marked the boxes Bedroom/Bathroom/Kitchen like he's moving into a house and not one teeny tiny room!!

horsemad. DS has a range of kitchen equipment including a rolling pin. He thinks he will be making home made pizzas . The very idea that he thinks he will find a flat surface in a student kitchen that is hygeinic enough to knead and roll out dough on makes me squirm - let alone the fact he thinks he will have time to do this!

Our spare room seems to be full of stuff and DH is telling me half of it will have to stay at home as it won't fit in our small car. I don't think there is that much really but all DSs computer equipment (courtesy of DSA) is in a very large box which I have been trying to get DS to sort through and get rid of all the unecessary packaging - but he just says he'll do it "later".

I'm more concerned about the number of clothes he wants to take, especially as he refuses to wear t-shirts so will want to take his shirts nicely ironed . Wonder how long it will be before he gets fed up of ironing his own shirts and resorts to t-shirts under a jumper. I'll give it 2 weeks at most.

Good luck to those going this weekend. DD has another week yet. All her stuff is in a large cupboard at the moment - she is self catering so lots of kitchen stuff. She hasn't thought about clothes yet - well, apart from sorting out her first fancy dress outfit! This uni lark is costing me a fortune - bus pass purchased today .

bigbluebus, I am howling laughing at the rolling pin!! DS has packed some board games, despite refusing to play board games here

Finally my dd has started to pack some stuff, mind you i started 1st and then she started to help. Only because i kept shouting do you need this do your need that lol.

Box full of kitchen stuff, just packed a big bag with towels and bedding. She has done a box full of books that she hasnt read or wants to read again. If i had my way she would take all her books lol.

Ironing a dont iron and nor does she, learnt from the best.

DS still hasn't attempted to pack

Am at the rolling pin!

Umm by the sounds of it everyone dc has alot of kitchen stuff. Mine has very few she is self catering. She's probably living on takeouts!! I'm assuming. She got a welcome booklet from Bristol with a pizza leaflet inserted conveniently telling her they deliver till 4am plus student discount.
Has anyone got there Santander free railcard, really made up they given dd
4 years free, even though her course is 3 years.

So funny all the things they are choosing to take

Horsemad is his kitchen box really just lots of boxes of cornflakes?

My dd has a santander account but not got the railcard just yet, hers runs out in october.

Can I rejoin? Have re-reg'd after hackergate (was basildonbond)

Ds is off on Sunday - bank account sorted, railcard applied for, online enrolment done, modules chosen, basics bought and today he found the very well hidden 'essential pre-course reading list' on the website. Meningitis jab booked for tomorrow and basics bought. Which all sounds quite organised... However I've had to prod him repeatedly to get anything done - it's been painful. He's much keener on seeing his girlfriend than doing anything uni-related (she's younger than him so still in sixth form)

I will be amazed if he gets through this year without messing up some vital bit of admin

Noit ive been nagging my dd for weeks to sort stuff out and as a typical post teen she is ill do it later

I'm finding the bank account sorting incredibly slow. DS opened a Student account on-line with HSBC the day after A level results came out. It took 2 weeks before he got the paperwork through to sign which I sent him straight to local branch with plus his ID. He only got his debit card on Saturday and his PIN has arrived today plus a form to fill in and send back to get a security code so he can set up on-line banking. They say they will process this within 6 working days of receiving the form back, which means he is unlikely to get the code before he leaves on 19th even though he has filled the form in and posted it back 1st class today. How are they supposed to keep track of their money? He has, however, had his ??60 Amazon voucher code today . I buy his railcard using Tesco vouchers so didn't bother with Santander account.

DS had a Lloyds U19 a/c and said he'd keep that and not have a student a/c. Then, he receives a letter from them to say he needs to go into branch if he wants a student a/c. So off he goes and changes it, not sure why as in the meantime, he'd decided the Santander with Railcard would be better.

Now, he can't be bothered with the faff of changing accounts.

Crikey, they do make hard work of it!