Going to university (2019/20 academic year) - finance, flat shares, friends old and new and freshers' week to come...

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Following on from thread 8 which filled up in just 72 hours.

Yes i logged onto student finance today
Didn't consider the fact that maintenance is paid in 3 instalments! So will need to top up her accommodation each term rather than using it to pay first two terms outright.

Dd2s gcses tomorrow and I'm so tired of being stressed. 3 yoga classes a week isn't touching the sides. Dh is great but all the school uni admin is on me plus all the emotional support for three teen girls 😰

yeah I think it's just us bizzey & you're the front guard!

Where has he gone for accommodation wise - I think dd is going to put Archer's Road & Glen Eyre, they have the cheapest rooms & she's not bothered about en suite.

Lots of companies offer one day delivery (and good notification by email/text about when the item will be delivered) for a higher tariff (or even same day - Amazon Prime) @SeaToSki. Or you can reserve and pay for items at a local Argos to collect (you usually get 48 hours grace for pick-up). Buy online from somewhere like John Lewis and pick up from a local Waitrose.

I cannot think of a place where you could arrange to have things delivered to await your DS picking them up (but that doesn't mean one doesn't exist), unless you can find a trustworthy (and local to where your DS will be studying) Mumsnetter who might be prepared to help.

If there is an amazon locker on campus you can text the code to your child so they can pick it up - same with Argos click and collect - you can pay in full online for collection at a store near the uni and they’ll keep for 7 days then just forward the pickup email to your child

DS seems a little more engaged today which is welcome. Sorting out some other basics and he’s collecting my DIMPA bags from the petrol station tomorrow (amazon locker). He asked for some example shopping lists to help him structure food shops which is something we hadn’t thought about but a good idea - he knows the basics but some examples of a more rounded shop might be helpful for him

I asked if he wants a Bluetooth speaker but he said his headphones are fine. I meant fir if he wants to listen to music while keeping an ear open for others in the accommodation or if friends are in the room but I don’t think he is thinking ahead yet.

Ollie, which halls is it in Bristol? DD didn't have a sink, but a decent size room and 2 bathrooms between 6/7.

Ingles2, DS is going to Durham - I'm wondering what forms/requests for money you got! He filled in the accommodation questionnaire, but I dont think they allocate till Sept.

Ingles2 to answer your health question...
our DS is also, very unexpectedly, facing a course of treatment at our regional centre of excellence (70 miles from home and 230 miles from uni) and then surgery probably across the coming semester. DS has spoken to our GP Practice and they will keep copy hospital correspondence and he can attend when home if needed as a temporary patient. DS will take a set of copy hospital correspondence for the uni GP to hand over when registering. I will forward any new correspondence to the uni GP as it arrives. We are assuming that the uni GP will be happy with this.

Oh, don't take advice from my ds on what's in fashion. He's not your typical teen by any stretch. I think most of his peers either dress in high fashion or dress quite preppy, though. None of them wear sportswear/casual clothes really.

My son has a thing about jumpers. He wears them rain or shine with a coat (which he calls a jacket but it's a big coat). On the hottest day this year whilst on holiday we heard a man ask his wife if she had seen that boy who was wearing a jumper and coat. Ds didn't care. At school his friends always said he was in his Christmas outfit. No doubt his hall friends-to-be will notice his unusual clothing choices quite soon. Thankfully he never gets sweaty!

@MrKlaw DD got her accommodation through from Bath yesterday so they seem to be working through the list. She has to confirm (and give bank details) within 3 days in order to secure it. She got her first choice and so is pretty pleased although is nervous as it all has suddenly become very real

@bigTillyMint Dd's off to Durham (Josephine Butler) and they've had info by post with some details of payment (like college fund-non-compulsory but if you don't pay you have to pay separately for somr things) but I think (she's away at present) she said they pay three times a year, and I think it was 1st October, 1st February and 1st June.

She has a booklet with information about how much space between bed and wardrobe and things like that but nothing about the bed, so I assume it's standard 3' beds.

