2nd year uni (starting 2018)

[HSMMaCM]

The old thread seems to have filled up!

[Malbecfan]

Hello!
DD1 has been home for nearly 3 weeks now and it's lovely having her back (mostly). Her results came through last Monday and she has done really well in one area, and fine in the others, so she has now firmed up on the units she will take next year. Her college accommodation was sorted out just before Easter, but she can't move in until next term, but at least she doesn't have to pay rent.

She has a job, much to her surprise. She is working for a lady she has known through music for years whose intern let her down at the last minute. Although DD's degree is not in this speciality, she does enough related subjects to be useful. Her Director of Studies was very supportive and she is loving the whole office-team vibe. She is less happy with the commute which is only 8 miles each way but in rush hour traffic through some busy junctions.

Ironically I was back in her uni city last week with DD2 for an open day. I can't really get my head around the whole application thing again so soon...

[ErrolTheDragon]

The realities of working hours and commuting etc are a valuable learning experience in themselves, even apart from the content of the jobs.

[Eve]

Results day here - DS was up early to get to work and I was nagging him to log on and check!

He passed - averaged 68% this term , 74% last term so good results overall!! and given his dyslexia and the battle we had over DSA support I'm delighted for him.

Its great having him home and able to drive, he and his younger brother headed out yesterday afternoon to play golf for a good few hours.

[argumentativefeminist]

Congrats to your DS Eve! Those are amazing results 😊

[bigTillyMint]

Yes fantastic - he obviously hasnt let his dyslexia hold him back

[ErrolTheDragon]

DD is home on a flying visit for a friend's wedding tomorrow. looking fit as a flea - the resilience of youth!

[rogueantimatter]

Very pleased to hear your DD is healthy again Errol.

Two of DS' friends from music college spent the night here recently (despite DS being away). They were both lovely. It was so nice to meet them.

[Horsemad]

Did any of your DC say of all the 'stuff' they took with them what has/hasn't been useful this past year?

DS said his clothes airer took up too much space & he never used it, so he isn't taking it back with him!

[HSMMaCM]

Horse - DD didn't use the software the DSA gave her , but I think she used pretty much everything else. The airer was only used for towels, because they were expensive to tumble dry. She is however using the airer a lot now, as her new place doesn't have a tumble dryer.

[thatisnotanoption]

The iron is still unused in its box. This is rather annoying because ds insisted he wanted an iron. I wasn't going to bother giving him one.

The kitchen scales he also wanted are unused too (although I just have him my old ones so that doesn't matter).

[RedHelenB]

Dds printer didn't make it out the box!

[HSMMaCM]

I didn't buy an iron, but DD's boyfriend got one for his work shirts.

Kitchen scales and printer have been used a lot.

[MorvahRising]

DS used the airer every week especially as jeans take so long to dry. I think the kitchen scales were used once and the sandwich toaster not at all! Neither did he use the large mixing bowl which I have now appropriated.

Phew, he did well in the exams. So lovely to have the rest of the summer not dominated by the anxiety of results in August! He’s in the throes of a six week internship and is being paid for it which is a bonus.

[BehindTheBlueDoor]

Airer was a great idea, DS used it every week and saved money on tumble driers. Measuring jug and mixing bowl can back in pristine condition though. We're working on new recipes for next year and couscous is featuring heavily so the measuring jug will come into its own.

[Horsemad]

Yep, I'd have thought the airer would have been useful. Will encourage him to take it back & explain how it is supposed to be used! 😂

[ErrolTheDragon]

DD didn't have an airer last year - she preferred to shell out for the tumble dryer and there wouldn't have been much space for one in her room. She's said she'll want one this year as her house has a washing machine, no dryer and enough space.

[BackforGood]

Airer was permanently used by dd too she's too tight to use tumble drier all the time.
She's asked for more plates and bowls this year - I'm pleasantly surprised how much she cooks in groups (with various groups - flat / people from course / people from sports team / group from our home City).

[MountainPeakGeek]

DS's printer got used a lot. His university charges a ridiculous amount per page and so he allowed 2 other friends to use it too, and in return they bought all the replacement paper and ink. The printer was a really cheap one. A single set of inks cost more than the printer did to buy new and DS didn't know about generics because I forgot to tell him that they existed. Oops! I think they went through two sets of replacement canon cartridges. Pretty sure his friends would have been better off paying the uni per page...

[Xenia]

One of my sons took their printer down half way through last year and used it a lot. His twin also used to pop over to use it too. I remember one very long mobile call when the twin was walking down to the halls printer room to print something out and he was keeping me waiting on the line and he found one printer was borken and the other out of paper or ink or something and then went to his twins' halls to do it. He is probably a bit like I am in liking to see some stuff on paper not just always on screen.

I am leaving it to my two as to what they take down in September. One moved his stuff between halls and new room earlier this month and the other one brought it all home. One is moving into a much smaller room than his massive one in halls so I expect he will feel short of storage space. He says he will need under bed storage and a chest of drawers. I think he might be able to take the ones from home he uses to avoid having to assemble furniture and buy new stuff but leaving it to him. He's been driving all over the country his week after getting back from driving friends to Cornwall to camp. (He is back today just as the other one goes abroad)

[user546425732]

My dd is thinking about buying a car for her second year as she's saved up. Has anybody else done this? Not sure if it's a good idea or not.

[HSMMaCM]

DD has a car at home which is hardly used. She's not allowed to park it at uni and not much parking near her accommodation.

[ErrolTheDragon]

User - what does she intend to use it for? Even if she can park near her accommodation few unis will have any parking near the departments for undergrads. Has she properly worked out the running costs - insurance, servicing, roadside assistance (I wouldn't want a DC driving a car without that), contingency fund if it needs repairing...

Unless she has a real need of a car now, I'd have thought it would be better to encourage her to save the money so she can buy a car when she graduates- much more likely to really need it then.

[HSMMaCM]

When thinking about getting a car, consider this. My DD was just on her way to work when her brakes failed! I dropped her at work a quivering wreck and DH is dealing with the car. If she'd been in her uni town she'd have had to deal with it herself.

[Xenia]

My twins took a car in their second term of year 1 and throughout and used it an awful lot actually and it saved my driving them up and back too. (Lots of free parking where they lived last year) They will definitely be taking it down for year 2 too. (I pay for it other than petrol so they are lucky little so and sos)

I bought a car in year 2 at university when I was there decades ago, although it was not a good buy. I had to replace it with a different one within a few months due to faults.

i agree most students do not need or want a car. A few of my sons' friends have one too.

[simbobs]

The not being able to make use of a car while at uni has been a major factor in DD not progressing with her driving lessons. If she had really needed one she might have been more keen. As it was she felt that she would use a car so little, even when at home, that she would be very rusty when the time came to need to use it. I think she will leave it until she has finished.