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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

New Uni starters 2015 (continued from Preparing for Uni)

999 replies

circular · 05/10/2015 06:44

Thought we needed a new thread to continue from preparation.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/2466997-Preparing-for-Uni-in-2015-continues

Suspect all have arrived by now...

OP posts:
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5
seimum · 15/10/2015 21:23

I suppose if you are making a new start in a new environment you may not want 'old world' people in your new world

seimum · 15/10/2015 21:25

I know I had barely any contact with schoolmates who were at the same uni when I went

mumslife · 16/10/2015 06:53

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bruffin · 16/10/2015 07:26

Ds doesnt know anyone from except for gf who is not there this year because she is on year in industry.
He planned to come home tonight for the wekend for the first time, but by coincidence his uni canoe group he joined is playing water polo in our town where ds learnt his water skills. He is going down to play for them tomorrow

hellsbells99 · 16/10/2015 07:36

DD met up with a boy who was in her 6th form for lunch yesterday. She has also bumped into a girl who is from our village and is in her 2nd year - they are planning to meet up properly.

Horsemad · 16/10/2015 07:49

DS has met up with someone he already knew from an online game they both play.

mumslife · 16/10/2015 12:35

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mumslife · 16/10/2015 12:36

This reply has been deleted

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bigbluebus · 16/10/2015 15:53

DS doesn't know anyone who goes to his Uni from here. He does know the father of a lad who goes there, but he is in 3rd or 4th year doing medicine so probably wouldn't want to be bothered or have time to be bothered)with a 1st year Engineering student.

MissDemelzaCarne · 17/10/2015 17:43

DS phoned late last night, when I was in bed- from A&E!
He's broken a finger in karate, he seemed very calm but did miss being there for him.
He sounded tired and in pain this morning, we offered to go and get him but he said he'd cope, I'm not sure I will. Wink

voilets · 17/10/2015 18:10

have been catching up on thread. All so helpful and resonant.

My Ds has a home friend coming to his uni today who is in year 2 in a uni a 20 min train ride away.

He knows one boy in year 2 on his uni but I'm not sure they have bumped into each other yet.
My Ds does not seem homesick but all friends are coming back to our area next week and Ds is coming home to see us and meet them too.

I'm worried sick about Ds anytime he tells me something remotely not perfect such as his assignment seems hard , he hope she can do it! My DH will go online with him next weekend to help if he struggles. I so want thingd to go smoothly.

After phone calls with uni - his mentoring sessions finally seem to be set up and are productive.

He seems to be coping with it all well Star but it is so early days. I'm sure many mums feel the same - no real way of knowing that success will come at this stage and that all will go well on the course.

I am contacting less as feel my Ds wants some space. Hard for me! Having always been there every small step of the way. And I work - he was just such a priority.

Letting go Sad

MrsBartlet · 17/10/2015 18:16

Been to visit dd today and it was so good to see her. She is very happy (despite having her second essay due in tomorrow!) She had originally been going to come home for a weekend at the start of November but today, however, she has said that she won't as the terms are so short and she doesn't want to miss anything - I take that to be a good sign!

Fairenuff · 17/10/2015 20:38

Not sure yet whether dd will be back during reading week (first week of November). We'll see a bit nearer the time.

muffinmonster · 18/10/2015 12:11

demelza, hope your DS is OK and that you are managing not to worry too much.

mrsbartlet, it does sound as if your DD is settling in well.

I had a lovely day with DD yesterday, eating and shopping and exploring the city. She looks and sounds fine and is very happy with her choice of university and the course. I do slightly worry whether she's eating enough generally, but if not she certainly made up for it yesterday! I don't think she's one to starve herself - she enjoys food so much.

I am still a little concerned that she doesn't have enough work to do. She is doing a lot of maths which is basically revision, and finding it very easy. Perhaps I should just count that as a blessing.

She is polishing her CV (not much on it) and hoping to get a part-time job.

She texted me this morning to say she has booked her train ticket home for Christmas for only £4!

