Preparing for Uni in 2015 continues...

[Chillywhippet]

New thread

Old one here with loads of info

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/2408327-Preparing-for-Uni-in-2015

DD hasn't done any packing for Thursday yet.......except for spending a couple of hours sorting out nail varnishes and makeup! Oh, and she has packed her Harry Potter pyjamas and asked me to wash her teddy bear

The longest my dd has been away on her own is 4 days. That was at oxford uni to do a 4 day course for her a level biology and 4 days for chemistry. At least she came home for the wkend then. It was bad enough for me then fuck knows what i be like when its months.

Nice to read all the dropping off/settling in stories. I think I would have been terribly nervous moving far from home at that age (went to local uni as did most of my school friends, one was in most of my lectures, we all went home every weekend).

Yes Decorhate - I went to uni a 3 hour train journey away from home and rang my mum in tears every night as I was so homesick. The irony was I was actually having a great time from the word go, but I was also overwhelmed by how strange everything was and missing my mum and dad terribly.

DS on the other hand seems to have got straight in there and I'm taking his lack of response to my texts to mean that he's too busy to respond. If he was sitting in his room on his own presumably he would throw the odd text my way! What I can't deal with at the moment is the anxiety of not knowing he's back 'home' safe. He did text me at 3am on Sunday morning to say he was back and had had a 'very good night'. But nothing from him last night - consequently I've been awake since 3.30 fretting about him and whether he's lost in a strange city!

Apparently padlocks should be in the list too.
Got very choked up saying goodbye to DSs friend on Friday so Thursday is going to be tough for me! DH has takes the day off (unusually for him) as he thinks the M1 may not be safe for others if I am sobbing and driving

YY to padlocks!

What are the padlocks for?

Went shopping yesterday and discovered - doh too late as lots of shopping already done - wilkinsons - is this a chain I wonder - with amazing student section - kettles in all colours for just £8 - aargh - already have £12 boring white kettle from sainsburys.

We still need ... a watch - for times exams - as DD has always borrowed mine.

My DD told me yesterday that all her friends (apart from London) have accommodation costs that are covered by the minimum maintenance loan.

Ours - oxford - exceed the minimum maintenance loan by about £120 a term - for an eight week term grrr - and don't include food (minimum recommended spend on food £265 pm).

I must admit that in my head I assumed that with so many benevolent alumni they would perform better on the accommodation costs front. I wonder how you would manage (without going cap in hand to the university) if you didn't have a parent in the wings, especially given how low the earnings threshold for extra state support is.

I'm going to have to up my planned monthly allowance or she will be getting very thin.

That's the minimum maintenance loan of around £3.8k Figment right? Where oh where are these places with accommodation costs that match the loan?!! We are paying £6k for DS's accommodation (not catered)!

Stone circle - that's more the sort of figure that I had expected to hear - I'm going to quiz her more about this as I'm sure she's got it wrong - Cardiff was one. I think Newcastle was another, and Bath (which I know has quite a generous credit note arrangement for food, built in to its self catering arrangement). Anyway we are where we are! She sat on the kitchen floor after spending the afternoon with her friends, explaining how her accommodation was more expensive than anyone else's (all if whom get the minimum accommodation loan...)

Where indeed stone?

The cheapest self-catered accommodation, sharing a room, at ds's university is at least £800 more than the minimum loan. Ds's mid-range catered single room is £2000 more and the very swish, new halls with en suite and a view (!) are considerably more than that ...

Ds needs a padlock for the safe in his room - we didn't have it on the list ...

Fig DS is at Northumbria - his accommodation is just over £5000. He got the minimum maintenance loan of £3771. We are having to find the rest and feed him too.

Accom about 5300 here, cheapest en-suite, not London. DD also on min maintenance loan.
No kettles, toasters or irons provided.

What's this about room safes - is that standard?

Noitsnot Cardiff and Keele were both fairly cheap from what I remember.
Also, Royal Holloway, although more expensive, get the London level loan.

Our older son needed padlocks for the kitchen cupboards in 2000. We have checked and they are not needed this time. Students just have to trust their flatmates.

I don't remember having to send exam certificates and don't think they have been asked for this time. Do they all have fancy dress stuff ?.....I don't remember that either. I suppose it's just a way of filling the time now that fresher's week is two weeks.

We are taking DS on Sunday and have got most stuff together. We are a bit pissed of they wanted £2000 last week (nothing from student finance until 28th) and can't provide a kettle or a toaster in the kitchen.

They are not allowed a kettle or a little fridge in the room. Rooms are inspected with 24 hours notice given. Is this usual now? I suppose it is now there are no cleaners to do the rooms.

The other rule is no drying clothes in the rooms. There are washer driers provided but what about clothes that can't be tumbled.

No kettles and toasters?

dd's seems to provide everything - kettle, toaster, microwave, oven, vacuum cleaner, brush, dustpan & brush, mop & bucket, black bin bags & ironing board. Iron can be borrowed.

I'm really grateful as we live a long way away. Imagine having to cart all of that along in the car.

Even though things like kettles, extension leads, mini fridges are banned, many students Still take them and get away with it. I think unis have to give notice before inspection unless it's on suspicion of illegal activity, so your dc would have time to hide whatever it is. Under the bed/in the wardrobe will do as they dont look in there. Its very very rare for someone to get caught - provided its a small fridge, someone I knew had a full fridge in their room and of course got found out

That sounds awful having to have padlocks on kitchen cupboards. I'm hoping ds can trust his flatmates not to steal his food!

I've been giving ds strict instructions about not tumbling synthetics. Don't recall there being any ban on drying stuff in his room - he's taken a small airer, but I suppose he could stand it in the hall or kitchen area.

According to the list the only things provided in the kitchens are, a fridge/freezer, a hob, an oven and a micro wave. We will have to see if kitchen bins, dustpan/brush etc. are provided. Will shop for any missing items when we get there.

I have bought a small bin, shower mat, cleaning stuff and large pack of toilet rolls for the shower room. That's all extra this time as older siblings didn't have en suites.

We will see how it goes re the mini fridge. Will take a clothes airer and hope he doesn't have to hide that away too.

Good question about the kettles. DS has joined a Facebook conversation about what's allowed and what isn't.

He hasn't had an answer yet, just someone saying 'I thought you were asking if KITTENS were allowed...'

Oh kittens would be brilliant. Dd is determined to pack the cat!
My other dd needed padlocks for the kitchen cupboard two years ago so I have one just in case. There were students with mini fridges at her university when we looked round, not necessarily in the hall she will be moving into.

She is chatting now with a few others via some social media wizardry. Apparently some are taking those mobile clothes rails in case the wardrobe isn't big enough!! They are quite large rooms, Victorian building, but that's a new one on me. She's now frantically trying to buy a ticket to some event that everyone else is going to.

I mentioned fancy dress costumes to her earlier, I read that there is going to be a school disco and I think an animal themed event. She got quite cross, which is her go to emotion at the moment. I think she's afraid of missing out but also is really not a big clubber so is quite nervous. I haven't heard of any non drinking events.

We nearly came to blows last night when I asked her where all the printouts were of her registration, finance offer, university offer, accommodation offer etc, all of which she will need on Saturday. It's all 'lost' and she doesn't see that as a problem. Grrr.

I really don't want her last week to be a battle but it seems we have quite different priorities and I don think she has a clue of the preparation that's going on around her. I'm going to miss her like mad though.