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Higher education

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

Original poster

Going to university (2019/20 academic year) - and the fledgling freshers are off!

999 replies

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 04/09/2019 14:56

Previous thread

OP posts:
MrsPellegrinoPetrichor · 06/09/2019 08:52

Ds has at least joined the FB group for his halls. That's something I suppose Grin

mimiasovitch · 06/09/2019 08:53

Oh @greenberet sounds like you've a lot of change going on all at the same time. I hope it all goes ok for you.

I was hoping to do the last of the boring but necessary shopping done this week whilst dd has been in Italy. What I did instead was sprain my ankle so I've done precisely nothing, sort from read and knit. We'll have one week once she's back before I go away, and then one day once we're back. Next week will be a busy one I feel. She can do all her clothes and personal bit whilst we away though, and as my dh says at least once a day when we travel, 'thank god I've got a van'. It'll be nice to give him a chance to overuse say it.

JennyWreny · 06/09/2019 09:14

@Itscoldouthere FYI The Ikea discount/meatball offer starts tomorrow (and it's not in all stores).

@greenberet It sounds as if you have a lot on your plate. Flowers

@DrMadelineMaxwell DD has found that her timetable now has more sessions (messing up her lovely easy Fridays) - you might want to check those Easter dates for your holiday again.

Still 3 weeks to go here. DD has lots of admin half done where she is waiting on replies from emails that she's sent, including still trying to get a refund from the SU after they charged her twice for her freshers ticket . . . . . .

We need to try and separate DDs mobile phone contract from mine. At the moment I have 3 phones on my account (me, DD and DS). After a very long online chat with O2 the other day we gave up and they didn't seem to understand what we wanted to do! So need to try that again.

Slightly off-topic but I also noticed something on MoneySavingExpert email about opening a "Help to Buy ISA" before they are discontinued and that you can just put in the minimum (£1) to open one so that you can get the benefits in the future so we need to look into that. Apparently worth doing for anyone over 16 who has never owned property who might want to in the future.

Original poster
NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 06/09/2019 09:21

Have all your DC already got valid student ID to show to take advantage of the IKEA discount plus 241 on meatballs meal???

Thanks for the ISA tip @JennyWreny. Sounds very useful!

OP posts:
JennyWreny · 06/09/2019 09:29

DD's Unidays ID seems to work. It generates a QR code on the IKEA website that you have to show at the checkout to get the £10 discount. The meatball 241 offer seems to be a different code.

Original poster
NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 06/09/2019 09:36

The Unidays one is ID to purchase presumably?

OP posts:
JennyWreny · 06/09/2019 09:51

Pretty sure it's free but you have to have a uni email account to register.

Original poster
NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 06/09/2019 09:58

Thanks @JennyWreny, will get DS to check it out.

OP posts:
MrKlaw · 06/09/2019 10:18

Don't even think you need a Uni address. I think DS set it up during 6th form to get the cheap spotify subscription :P

icanbewhatiwant · 06/09/2019 11:46

Just checking in...only just found the new thread! 2 weeks and 2 days to go for us.

VanCleefArpels · 06/09/2019 13:48

Another one already! Last shopping trip to do on a Sunday then it’s countdown to the big move in!

Prokupatuscrakedatus · 06/09/2019 13:53

No student discounts for anything here - and I urgently need a new sofachair.
On the other hand DD managed to download and print out all neccessary certificats for health insurance, child benefit, student loan etc. So we're done with that. Yay.

justasking111 · 06/09/2019 14:03

DS got a long list of stuff he needed for his course two days ago!! Fair dos he cracked on and ordered it all. Two lots of carriers and five parcels so far today.

MrKlaw · 06/09/2019 15:06

OK HSBC account sorted but have to wait for account number etc. At this point I'm assuming SFE maintenance will be late but doesn't really matter.

Still nothing on accommodation.. not worried at all...

Mustbetimeforachange · 06/09/2019 15:22

DS1 & DS2 over dinner last night:
Me: DS1 do you have any top tips for DS2 going off to uni?
DS1: I've already told him: "You don't have to be best friends with the frst people you meet for the rest of your time at uni "
Good advice Smile

AWanderingMinstrel · 06/09/2019 16:02

Catching up from last thread and post. Someone asked which hall DS has for Imperial- he got Beit. Hope it’s not too noisy 😂😂think my quiet boy is seeking to reinvent himself.

icanbewhatiwant · 06/09/2019 16:06

@Mustbetimeforachange I'll tell my ds that one. He has 10 in his group chat. 2 boys and 7 girls. So they are short on boys! He says all the chat has been about so far is what the girls are wearing for various threshers events and non stop chat about love island. Ds has no interest in love island at all. So he's hoping they will have other interests. I'm sure there must be some more boys too. It says flats are 6 to 12 people. So maybe 2 more boys.

WaxOnFeckOff · 06/09/2019 16:16

DSs 5 person flat is 4 boys and 1 girl. He seems to get on okay with everyone but he's been socialising with all sorts of different groups of people which I think is a good thing. We just emphasised that it's good to get on with everyone that you are sharing with (unless they reveal themselves to be a total knob and start taking the piss) but that you might find you have more in common with people in your classes or any groups you join or friends of friends.

Main message was be nice but don't get taken for a mug.

MrKlaw · 06/09/2019 16:28

Just got an email from Bath saying there will be a short delay in informing about accommodation and we should hear more next Friday. Er - that’s not a short delay and it’s onky a week before DS starts.

Getting a bit worried they may be oversubscribed - he’s already fretting about shared accommodation.

Mustbetimeforachange · 06/09/2019 16:30

Wax that's a strange ratio, you would think they would avoid something like that.

WaxOnFeckOff · 06/09/2019 17:16

That's what I though Mustbe , we'd met 2 other boys and 1 girl before we left and I said to DS that No5 must be another girl but it was another boy. They all have individual lockable bedrooms so I suppose it's like a B and B with shared facilities. The girl isn't fazed in the slightest from what I can see and she went out with DS and a couple of the other boys to the pub.

ifonly4 · 06/09/2019 17:29

Up in Edinburgh now in readiness for tomorrow.

Piggywaspushed · 06/09/2019 17:36

When I was at uni I think we all remember I was next door to Shagging Andrea. All the others were third year chaps.

This was odd as ground floors were always all male (the first year lads were downstairs) so B Block was christened Bollocks Block for a while. I had a female above me but the rest of her corridor was largely male, too.

I got on fine on the whole but, yeah, my best friends were definitely not in my accommodation block.

LIZS · 06/09/2019 17:41

Good luck ifonly4 dd.

simbobs · 06/09/2019 17:53

My ds still being a spectator in his own life as mentioned upthread. I had to do something else to confirm his accommodation yesterday as he was off hiking with mates in an area with no signal. I despair as he isn't around at all to sort out getting his stuff and keeps telling me he wants to do his uni shopping with his mates. Re the Ikea discount he tells me that he has a Unidays account from his 6th form college, but only online, so we haven't worked out how to use it in store yet.