She's done the questionnaire with much agony about whether to ask for a quiet flat or not. She doesn't want a flat that is full on partying, but she also doesn't want to end up in the situation of sharing with 6 people who don't want to come out of the rooms to talk at all.
They had 2500 characters to describe themselves; Dd was worrying that she hadn't written enough!
They don't have to get the form in until September so I assume they don't allocate until then.

Witchend that’s amazing you get room dimensions and that they ‘match’ students up. That’s sounds a very intense process for admissions. I think there was a box to tick for a ‘quiet, non-alcohol flat’ on either Dd’s firm or insurance. She didn’t tick it!

@witchend, it must vary from college to college - DS had to do an online form answering short questions about his personality/interests for his. And rooms not allocated till September, but I think all/mostly singles. No dimensions AFAIK!

I know they have to pay for JCR and library, but not sure when...

@ifonly4 dd also had notification of accommodation yesterday but it seemed as if she had to Accept even to view the offer, only has 7 days to confirm. How did your dd find out what she had actually been allocated?

@Clankboing they are all different. I am not at all keen on the sportswear look, so hoping for a fashion turnaround from DS once he gets to UEA. I did buy him two proper clothes items from Zara recently - initially he turned up his nose until he tried them on and said he felt/looked good in them.

bigTillyMint she got Clifton Hill House .
Wanted self catering at Manor Hall .
Prioritised the west village because of her sport and the only one which was allowed as second choice was Clifton hill house.

Olliepolly, Clifton Hill House is a really good option for your DD. I sent a fabulous year in it a long time ago and more to the point, know of DC who have been there recently and loved it. Clifton itself is such a fantastic place to live.

On the subject of remarking, how about this? I discovered last night that an acquaintance's DC, hoping for 3 As and needing some As for their offer, got 3 Bs. None of these were within two marks of the grade boundary - one subject was eight marks off. Got all three subjects remarked (I'm wincing at the cost) and all three went up to an A.

Of dd Remarks so far 2 have not changed either way. Both scripts were available on results day (Edexcel) and her teachers felt dd was harshly marked but it seems board are happy the mark scheme was correctly applied.

Eek Janetheobscure that is alarming! - it really does seem sub optimal that the marking can be so 'wong' (8 marks off!) but the only way of finding that out is a) pay up (though refunded if grade goes up I accept) and b) take the risk of going down a grade. The difference between 3 Bs and 3As could be pretty significant in terms of university offers!

Yes in this case, the university offer required some As, so the remark made all the difference. Bizarre that all three (arts-based) subjects were initially wrong, though.

I do also know of remarks that have made no difference at all. DD's friend was, tantalisingly, one mark off an A in two subjects and neither of them changed after the remark.

Jane that’s terrible to get 100% wrong. Dd had 8 marks added on just one paper = B to A. Tbh I would have had the other 2 in the same subject remarked but she doesn’t want to tempt fate now. So frustrating for those who’s plans had to change when the teachers were backing students up for a remark. I wonder if the examiners go in ‘blind’ about how many marks will change a script and lead to (potential) money returned. It’s a conflict of interest for the boards to change many grades as they devalue (both literally and by reputation) their own exam.

@LIZS Sorry to hear about lack of movement in remarks - same here, for the two back so far (he only needed an additional 0.2 marks to move a grade, but clearly it was not to be). On the Edin accommodation system, you ‘accept’ to view the offer. More stages are involved before you’re financially committed.

The dstudent must have been thrilled Jane. I meant wrong not wong by the way!

Yes I've heard the majority of grades don't change on remarks. LIZS do you have any more to come - could they make the difference to which university your dd goes to? Good luck in any case!

Thanks will get her to check when awake, as long as she is not committing to anything yet by viewing. She is stressed, with every new email just adding to it.

One remark of 3 papers to come (one of which looked significantly below expected marks and she is insistent was tricky but not that bad) and a script being recalled (although she felt that did not go so well). Yes could well make a difference to destination and how she proceeds.

JanetheObscure - an exam-marker friend says the most likely thing is handwriting. Does she have very tiny/sloped/difficult writing? They only have a certain number of minutes per script for marking, whereas the reassessment probably took longer to look for the key words.