MissDemelzaCarne · 18/10/2015 14:16

Thanks, muffinmonster, he didn't want to come home as he'd arranged to go to the cinema with his home friend who's at a neighbouring university. His friend has AS too so neither of them would be good at changing plans.

He sent me a lovely text last night that made me cry, he said his flat mates had been helping him and that they were all good people. He's only an hour away but I've resisted the temptation to make a flying visit today - with difficulty!

voilets · 18/10/2015 19:53

Missdemelzacarne, it is nice your Ds has found good people.

Equally, my Ds reports students from other flats come to his flat because his flatmates are so friendly! Phew ! relief.

You are good keeping away. I've sent long whatsapp today as son doesn't have time to talk. He gave a brief reply but it was to say he had taken our advice about some work. Itching to call so tapping here instead to stop being clingy mum. Smile

mumslife · 18/10/2015 20:14

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

goingmadinthecountry · 19/10/2015 00:45

I really miss my dd though she's loving it and I'm sure she doesn't miss us at all. She's at the other end of the country - dd1 went to university 4 hours away and that was bad enough. Her little brother saw her this w/e as he has friends at the same university. She just looks so sweet when I see her on Skype.
I didn't miss home for a second at university. Why would you? Lovely to go home for the holidays though.

GypsyFl0ss · 19/10/2015 10:24

DD has succumbed to a belated dose of freshers flu so we've had lots of tears and homesickness over FaceTime. I'm going to visit next weekend , armed with cake and a big list of forgotten things so hopefully she will feel a bit better by then and we can shop and eat! It's tough when they're so far away and feeling poorly.

Headofthehive55 · 19/10/2015 13:30

Depends on lots of things going. Sometimes the course is not what you'd thought, or you don't find people you want to mix with.

My social life was much better in sixth form, than uni, and as the verteran of many many house moves and different jobs I can only conclude sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes it's a bit meh. It's a bit like school and life in general.

My DD came home again, just for Sunday. We had lovely day!

welshpixie · 19/10/2015 16:00

Hi all,
I haven't posted in a long time but I have been lurking and enjoying the chat, and I know I have always had good advice here in the past.
DD is doing great at uni, she went to her insurance and has settled well (which is why I haven't posted). We do however have an issue with Student Finance. She never received her money, she left it a few days after when they said they would pay, checked online and she told me everything was approved so she left it a few more days, still nothing.
Last week she went to her student welfare place to see if they could help, they rang SFE and were told that her original firm uni had withdrawn her so they had no record of her in the system. She was then told to get in touch with the firm uni and to see if they can rectify the matter. She has emailed the uni and they replied saying that it was being looked into. Has anyone else had something like this happen, I feel awful because it sounded so far-fetched that at first I did not believe DD.
I want to go and wring a few necks at the moment but I am sitting here trying to be calm and supportive. I have to say that the uni she is at now have been brilliant, they said they will make sure she will not starve and fortunately we paid the first terms accommodation, she also has a a bit saved up.

Decorhate · 19/10/2015 17:22

Did your dd tell student finance she was going to her insurance, not her firm welshpixie?

HocusUcas · 19/10/2015 17:43

I hope she gets that sorted out soon Welshpixie.

We cracked over the w/e and went to see DS on Sunday to take him for lunch. He seems ok and quite busy. His (lovingly provided by his mother from MN advice) pop up laundry basket was not quite as full as I would have expected given he hasn't yet got his laundry card but there was a book open on his desk (no doubt strategically placed to catch the eagle parental eye).

Although fully catered he has managed to get some of the only accommodation it seems without access to a fridge for milk etc. In my day milk went in a Londis bag hanging out of the window but apparently this is no longer quite the thing so I have tracked down a mini fridge on Tesco direct.

Hope all improves for those whose DCs are having wobbles.

If you about Littleham how is Dd settling in ?

Horsemad · 19/10/2015 18:03

I was just about to ask if Littleham was still around!

HocusUcas · 19/10/2015 18:14

Horsemad, I have glanced at the Yr 13 thread just to remind myself that that I am not going through that this year. Frankly now he's there I have limited worrying left in me - I used it up last year. No doubt something will happen to make me kick back in Grin .