Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Higher education

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

Original poster

Heading towards year 2 exams (uni 2017)

998 replies

brizzlemint · 21/03/2019 02:50

Starting uni 2017 continued.
Tales of radiators, errant boilers, tomatoes and potato mashers...oh and university students.

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 05/04/2019 13:11

Thanks all. We've been in limbo re plans for the summer waiting to see when/if she'll be home - hopefully we can do something after the schools go back in September.

Horsemad · 05/04/2019 20:18

Great news for your DD Errol 🙂

DS is home but hasn't really been well this week, full of cold & not sleeping very well because the room is too light in the mornings - will have to dig out the blackout curtains he had as a baby! 😆

We are going to the coast on Sunday, so hoping some sea air perks him up a bit.

Xenia · 05/04/2019 22:45

Poorr Horsemad son. IH ope he's better soon.
Mine are back tomorrow with a friend who is staying for 2 weeks apparently which I've said is fine as long as having a friend doesn't stop them all doing all the essays that are due.

Horsemad · 06/04/2019 07:09

Thanks Xenia, his first week home has been a bit of a write off!

Carriemac · 06/04/2019 10:47

Well done Errol, what kind of work will she be doing? My DD is being very laid back about summer plans, I suspect her heart in not really in a law career

ErrolTheDragon · 06/04/2019 11:42

She'll be doing some hands-on electronics, which is her idea of fun. Grin

Xenia · 07/04/2019 12:05

Sounds like fun for her at least. Both are now home with their friend. So lots of washing been going on and I found the EHIC cards (they are going to France later in the holiday although I suppose if we leave the EU on 12th April on Friday then that might not be relevant. They are going out to lunch with the father today and then doing to visit their brother's house so all quite busy and their other school friend here last night persuaded them to drive out to the 24/7 Tesco last night around 10pm for vital foods - the only place that sells them aparrently at that time of night.

EVeryone seems happy and it's all going well. I have seen a big bag of books but no work done in the last 24 hours....

ErrolTheDragon · 07/04/2019 12:34

Have they got proper medical insurance too, in case the EHICs aren't still valid? As far as I can tell it depends on deal/no deal (and presumably details of the deal)

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-44850972

Original poster
brizzlemint · 07/04/2019 15:01

Well done Errol's DD.

Have you all seen this about mumps - mainly in Nottingham:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-47736643

My friend's DD is off to Europe on the day Brexit should be happening, the travel company have got insurance (included in the cost of the trip) in case Brexit happens.

DD is home tomorrow.

OP posts:
Xenia · 07/04/2019 15:58

On insurance - yes they bought some I think with the package. It is possible mine covers them even if I am not travelling with them whilst they are under 23. I will certainly check again before they go.

SMaCM · 07/04/2019 17:12

I was getting very jealous of your organised DCs, then my DD came home this weekend (no Easter holiday yet). She's going abroad with her uni sports team and could show me her travel insurance. She is making plans for when she's finished year 3. She's also very chilled about a glitch with year 3 accommodation, which she doesn't seem to need any advice on. Maybe she is growing up after all.

I still miss her every time she goes back. Am I the only one?

Original poster
brizzlemint · 07/04/2019 17:18

I miss DD when she goes back, yes.

OP posts:
Haffdonga · 07/04/2019 17:43

Oh yes. Miss him when he goes. And look forward to him coming home as he is today ...or perhaps tomorrow... as ds says potentially.

latedecember1963 · 07/04/2019 18:22

I miss the day to day conversations where we meander from topic to topic. I also miss the family banter around the tea table and DS2 clearing the plates at the end of the meal.😁
We're lucky in that both DSs keep in fairly regular contact. It might be a quick WhatsApp message every few days and a phone call every week or so.
When DH went to uni he barely contacted his parents all term and they didn't seem to mind. These days he checks in on his mum at least twice a week and takes her to do her shopping.

Mamia15 · 07/04/2019 18:53

One of my DC has mumps and they both have had the MMR vaccines...

This is the result of parents not vaccinating their DC.

ErrolTheDragon · 07/04/2019 18:57

I miss DD, but she's pretty good at phoning - sometimes for particular reasons but occasionally just when she's bored for a long witter.

ErrolTheDragon · 07/04/2019 19:01

This is the result of parents not vaccinating their DC.

Bloody Andrew Wakefield.

hellsbells99 · 07/04/2019 19:06

2 of DDs friends have mumps in Liverpool - both vaccinated. The vaccine is apparently only effective in 88% of people according to the press

ErrolTheDragon · 07/04/2019 19:39

Hence the importance of high vaccination rates for herd immunity. I wonder what the vaccination rates for overseas student is like, whether it's at all a factor or if it's just because of their age? Wondering when the peak of the Wakefield effect was, before he was thoroughly discredited.

Mamia15 · 07/04/2019 19:44

Errol - remember the Wakefield report being out when I was vaccinating my DC so this would tie in with your theory

hellsbells99 · 07/04/2019 19:57

It was also around then that the government withdrew the licence for the single mumps vaccine which was apparently much more effective than the MMR for mumps. 88% effective is not enough for herd immunity I think. Perhaps they need to reconsider introducing another round of vaccines for this age group?

ErrolTheDragon · 07/04/2019 19:58

His fraudulent paper was published in February 1998, it took more than a decade to be thoroughly debunked. I'm afraid this may just be the start of mumps outbreaks among students, and maybe measles too (my perception was that antivax got worse over the course of the Noughties, I hope I'm wrong)

Original poster
brizzlemint · 07/04/2019 20:40

I also think it got worse during the noughties - Andrew Wakefield was all over the media in 98/99 when our DCs were having vaccinations. He's got a lot to answer for.

OP posts:
SMaCM · 07/04/2019 21:21

I remember being very worried about giving my DD her vaccinations, because of all the media hype.

Haffdonga · 07/04/2019 21:23

Oh Mamia15 Sad
I hope they don't get it too badly.