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Higher education

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

Original poster

Starting lectures at uni 2017

947 replies

HSMMaCM · 30/09/2017 20:06

The other thread filled up really quickly, with exciting talk of laundry, mattress toppers and lost property.

Here's where the rest of them settle in, get through freshers and the work gets serious.

OP posts:
MorvahRising · 02/10/2017 15:35

Lady that does sound promising - as RightsofWomen says Southampton industry links do seem to be impressive. DS just saw the new labs at the open day and that was it, he didn't want to go anywhere else.

AmITwirly both I think! Well done to your DS for being so kind.

LineysRun really hope you can get it sorted soon.

LineysRun · 02/10/2017 16:21

AmITwirly, that's a lovely boy you have. If my DS is that kind and caring - and I'd like to think that he is - then I'll take that over admin perfection any day.

Thank you, Morvah, I'm hoping we'll deal with it without too much angst.

Honestly, HSM, it's just been one thing after another. It would have been easier to organise an expedition of cats to the centre of Lake Windermere. In the rain. On acid.

LittleHo · 02/10/2017 16:46

Wishing you the best of luck Liney. It sounds like a nightmare.

Original poster
HSMMaCM · 02/10/2017 16:51

Liney, in his defence, I can see how it's possible.

DD's uni set a time to enrol/register and collect keys.

Then about 3 hours before that time, she was sent to get her key. Lady on desk says, that's it, you gave all the information online.

Only because I was there and said, "so does she need to come back at the time on her timetable" did we find out that she wasn't yet registered. And ... when we went back at the allotted time she was told. "Great, you did it all online, nothing else to do"

Hmmmm and student finance still says not registered, but she has received her maintenance loan, so I guess all is ok.

OP posts:
lazydog · 02/10/2017 16:53

Good luck Liney. Hope it's not too much of a hassle to sort out. I doubt he's the only one, tbh.

lazydog · 02/10/2017 16:54

x-posted with HSM - Definitely won't be the only one then, if that's how it's handled! Shock

AmITwirly · 02/10/2017 17:03

Aww, you've made me well up. You're right, he is a lovely boy. If he has any change in his pockets, he buys a cup of tea for the homeless and sits with them on the pavement having a chat. I can take no credit for this whatsoever - it's just his innate personality.

HOWEVER...he has no student loan yet either GrinGrin. I'm pretty sure its nothing he's done wrong (as I was with him when he enrolled) but no funds have come through yet. Fortunately, I sent him off with a buffer of money as I expected this might happen.

LineysRun · 02/10/2017 17:18

I'm glad I have you lovely people around me. Honestly, from A level results day onwards, it's been hugely appreciated.

JugglingFromHereToThere · 02/10/2017 17:41

Oh Liney! You'd think they'd have a better system for making sure they enrolled wouldn't you? Given the number of young people on this thread who missed that hoop when they arrived.
Hope it can be sorted out really soon with him, and his student finance comes through quickly.
Agree that I've appreciated this thread as much as any on MN!

simbobs · 02/10/2017 17:41

I know that my DD did most of the registration online and I can only assume that she has her loan or we would have heard something from her. Sorry to hear that others are still not sorted. It must be a worry for you. Some of them (eg mine) are not used to having to sort out finances by themselves.

ThatsNeat · 02/10/2017 17:48

This is a great thread! My DD went to Uni 2 weeks ago. She's sociable but not a party animal in a flat filled with them. They're drunk most nights and tend to run up and down the corridors screaming and throwing themselves around - she FaceTimed us one night and we could hear them in the background, honestly it sounded like armageddon. They're not horrible kids at all, pleasant during the day but very boisterous at night and actually that can be quite intimidating. It has eased up during the week but the weekend was bad again. She's bought some ear plugs and that gave her a full night's sleep on Saturday. I've given her loads of support over the last 2 weeks, lots of FaceTime and I went to visit on Saturday and she's coming home for a 2 nights this weekend. I think this is helping her to cope with the unfamiliarity and she is getting much more settled. The last 2 weeks have been far, far more difficult than I anticipated.

GreenPolishToGo · 02/10/2017 18:04

Neat your poor DD. Sad Mine found it bad enough sharing a room with one party animal. A flat full of them and she might have been on the next train home.

He sounds a love of a boy, Twirly and I'm sure some credit is due to you. After all we get the blame fast enough when they're not lovely! I hope the situation with his loan and Liney's DS' loan is fixed up quickly. I know I'd be gnawing my nails down to the knuckles if there had been a hitch with DD's loan.

AmITwirly · 02/10/2017 18:08

Oh dear Thatsneat that sound grim. I'm a very light sleeper so I would absolutely hate that.

