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Higher education

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

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Original poster

Uni Freshers parents 2016?

999 replies

granarybeck · 21/08/2016 22:23

I've just been reading recent threads on weekly living costs and what to take to uni and found loads of useful info. I'm certainly finding that there was so much focus on getting the results/not tempting fate that it all feels a bit of a panic now. I have a dd going to warwick and a ds going to bath.

Wondered if there is already a thread for other general tips for those with dd/s starting uni this September?

OP posts:

Squirrills · 10/09/2016 15:45

Glad to hear the Warwick MN DC are all happy with their rooms. I wonder why they take so much longer than everywhere else to allocate. When DS1 was in halls he shared a bathroom with another maths student. When I visited to pick him up at Easter the entire bathroom was wallpapered with maths, all hieroglyphics to me they don't use actual numbers in degree maths apparently .

DS2 has made contact with four of his 5 new flatmates. His hall is the furthest from his department and he's thinking of taking a bike. We have been away for a last minute family break so I haven't even started his packing yet.
Fortunately I have the list from when DS1 went.

Cooking. I have been teaching him a few recipes other than mac and cheese and printed them off. Also a fair bit about storing food and using leftovers. (Why don't schools do this any more?) I also plan to take him round Tesco and talk about shopping for food, this was surprisingly helpful when I did it for DS1. The number one most common phone call home involves food. Can I eat it? How do I heat this up? Will this poison me?

Phaedra11 · 10/09/2016 15:46

user147, We're taking DS1 to Sheffield next week too. How will the "dropping him outside" work, will he not need help bringing all his stuff in? Or is he sensibly travelling light? I think we have possibly overdone it with the boxes we have for DS1. You would think there were no shops in Sheffield....

awishes · 10/09/2016 16:07

Anyone's DC heading to Imperial this year?

GRW · 10/09/2016 16:08

I have just dropped my DD at Sussex. She was happy and excited. She is my only child and I will miss her more than I admit to anyone in real life.

Squirrills · 10/09/2016 16:15

I think we have possibly overdone it with the boxes we have for DS1
Yes in spite of my intentions to pack light I suspect a trail of sherpas will be required!

Dotty another one heading for York here. My second and so will also be an empty house.

user1471465062 · 10/09/2016 16:29

Phaedra11. We aren't travelling light so obviously DS2 believes he can be dumped at the side of the road and manage 🤔 I think he might be saying different next week...

Northernlurker · 10/09/2016 16:45

Grw you'll be ok. It's just very odd.
I was fine this morning but just moped my way round the supermarket because I don't need to buy her anything.
But having them happy and excited is the point and we know we've done ok when that's what we've got.

Northernlurker · 10/09/2016 16:48

hellsbells99 · 10/09/2016 17:00

I hope all the DCs that have gone to uni this weekend have arrived safely - and I hope you mums are okay too.
DD2's friend is off to Edinburgh tomorrow.
Glad that everyone seems to have sorted out accommodation - Dotty hopefully it won't be too long before your DS gets a room to himself. DD1's friend has been allocated a shared room in Bristol but is hoping it won't be for too long.
We are just back from a last minute holiday so need to get packing tomorrow (after we have unpacked!). DD1's slot is on Friday and DD2's is on Saturday - so I think I will be in need of a drink on Saturday night.

mateysmum · 10/09/2016 17:04

DS off to Birmingham next Sunday. anyone else's DC's in Shackleton?

hennipenni · 10/09/2016 18:08

DD delivered, unpacked, shopped and settled in today. I thought we'd overdone the amount of stuff shed taken but judging from what we'd seen being unpacked into the other halls we packed very lightly!

It seemed very quiet on her floor, only saw a couple of other lads on her floor- hopefully others will arrive later. We did get a text on the way home saying that she'd spoken to one of the lads who seemed nice (she'd over heard his parents telling him to go and say hello to her when they left which was nice of them, DD is very quiet and introverted so I'm glad she's spoken to somebody.

Resisting the urge to text her until later which is very hard!

NapoleonsNose · 10/09/2016 18:22

DD admitted today that she is quite nervous. She's a real homebody, who hates nightclubs and doesn't really drink. Apparently some in hall fb chat are organising a night out on Friday when they've all arrived and she's really not keen. I really hope that she meets some like-minded friends as she thinks everyone is going to be 'going out' types when she's quite happy at home with the tv and a book. Having said that, she's just left for the evening to meet her friends here for a Chinese at someone's house. She has gone with a bottle of Schloer though!

