Going to university (2019/20 academic year) - wave goodbye to family, say hello to fellow students and key uni staff and they're settling in (hopefully)

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Previous thread. Possibly a little precipitous but for some of our DC their university start date is only just over a fortnight away. Yikes!

We hit the range today and dd picked a very soft and comfy (grey tartan typed pattern) sherpa throw to take with her. They had a student packing list and apart from a couple of things on there that she's not supposed to take (blu tac for example), we already have most of what was on the list.

We will take her to do a small shop to set her up with in the week before we take her. Toilettries we have started to collect along with the kitchen bits.

Still need a bathtowel and to check whether her en suite comes with a mirror but I think it does.

I’m starting to think we might need a bigger car for moving DS. He’s only going to be about an hour away and I thought we could maybe do a couple of trips. We have an allocated time but I stupidly thought that that was just to alleviate the pressure on the accommodation staff doing the booking in and key issuing. Didn’t even occur to me to think about the sheer volume of traffic from thousands of students moving into a fairly small city on the same day 🤦‍♀️

I'm a bit concerned for DD in one way. She is very much a homebody. Does not socialise very well. Cannot cope with friends if they are in a group that sometimes has some fall out with each other. Will not give that the time of day. She keeps herself to herself and actively talks herself out of anything she thinks might be awkward.

A huge part of me thinks it wouldn't be impossible to imagine her going to uni and spending all of her non lecture time in her room studyging - and being quite happy with that!

I hope she will make friends. I know she will make them in her classes but whether she will with her flatmates is another matter.

Yes, he will definitely need a laptop (or tablet?) so once he has had his assessment (once he has organised it). I'll need to order something for delivery direct to him I guess or he'll have to manage for a few weeks until he decides to come home for a visit.

DS has no idea who he is in a flat with. He managed to get his first choice of accommodation which is a flat for 5 with a shower room and an extra toilet.

As for making friends with flatmates, i've said not to be worried if he doesn't end up being best friends with them, he only needs to be able to get along with them. He's happy with that and says that he'll just be friendly to everyone and suss out who he thinks he'll get on with best from everywhere (classes/flats/clubs etc). If all else fails, he knows a couple of guys in the year above at the same uni as they were friends of DS1 plus one was in scouts with him. He's promised if he is really struggling that he'll message one of them to meet for a pint. He's quite an amenable boy but a bit shy.

I have a brand new MBP sitting in the hall which DS hasn’t even opened. He’s really not bothered about it and thinks he would be ok with the shared family laptop he’d ‘adopted’ during his a-levels. Keep trying to explain its a tool and I want him to have something reliable and easy to deal with if something goes wrong (Apple store)

he doesn’t like lots of money being spent on him. Or at least maybe he worries it’s a burden on us? No matter how much we try to reassure (he’s totally worth it)

Hope Uni brings him out of his shell a little more (but not too much)

DS2 had a DSA assessment last summer, I was hoping they'd replace his old cheap and cheerful laptop that he'd had since his arm injury happened in second year of HS but they checked if it had enough power to run the software they were giving him and it did so no upgrade approved. They did give him a printer which has been useful and he may get an upgrade of his laptop at some point.
My neighbours daughter, who has dyspraxia, is at Aberdeen and has found the uni very helpful ( in contrast with her school).
I think more students use laptops than don't, although that may be a St Andrews thing where having a MacBook seems to be a thing with all the posh kids ( and it's a cliche but the place is heaving with them, luckily DS2 seems immune to status anxiety and is more like your DS MrsKlaw).

As for posh kids having a MacBook, we are not, DD worked and saved for hers!

A laptop (or similar) is on the website at UEA as a needed item.

I can't imagine very much young people days managing without a laptop (or similar) TBQH. Not sure I could nowadays either! I should imagine many probably type notes straight onto them in lectures too. How times have changed.

Hmmm much should have ready many - clearly too early in the morning to be typing...

