Page 5 | It's real now - leaving home to go to uni (part 3)

eatyourveg · 25/08/2017 18:51

Can anyone vouch for the Ikea duvets? Are they particularly good in some way? We made lots of lists today and have decided to buy the bulky things once we get to Newcastle as there isn't room in the car for everything even with a roof box. (We are holidaying in Northumberland during the week of the drop off so will have our own gear to take) Ds seems to think he needs to do an "Ikea shop" but they look rather flat online and I'm wondering if he would be better off getting one from somewhere else.

His greatest concern at the moment however seems to be whether to take the old coffee machine or buy something up there. Utter waste of money I think and highly likely to get broken as the whole flat will want to use it but my opinion is irrelevant as I don't even drink the stuff.

BehindTheBlueDoor · 25/08/2017 18:58

eat-IKEA duvets are fine but they are a different size so you may need their covers too to get the fit right.
stonecircle-Thanks for the tip about a throw/fleece. I shall get one despite the look of disdain I shall receive.
Term start dates are very varied from what I can gather. Some of DS's mates start on 16 September, others the week after but he doesn't go until 1 October. I've started gathering stuff together but need boxes I've decided! I know it's exciting but I shall miss him.

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 25/08/2017 19:04

Yeah i will now get ds1 a throw, it can go in his treat basket im making up...dont ask (by the time number 3 goes i will give zero shits)

Ds1 moves in at 10am on the 16th September

Stopyourhavering · 25/08/2017 19:24

My ds starts Uni on 4th September!!.... I think Dundee is one of the first Unis to go back
Thankfully as he's 3rd dc to head off to uni , I've just about got everything for him- well rehearsed after his 2 sisters have already gone to Uni ( 1 just finished her MSc , so will be recycling some of her kitchen stuff for him and I won't mind if it doesn't make it home at end of first year as it will have paid for itself by then!!)
Meanwhile he's swanned off to London with gf until next Tuesday! Which means I only have next Friday off work with him to sort out his wet weather gear he'll need for fieldwork in the highlands!
He's got appointments at bank to sort out student account and GP to get Meningitis jab....going to be a very hectic few days before we have a 350 mile drive north....thankfully we know the road north well
and then dh and I have a lovely holiday to look forward to at end of September....and breathe!!

Mytimenow · 25/08/2017 20:05

Stone circle- Thanks, I think I will get him one and a cushion and I might even get a bedside rug😂
He goes on 16th Sept, I am excited for him but will miss him terribly, I don't think his 2 younger brothers realise how much they will miss him too!

Lindor · 26/08/2017 00:14

good to hear of all the preparations going on and accommodation being allocated.
DD has her accommodation now and seems happy enough, but has only found one other online who is in her flat.
We're off to visit the city tomorrow as she refused to go during the application process and was ill on the recent clearing open day.
So excited for her as she gets ready for her new adventure!

HSMMaCM · 26/08/2017 08:46

Lindor- dh and I are off to visit DD's uni city today. She didn't want to come . What are they like!

Still, I suppose she's got the next 3 years to explore.

Lucysky2017 · 26/08/2017 15:17

It's looking very complicated for us. I thought - utter simplicity both twins at Bristol, both got first choice Hall in same area, cinch......

Now one goes on a field trip for 2 nights from the Friday. I suspect I will need to take him down on Friday with all his stuff and he applies to enter the Halls on the Friday morning before everyone else and then I drive down again with his twin on the Sunday morning with all his stuff and hopefully see the first one that day too.
Anyway he is going to ask other field trip people what they are doing and we have the complication of their car which only the field trip one is happy driving on motorways and they have a lot of stuff - bike (inside one car, musical instruments etc so I think we will need to car loads of stuff).

Not helped by it being the weekend my next grandchild is due and my other son moves out too. It is going to be quite a weekend.

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 26/08/2017 15:19

Busy one for you lucy

HSMMaCM · 26/08/2017 17:07

Lucy

Trippy4 · 26/08/2017 19:51

My three all will be in the same city ,2 at the same uni , one at the other university.Trying to work out the logistics without hiring a van !

Lucysky2017 · 26/08/2017 23:12

Ah, 3 even more.....
Well it's a bit more complicated now as I see one has a hall which you go to on the Saturday and one on the Sunday so I suspect I will drive down with 2 cars with the one on the field trip on the Friday morning if he can get into halls early, unpack all his stuff, find a space in a random street to leave the car, make sure he gets to the department for the coach for the trip; then I drive home . I don't think we can get all his stuff in the small car but may be we could and I could come back by train? Anyway then the next day I will drive down his twin and show him where I left the car. I have no meetings on the Friday so will just block the 2 days off and actually may be my older son should do his move on the Sunday morning in that case but Monday may be better for that.

I will leave them to it to do all the things they have to do admin wise by early Sept but I would be doing it now. I cannot see any point in not starting to tick off all those tasks.

Horsemad · 27/08/2017 08:11

Would they let you move both in on Friday do you think Lucy?

Think I'd be trying for that, I'm sure the accommodation services will be happy to help if the situation is explained to them.

LittleHo · 27/08/2017 08:25

Wow Lucy and Trippy. Sounds like a nightmare. Good luck with leaving a car in a Bristol street as parking is a nightmare! Beware the 20 mile an hour speed limits on the hills around Bristol.

Luckily my three all have different drop off weekends at their three universities (all completely different parts of the country).

