We've survived the first half term - go us! (starting uni 2017)

[flyingpigsinclover]

New thread....we've got to the first half term!

Yes, I'm afraid we did not even wash his undersheet before he took it to university on his first day - no new stuff here. I doubt he's washed it yet as he won't have thought to do so. The stairs are pretty clean. Both times I've been there there has been a cleaner in the block at that time cleaning those common parts. With his brother (different hall) there were crumbs all over the floor in the room and my older son and I went on a vacuum cleaner hunt and opened every cleaning cupboard on 2 floors and no machines were there at all so we gave up but he could feed a large rate from the food products on the floor of that room. His sister said in her day they did have the cleaners going into each room to vacuum and it was better - it also meant if someone seemed ill or something at least someone was coming into the room every single day like a kind of additional safety check which doesn't happen now.

Thats very kind NMS I think I will probably just chance sending one directly and hope for the best!

but he could feed a large rate from the food products on the floor of that room.

That's gross :-( Do they not have a vacuum at the reception desk of the halls?

I’m going to send an advent calendar but will use amazon as they have a pick up locker in the student union. Which hasn’t proved very useful and now DS is well known to day time staff.

DS is doing washing but is aghast at the £2.50 the tumble drier costs, so fashioned a washing line in his room out of bailer twine ( we have horses and hay - so access to bailer twine - but no idea why he had some with him)

Hes had an email from halls supervisor requesting its removal! I think they should have congratulated him for a) doing washing b) hanging it up to dry!

...rat.... We just all were commenting that unless he gets it hoovered mice might move in. There probably is a vacuum cleaner if you go into the main reception in a different building. There ought to be one on each floor in my view or he could even just buy a dustpan and brush as it's very thin carpet so easy to brush.

Does anyone remember I mentioned having surgery coming up? The pre-op assessment isn't till mid January! So op probably in Feb? Right in the middle of spring term.

I'd love the DC to come home for a bit but don't want to drag them out of uni at an important time. Bummer.

Might even be later Liney, my pre op was end of July beginning of Aug and had my surgery in October.

When is Easter? If your surgery is around that time your DC might be home for a few days.

Hope it all goes well for you

Good thinking - Easter Day is 1st April so I guess they'll break up the week or two before. And thanks for the good wishes.

Prompted by that, I just checked DS's Easter break and he finishes 16/3, so if your op is pushed back, they may well manage to be home for you

dd is starting to think of the summer and decide want she wants to do, she would like to work abroad but is put off as her close friend worked on a campsite over summer and hated it, said it was a lot of drink and drugs which dd or friend dont enjoy, there seems loads of options out there she doesnt even know where to start, her accommodation for next uni year wont start till mid September so she wont be staying in her uni town.

midge completely agree with you, & thanks to others for suggestions about student support & tutor. DD won’t speak to tutor & said there’s a year’s wait for counselling! But I hope she’ll find student services have a drop-in clinic or something. She’s still there at least & has started her work on this assignment, so must hope she can press on with it.

How about Camp America. Quite a lot of scope to find a camp that offers you are interested in. No alcohol! DD really enjoyed her time, surrounded by kids from all over the world who shared her interests. Yes some of the kids were quite demanding, but she liked most.

Blogwoman: "...said there’s a year’s wait for counselling!"

I really hope that she's mistaken about that? If that's truly the case, that's obscene and so, so sad. DS had an utterly awful start to uni and was so close to dropping out (anxiety and extreme homesickness) but thankfully MH support was awesome and extremely quick and easy to access (i.e. same week). I know that can't be the case everywhere, and you'd expect a wait in non-emergency cases, but no way would I have thought it would be a year, anywhere! That's basically pointless by then...

I hope things improve for her soon.

Thanks lazydog, & I’m pleased to hear your DS got the support he needed.

Blog, could you pay for private counselling if need be? Even if you just do it upto Xmas, to see how she feels then?

Thank you Horse I hadn’t thought of that! I will suggest it to her. I have a dear friend living in DD’s uni town & I think she will be able to recommend someone.

On holiday jobs my older one worked for Sunsail abroad (which presumably is similar to Camp America).
Blogw, might be worth looking at a private psychologist even if you just pay for 2 sessions if your daughter thinks there is a need.

Blogwoman, www.itsgoodtotalk.org.uk/therapists is the official site for bacp accredited counsellors. You could search here to find some help for your dd. Good luck.

Thank you thesandwich - she’s just sent me a snap saying she’s waiting to see a counsellor now, so must have found a drop in service at uni. Really hope they help...

Well that was a disaster. DD saw a student counsellor, who got it horribly wrong for her. She is now raging and angry. Can't think what will happen next

Blog, see if she can speak to someone else, or go private. Sometimes it's hard to 'gel' with a counsellor and you have to try a few.

She’s very angry. Don’t know whether she’ll be up for trying with someone else, though I hope so. Wondering if this will tip her over into just coming home, & maybe not going back...

Maybe try a counsellor local to you?

What has the student counsellor said that has annoyed her?

I'm so sorry about the Uni counsellor Blog, it doesn't sound like they were very good. Perhaps they didn't find it easy to be as neutral as they really needed to be to be helpful? Possibly they feel under pressure themselves to keep students from quitting.

I'm just guessing. But wondering if your DD would try again with someone more independent and neutral whether that might go better and be more helpful to her.
A great shame as someone within student services should be really good and be well prepared for this type of situation.