Since we are on the subject of laptops, can anyone give advice on one to take into lectures? Dd can’t write atm - she has literally suffered for doing 3 essay based subjects (!) and can’t grip a pen very well. She was strapped up and dosed up for the exams but, alarmingly, it hasn’t improved. Been referred. We are thinking of getting asmall laptop to take in. She has an iPad but I expect that isn’t lecture-user friendly.

What about a Lenovo IdeaPad which doubles as laptop and tablet @ZandathePanda? Very light too. JL had them on special offer very recently.

Zanda have you looked at DSA for her? They would assess her and possibly make recommendations like voice to text software/recording equipment which they would then source from their specialist suppliers and provide training for. They may also contribute towards a laptop.

I'm sure a lot of places let you download lecture notes too

DD is never without her Mac book! I don't think she handwrites much at all now - just exams? All submissions are online. So much lighter than her clunky old laptop and so far (2yrs) no issues with it... whereas the old laptop

Also all her lectures are recorded so they can watch them online as many times as they want which is ideal for those with SEN.

Also if you're looking to get one, we got student discount and free Beats headphones from the Apple store for both of them with their confirmation letter.

Yes I think in many places it’s no longer necessary to furiously scribble notes during lectures. The lectures are often videoed & the notes available online. Not sure you can download the notes in advance & then just annotate them during the lectures?

Ds is going to have to wait till he gets there to find out what kind of laptop is best (particular software packages used on his course which may not be compatible with all laptops). He did email the faculty office but they said info would be provided during induction sessions

I think he will take his tablet with him + wireless keyboard & mouse and see how he gets on.

Oo thanks good suggestions. Out for the day but will check in this evening if there’s any more. Cheers! Love this thread x

DS likes handwriting notes. During lectures I used to mainly only write up questions, areas to focus on, things I wasn’t clear on to come back to later - then combine with handouts (which I guess are digital these days)

I am curious about using iPads for handwriting but I think you can also scan in handwritten notes to get some benefits of indexing/searching etc.

As for ‘posh kids with macs’ - I was wary of that and i’m Sure many are bought because they’re fashionable. But I have experience at work of them being reliable as a tool (don’t think i’ve restarted mine in 3 months), and that is what was important for me, providing the best tool to help DS on his new journey.

@ZandathePanda if you have an iPad, try a cheap Bluetooth keyboard - I got one from amazon for about £12. Some iPad notetaming tools will also let you record audio alongside Notes as you type/write which can help if you’re a bit slower. (Also check for audio/video recordings and pdfs/powerpoints of lectures which can be added to notes later)

You can also connect your iPad up to an external monitor via HDMI with an adapter which can help if you need a bigger screen - eg back in your room.

I do think for essays or other elements a laptop has some advantages over an iPad, but you can probably do most/all things with just an iPad and a bit of attention to your workflow

As above, DD found a Chromebook brilliant for carrying around but in was an "extra". We bought it in a hurry when her laptop broke the day before she went & she lived it for how light it was. She VERY quickly needed a proper laptop as all submissions are on line & had to be in Word & it all got a bit complicated with a Chromebook. Some unis hire them out, but they won't be able to do without one for long. They can usually download Office etc from the uni, so don't pay for that.

DS is taking his computer tower screen and keyboard is doing architecture so reckons will need it for CAD work

Our NHS trust has just supplied all community workers with Lenovo thinkpad laptops. I couldn't recommend it highly enough. Very fast and lightweight.
The Police in our area use them as well.

@Jo4Laurie my DD is going to Cardiff as well she’s in a house on Colum Road.

@DrMadelineMaxwell my dd's exactly the same.

However she is chatting away to people going to the same place on WhatsApp, which hopefully will make it easier.

I'm hoping that when they've allocated accommodation she'll be able to link up with her flatmates and if she can get to know them beforehand then it'll help.
I'm also hoping she gets a good bunch of flatmates. I hope that she has at least one other girl (although I was in with 3 lads for a year and it didn't bother me) and ones who like to sit round the kitchen and chat. She wrote on her form that she was more a "sit round with a hot chocolate and chat than go out and party!"