Hopefully things will settle down soon, once they realise they've got to, you know, actually do some work.Wink

Auntpetunia2015 · 02/10/2017 18:22

Glad everyone seems to be settling in DS. is his usual up beat self. Everything is fine lecturers are chill and People in flat are boring. He's desperate to get his pc fixed and was taking it to the uni tech people today as he's exhausted his extensive knowledge..he built the thing himself and all part work individually but not all together!! He's had a dodgy tum over the weekend so thinks he didn't cook something properly...arghhhhh.

humblesims · 02/10/2017 18:37

MorvahRising and rightsofwomen my DC also at Southampton, nice to hear from other mums. Mine is doing Ok I think. he's a bit of a law unto himself, plods along happily in his own groove. He started lectures today. We chat with messanger and for every dozen questions I bombard him with daily he usually answers one or two. When does the urge to know absolutley everything wear off?

lazydog · 02/10/2017 19:21

Well, DS has been at uni for a month now and thankfully the drama of his first couple of weeks (major anxiety) is starting to feel like a distant memory already. He's actually quite enjoying the work and starting to develop a bit of a social life too. I know some of you already know from the previous thread(s) but he swapped to a less academically intense course as a compromise that I got him to agree to when all he wanted to do, in his blind panic, was quit university entirely. I knew it was acute homesickness and nothing to do with the subject he'd chosen, but in the state he was in, he was questioning doing any degree at all, and the idea of not having a full schedule of classes and labs every day seemed to calm him down a notch.

While it's not what I would have expected him to end up studying in a million years, and I think he's kind of wishing he hadn't felt the need to change, he has just had a mid-term exam worth 20% of the final grade for a particular subject, and got 95%, so it's obviously not a terrible fit for him. Grin

Horsemad · 02/10/2017 20:08

lazy, would it be possible for him to switch courses after Yr1 if he wants to? Lots of people do move between courses at that point?

MorvahRising · 02/10/2017 20:37

neat that sounds absolutely grim! Hopefully it will calm down now Freshers' is over.

Hi humble - glad your DS is getting on OK at Southampton. I don't think the urge to know everything ever does wear off, I think we just end up admitting defeat . . . having said that, DS is one of the more communicative ones by the sound of it and has messaged or FaceTimed every day.

LazyDog so glad your DS is on a more even keel. Swapping courses might work, especially as by then he would have had a year's experience of university life and would hopefully feel more confident.

lazydog · 02/10/2017 20:37

Hi Horsemad - Yes, it would be possible. It'd mean he ends up paying for his last year of university, as his scholarship only covers the tuition fees up to the normal amount of credit hours required to get a bachelors degree, but it's certainly an option. But it's starting to seem like each time I speak to him (including him calling me between my last post and this one) he seems to be raving about something "really cool" about one or other of his current classes, so I think he's actually looking likely to stick with what he's doing. I hope so anyway. I'd rather he was doing something he found interesting than switch back to his previous choice just because he thinks people expect him to be doing something more "academic", which I'm pretty sure is what's bothering him...

BackforGood · 02/10/2017 20:43

I texted dd earlier to say I was missing hearing the piano being played (by her) every day. She said she is really missing having the chance to play. I suggested she could ask at the Students Union if they knew anywhere there was a piano she could play now and then, but was wondering if I am missing any obvious suggestions as to where else one might find a 'spare' piano just hanging about, wanting to be played ? Grin

GiantSteps · 02/10/2017 20:57

Her halls? Music and Drama departments usually have a lot of pianos. My university had several in student union buildings. If she's at a newer university that may not be the case. My place was one of the old cloistered quad kind of places.

bigTillyMint · 02/10/2017 21:16

Surely there would be music practice rooms somewhere at the uni?

AuntP "cooked something dodgy"WinkGrin

Must remind DD to wash her sheets and towels!

Onemandown · 02/10/2017 21:16

DS had first lecture today after missing fresher's week (overslept and missed induction meeting plus bit of social anxiety stopping him going to any events so it was all a bit stressy) and sounds really happy tonight...good to finally get going I think! He had been away two weeks and decided to pop home on a quick visit (with washing) at the weekend and it was sooo lovely to see him. We are an hours drive away so pretty easy for him, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea so early on but have to say he was really relaxed, said he wasn't homesick at all and went back happily so all seems ok. His loan isn't through yet either so I had to sub him some money, single mum here and it's a bit tight so hope the money will come through soon! I'm missing him like mad and trying hard not to text a thousand questions each day but happy everything is going reasonably ok so far...this thread has been lovely to keep up with and know we are all in the same boat xxx

Horsemad · 02/10/2017 21:27

DS messaged earlier to ask how to cook chicken breast Smile

dahliaaa · 02/10/2017 21:28

StarNon domestic goddess question alertStar
I was thinking of making a chilli and freeze some 1 serving portions for DS to store in freezer at uni and then reheat the portions in microwave.

His journey from home is between 1 hour 15 and 1 hour 30. Would it be ok to send them in a cool bag with s couple of those feeeze block things?
Or any other suggestions.
Thanks

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