OhFuds · 10/09/2016 18:24

Oh hennipenni, I know how you are feeling right now! I dropped my DD off last week, it was a horrible feeling leaving her all alone. My DD is quiet and I had images of her not leaving her room. A girl was moving in across the hall so I told my DD to wedge her door open and make friends as they looked the same age and both had the "deer caught in headlights" look.

I message her an hour after leaving and she told me she had been in the kitchen with 10 others on her floor, so that was a big relief!

OhFuds · 10/09/2016 18:29

That was my worry too, my dd is 17 and doesn't drink/nightclub etc, she'll go to houseparties but has always been back home at a decent time. She's more into studying and keeping her head down than spending hours getting ready to go out drinking.

hennipenni · 10/09/2016 18:40

DD will go out occasionally but doesn't drink an awful lot, she's had the "stay safe" lecture from me! I know there was a party planned for later tonight by the SU which she was thinking about going to.

It's hard when they leave home for the first time and you can't help them any more than we can. She admitted to me that she was scared about meeting new people but she wanted to go to a university where she didn't know anybody to help hersrlf overcome her fears.

Leeds2 · 10/09/2016 19:18

Oh GRW, I know exactly how you feel!

I've done a train journey today from London to Leeds. On the tube, I saw a lady and her daughter with "UCL open day visitor" badges, and at Leeds they had open day ambassadors based in the station. I presume they weren't doing open days on the same day that the newbies start ......

jaxxyj · 10/09/2016 20:20

I'm in Edinburgh having dropped DD off, maybe see her for brunch tomorrow before we head off home. It's really hard hoping that she gets on with her flat mates and they aren't all sitting in their rooms. No reply to text asking her if everything is going OK and I'm taking that as a good sign! Exciting times! ( this is what I keep telling myself anyway!)

dottygamekeeper · 10/09/2016 20:57

I haven't heard anything from DS today, hoping its a good sign that he's really busy helping the others move into his flat. He did text me yesterday to say he had cycled into town as a dry run for when he goes to lectures, and that he had arranged to go out in the evening with another boy who had moved into a flat in the same building as him. He had also chatted to some of the girls who had moved into other flats in the same building.

The day before we went he admitted how anxious he was about the social side of things (which he has always struggled with), but am hoping this will be a fresh start...

Stopyourhavering · 10/09/2016 21:37

Jaxxyj which halls is your dd in?..... My dd is in Sugarhouse, near Holyrood Palace( she's in a 2 bed flat- but her flatmate hasn't yet arrived!)....what's she studying?... Edinburgh is such a lovely city- have to say I was slightly envious of my dd studying there

jaxxyj · 10/09/2016 22:23

Stopyourhavering she is in new Arthur place which is off Pleasance, I wasn't sure she would get all her stuff in as the room is small but all good! She has 4 other flat mates including an American girl and she texted to say they were getting along fine. It helped that it was a beautiful sunny afternoon and evening!edinburgh is lovely!

homebythesea · 11/09/2016 13:22

My DS somewhat in mourning today- his 2 best friends went to Exeter yesterday- he still has 2 weeks to go till he goes away. It's the end of days as far as he's concerned, worried that their very tight longstanding friendship group will drift apart (as it probably will,thats life) feeling like he will be betraying them if he makes new friends at his Uni, there won't BE nice friends at his Uni etc etc etc

So difficult to chivvy him along. I know he will be fine as I'm sure he does too but he's having a wallow in it

Phaedra11 · 11/09/2016 16:24

homebythesea, it's such a massive transition isn't it? My DS spent much of yesterday convinced that his friend, who was moving to halls in Edinburgh and hadn't got around to texting him yet, had already decided to forsake his old friends and life completely!

LIZS · 11/09/2016 17:08

Just had an afternoon in IKEA picking up a multitude of essentials along with half the world. Looked like we'd been beaten to the china so went for a mix and match approach! Toiletries, stationery and groceries to go.

NoahVale · 11/09/2016 17:13

dd really keen to catch up with her friends before she leaves. trying to fit in so much in such a short space of time,
work, friends, and stuff

clam · 11/09/2016 18:41

We did Dunelm last week and it was as if a plague of locusts had been through. Ordered the last bits online which arrived today.

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