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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:

lovelybangers · 06/10/2016 15:54

angie - rides aren't really my DS' thing either. so wonder if he'll go?

He did say he only planned to spend a certain amount this week. Will be amazed if he did!

I'm itching to just nip over with some stuff for him..

hellsbells99 · 06/10/2016 17:38

I have just FaceTimed DD2 briefly as she sounded a little down when she text me last night. She is fine! She was annoyed last night that she hadn't managed to get a ticket to an event & thought everyone else was going....but they didn't all go so she had company and went to pre-drinks. She says the course is getting harder but she is enjoying it. She is trying to sort out some software she needs and a laptop to run it on as it needs windows so has been messaging me today asking me for the spec of her old laptop. Anyway she sounds happy. I do worry about her as she is not the most sociable of people.
Hope everyone else is getting in fine and things have now settled down.

EllenJanethickerknickers · 06/10/2016 18:57

No news is good news here as well. I made the mistake of asking DS1 what he was having for tea on day 2 and he said was I going to ask him that every day? So yesterday I messaged, 'What's for tea tonight? ' and his only reply was, 'food.'

He did remember to message me to wish DS2 a happy birthday late last night. It's his birthday on Monday. I wonder whether he's opened his presents yet or if he's managed to wait?

EllenJanethickerknickers · 06/10/2016 18:59

That's not very clear. It's DS2's birthday today and DS1's on Monday. I was aiming for a 2 year gap...

Dunlurking · 06/10/2016 19:09

I have discovered an expensive way of speaking to ds. He is using my amazon prime account for assorted items and the odd textbook. I keep getting deliberately confused over the different addresses for letters, parcels, and amazon pick-up lockers and have to text him to call me in the middle of orders works like a dream . It's amazing how long a conversation you can manage after that finding out what he is eating, buying, who he has met, what exercise class he has tried

Squirrills · 06/10/2016 19:20

Sneaky Dunlurking!

hellsbells99 · 06/10/2016 19:48

Ellen - DD2 has been corrected for calling it tea! Her flat mates have said it is dinner....tea is what you drink!

hellsbells99 · 06/10/2016 19:49

Dunlurking - they can get a fee Amazon prime trial (think it is 6 months) using their university email ....but then you won't be able to talk to your DS

Leeds2 · 06/10/2016 19:59

That is one well planned gap Ellen!

Dunlurking · 06/10/2016 20:43

Squirrills hope it's successful - hellsbells I think he has mentioned the student version to me but so far suiting us both that I pay the bills

Agree with Leeds that you got your timing amazingly accurate Ellen

Ds we also call it tea - not sure what his flatmates think about that but dinner was what you had at school in the middle of the day....

EllenJanethickerknickers · 06/10/2016 20:53

Yep, school dinners, dinner ladies etc. We called it breakfast, dinner and tea at home so I've carried on the tradition. Schools seem to call it lunch time now, though. It's a bit of inverted snobbery for me!

Yes, the 2 year gap, I was aiming for at least a 2 year gap and was more fertile than I realised.

Any excuse for a chat, dunlurking. I pretended not to be sure of DS1's address this evening for sending his birthday cards. Got a 5 minute messenger chat about fried eggs, scrumpy and lectures starting to get challenging for my reward.

Leeds2 · 06/10/2016 20:55

I bet the dinner/tea/supper debate is raging throughout the UK universities!

As a child, I had dinner and tea. Supper was something like milk and biscuits that you had before bed.

Live in the south east now. Have lunch and dinner. Never use the word supper.

SecretSaffron · 06/10/2016 21:12

ha ha dunlurking I have done the same! I was actually so happy when I saw ds had ordered some stuff off my amazon account (should clarify he used his own bank card to pay!) I discovered he had bought a bike (second hand) by the fact he had ordered a bike lock off amazon!! Lots of excuses for texting/massaging to confirm orders etc!!

SecretSaffron · 06/10/2016 21:15

hells my first thought was that I should point out the student prime deal to ds...then I realised that I didn't want to!!

dottygamekeeper · 06/10/2016 21:23

I had an unexpected phone call today - because he couldn't get his bank card to work purchasing something online.

We ended up chatting for 45 mins (!) as he suddenly wanted to tell me all sorts of things about the societies he's joined, the Photoshop skills he's acquiring, what his flat is planning on doing for Chrismas dinner, and how maintenance haven't sorted out the bad smell in his bathroom etc. I don't think I have ever spoken to him on the phone for such a long time.

The workload is definitely increasing now but I think he has realised as long as he keeps a good balance between work and play it should be OK.

He mentioned he had been to a 'sort of rave' - not on campus (I am hoping it wasn't illegal) but there had been quite a few drugs there - though he quickly said he wouldn't try anything like that as he knows how dangerous it can be but of course that doesn't stop me worrying...

EllenJanethickerknickers · 06/10/2016 21:37

Dotty, the fact that he even mentioned that there were drugs there would reassure me. He wouldn't have mentioned them if he was partaking, I'm sure. Unless he's very good at the double bluff.

Coconutty · 06/10/2016 21:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

yolofish · 06/10/2016 21:45

Still no news on DD1's flat swap, and freshers flu has struck with a vengeance. She cant register yet at local uni doc as no proof of address (due to being on swap list) so was sent to local walk in centre - seen but not examined, told just a cold. She came home yest pm on off chance I could get her seen at local GP - no, but go to our walk in. went there - "oh no we are just minor injuries now, your GP should have said". No appts available, try 111 - no good as she had to go back to uni last night and no way was I sending her off to some bloody med centre far away in the middle of the night - because you can only ring 111 at 7pm. So picked her up this pm from station - still no appts at local GP. Spent 3 hours on phone to 111, who said only thing to be done was to drive her 30 mins, wait for however long, then drive 30 mins back again. Not doing it. So tomorrow I have to get on the phone at 8am and kick ass to get her seen before it's the bloody w/e again. I KNOW she has a chest infection - constant coughing up of green globs (sorry tmi), temperature, etc etc and as she is also prone to sinus infections she needs antibiotics before it progresses to her sinuses (6 weeks post facial surgery, not a good thing). aaargh, why is it so difficult?

Leeds2 · 06/10/2016 21:50

Good Luck with that yolo, and healing vibes to your daughter.

lovelybangers · 06/10/2016 21:50

Oh yolo she sounds to be in a bad way. Hope she soon gets seen by a GP.

EllenJanethickerknickers · 06/10/2016 22:00

Oh my goodness, yolo why do they make it so difficult? I would have thought a gp would have seen her as a temporary visitor for an emergency. I must be out of date.

Coconutty · 06/10/2016 22:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

hellsbells99 · 07/10/2016 00:12

Yolo - can't she just register with her current uni address and then update it if she gets a swap? Hope she is feeling better soon.

angieloumc · 07/10/2016 07:09

Ohh yolo your poor DD, hope she can get seen somewhere soon, sending healing hugs.

a8mint · 07/10/2016 07:29

Oh dear yolo hope your DC gets seen today! Both my DC didn't need proof of address to register with gp at uni.in fact ds2 college sent him a form and insisted on having it back about a month before he started, and handled it all.
Ds2 has settled in nicely and been reeeaaally lucky with his ' corridor' mates.I think being fully catered helps a lot with making friends

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