Lucysky2017 · 27/08/2017 09:16

Horse, I realised that in bed last night! One think that's fine and he's going to ask first if others are going on the field trip at all but he wants to go which is great. The other might be more difficult about going a day early before anyone else is there but I think if I were he I would like to get settled in quietly without fuss and few people around, scout around the local area (he's not been to Bristol which his sister was there 14 years ago). Or he and I suppose could go in a hotel for that night but that seems pointless - though better than my doing a drive on two consecutive days.

Yes, I know the car issue. It's up to them. They are fairly used to finding difficult parking spaces near where we live but if it car does not work out it can come back home in a week or two but even that is complicated as their older brother who is moving out has realised he cannot really cycle as he does now to work so is going to buy a car next weekend but if my second car is just going to sit on the drive here for 3 months then may be he should just use that. I have also read yesterday Bristol's paper to local residents about legal issues and parking. My daughter had a car in Bristol - sadly my mother died when she was there and she got that car but we all know it will not be that easy to have it there so perhaps they will not want it. I just don't think I can get his bike and both boys' stuff into my one car plus the 2 boys anyway. Not that anyone has started thinking about all this or packing except for me.... one off to a festival and he has a trip abroad soon too. In fact I want him to do the on line stuff they need to do before he goes abroad or he may miss deadlines. On the other hand I should probably keep out of it all as they are 18 and leave it up to them. They were asked to write some quotes about A levels/school for a school thing I suppose a press release yesterday which was nice to see, about twins and being at the same school. Again I asked if I could see it and check it in advance but no chance......

dotdotdotmustdash · 27/08/2017 09:29

Today is the day for us as we're taking Ds20 (ASD) up to Dundee to move into his room in halls. He was there last week for a short course but in different accommodation which he didn't like. We did get the keys for his official room and we had a look before I brought him home and it's fine. He's not great at communicating with people so I think his biggest challenge is going to be finding answers to anything without asking the people who know! I anticipate a lot of texts and me googling!

HSMMaCM · 27/08/2017 09:34

Good luck with moving in today.

Lucysky2017 · 27/08/2017 09:36

dotdot, that's good. One of my sons is sure he will hate his tiny room - it looks like a prison cell from the photo but I have to explain to them we live in a pretty nice big house and a small university room is fairly standard (he didn't get this choice of kind of room).

What I have noticed this time compared to our 3 older children 10+ years ago is there seems to be a lot more information on line so that might help your son although as mine are not reading or dealing with the emails much so far it may not help mine.

dotdotdotmustdash · 27/08/2017 10:07

We've have been in touch with the Learning Support Team at the Uni in the last few weeks and the accommodation staff have too. The result was that they suggested, and reserved a room for him in the quiet halls reserved for older students. He's got a double-bedded large room in a flat with one other returning student. It's a bit further from the Uni, but still under a mile away. We're going to take up a small sofa-bed for him so one of us can go and stay overnight sometimes. The flat is a bit utilitarian, but I'm sure it will look fine by the time his stuff is unpacked.

He has been at college for the past 2 years and had saved most of his loan (he's not a socialiser) so he was able to pay upfront for the whole year of accommodation. He has a free travel pass, he's getting a laptop from the Uni and I'll be stocking up his food when I go up so he won't need lots of money to live on. I know he'll be fine, but I'm still wibbling!

Stopyourhavering · 27/08/2017 11:36

dotdot which halls is ds in? My dd was in Westpark and loved it there....bit of a walk into campus (20 mins) but enjoyed the walk and it was much quieter ( she das dyspraxia/dyslexia- had a scribe and proof reader)
We take ds up to Dundee next weekend....and he is also in Westpark!
Good luck to your ds....what is he studying? (Ds Geography/Environmental science)

dotdotdotmustdash · 27/08/2017 11:54

Hi Stop, it's Abertay's Lyon Street. He's off to do something Computery-Gamesy, going into 2nd year after his Hnd at college.

Trippy4 · 27/08/2017 12:56

LittleHo and Lucysky 2017 Good luck with that !
Feel like I have got off lightly ,2 in student houses and 1 in halls but all with different times that they can arrive so it is looking now like we can cram everything into the car and do three trips. I am hoping visiting them will be equally do- able with a overnight stop allowing us to make the most of it .We may end up asking his sisters to put up triplet brother for the night so we make it a family affair .

thesandwich · 27/08/2017 15:29

Hi Lucy sky dd was in Stoke bishop last year and says that car park permits can be booked for a day or so or applied for for the year- disabled etc get priority but there were some still available for halls later in the year.
Wardens not much in evidence on the downs areas but ferocious on campus! Their accommodation should include bus passes to uni?

AtiaoftheJulii · 27/08/2017 16:14

I see there are a few on here heading up to Newcastle - if you have any questions about practicalities, feel free to ask/PM me - dd was in Park Terrace last year.

unfortunateevents · 27/08/2017 16:41

DS heads to Loughborough on 26 September but as he only comes home from his gap year endeavours a bare week before that, it is going to be an interesting week of simultaneously packing and unpacking while also fitting in haircuts, meningitis jab, bank, socialising etc. I have bought a few bits and will start putting together some stuff tomorrow to try and avoid a last-minute panic. Have also just discovered that I may well be starting work again the same week he leaves - nothing like a busy life!

Anyway, I have a question about duvets! (Probably a very stupid one) His room has a four foot (120 cm) bed so I know I can get the 3/4 mattress topper from Dunelm. However, the uni recommends a double duvet - standard size of which is 200cm. As the beds are the built-in ones with storage underneath, this leave 80 cm of duvet all hanging down one side? Is that not way too much?! Won't it just end up on the floor all the time?