The ABC of university life (2019/20 cohort) - settling in we hope

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Previous thread - sorry about the lame thread title but done in a hurry!

Lovely video WhatsApp chat w DC1 tonight. They were supposed to be on a pub crawl with the LGBT+ Soc, but it was called off after 1st pub in torrential rain. All sounds great - flatmates are nice, share the washing up, room is working well, lectures good & tutors lovely.

Happy DC1
Happy parents

@DrMadelineMaxwell, I remember lots of contact hours on my BEd too .

@Benjispruce, not really, just a few one word type texts He FaceTimed DD this afternoon apparently though!

DS came home for the weekend, and I've just got back from dropping him at halls. The rain was biblical.

Apparently some of his flatmates are very sociable, which means they have friends round in the shared kitchen, and DS won't use it as he struggles with his confidence. DH of course wants to put in a complaint, but I think that things will settle of their own accord. I hope that he signs up for a few clubs, but doubt he will.

It's poured in York tonight. But the uni is well away from river so if we end up with floods all students will be fine. Dd2 v chuffed as she found better cycle route, got her id sorted and finance too. First lectures are Wednesday, Thursday she's in all day.

What subject @Northernlurker ? You've probably already said, but my memory is pants and it's such a (fabulously) busy thread.
DD is history and also has welcome meetings and fire safety meetings tomorrow and Wed and first day of lectures Thurs. Then her long weekend off. DDs (15 tomorrow) is very jealous.

I'm not sending an amazon pantry package, but I did send her, as a surprise, an Amazon email voucher yesterday for any bits and pieces she may have overlooked. Or for anything that she may want to pick up, but will be cheaper online.

She did ask the other day what our regular contribution will be - ie pocket money. And was told 'nothing'. We've given her some money to get started off with until her maintenance comes in. Then it should cover her rent and leave £700 left over. If she runs short, as it's her most expensive term, then we will cover her. But we want to see if she can budget as best as she can to start off. For the 10 weeks, it's £70 a week. We will pick her up at Christmas so no transport to have to pay for.
Next term she will have the same bit of money from us to cover more than £1500 left over after rent, so she will feel flush!
I think she was also hoping for pocket money, but we are keeping that in reserve in case it's needed rather than just handing it over.

It's History too!

@notaflyingmonkey the kitchens are for socialising, he needs to pluck up courage to go in.

DD has already blown her budget with £350 gym membership. Although she has a medical condition which means that she really needs to exercise regularly otherwise it starts playing up. She's joined the gym on the other campus as it has a pool - there's a free shuttle bus so hopefully the distance won't put her off going. Think someone else in her flat has also joined.

I found a bit of grey moulded plastic in the boot of my car today which we've now established is part of her airer that must have been knocked off on Saturday. Luckily, it doesn't seem to be a vital part and airer can still be used. She can collect it when she comes home for Christmas!

Lectures don't start until next Monday but there's an assessment/test/exam on Wednesday so I hope she doesn't stay out too late tomorrow night.

simbobs I hope your DS managed to sort out his bank card problems.

@MrKlaw and anyone else who has DC doing maths - may I pick your brain please? Do you know of any iPad apps which might be useful for note taking in Maths lectures - thinking specifically of making notes using maths symbols which wouldn't be easy using a keyboard.

To the PP asking about parcels - I got a free sample of Bam socks through the post this week, I’m going to get a postcard of our home town on my day off and post the socks. Nothing exciting from me

When I was a student, my Grandma would send me a parcel and letter every week. It was usually an old margarine tub filled with either broken biscuits or sweaty cheese after being posted Monday morning in Manchester and arriving in the second post in Birmingham on Wednesday! The letters would be pages long with the gossip from all the various people she bumped into that week. I never knew who any of them were as we lived in York

Lovely to "meet" all you Lancaster parents! DS (townhouse, Grizedale) is very happy with his set-up. He's out clubbing in town tonight, so I hope he doesn't overdo it as he has his department induction tomorrow. No timetable yet; whilst his minor subject is fixed as part of his degree, many of the language students are just choosing their minors - it seems a bit like the Scottish system- so they finalise the timetables when everyone has chosen.

DD moving on Saturday...the day is getting closer & closer and although she’s 18, an adult (!) I can’t help but to feel nostalgic for the tiny girl I held in my arms all these years ago. How is she big enough to go out on her own!
That being said, she’s genuinely excited to go and so I’m pushing down my emotions and putting on a brave face for her. It helps to see that your DCs have had positive experiences in freshers week/settling in so far. I just want her to be happy. On a practical note, what commonly forgotten things should she check she’s packed? She has started packing but in such a haphazard way I’m sure something will be left behind

@JennyWreny there were a couple when I was looking at things in the summer hols - will have a look later for you. They can convert handwritten equations into the a neater format and also whatever that ‘equation language’ is that they use - LaTeX?

Couple of note taking apps but they really need Apple Pencil - notability and good notes. Suggested to DS but he prefers hand written - lets see how he gets on

mathpad and mathkey can convert handwritten equations to latex but results may vary so try first if possible.

TexPad and ShareLatex seem well regarded too. These are like word professors for latex so you write the equations in ‘code’ and it generates the output. You can save to text or pdf etc for putting into a computer - will DC have access to a laptop too? Latex is lots of typing and symbols so a proper keyboard will be better for longer sessions

Pages (word processor free with iOS) has some latex support built in too

Probably good to check with peer mentors on the course too

Tilly DD just text to say they had a fire drill at 6am

6an fire drill?! That’s evil

I’m feeling ok now about her being away. I miss her and it’s quiet with just 3 of us but it’s ok. DH is finding his feelings quite a surprise and he’s missing her more. think because I did all of the preparations and buying things with her that the process helped me . I did have sad moments before she went but I feel much better now it’s happened and the waiting is over whereas he started to take it in on the day we went

Mine seems to be maintaining radio silence now. He just throws in a worry grenade and then retreats. He told me that he has managed to pay his rent and is trying to sort things out with Visa. I wanted to know how his 1st lecture had gone, but nothing.

RedHelen the kitchens are for socialising, he needs to pluck up courage to go in.
DS is Autistic, so for him, going into a crowded room where people are chatting and having to do something like cook in front of them as well as possibly maintain small talk is physically impossible. Hence he isn't eating.

Thanks so much @DrKlaw - that info is very helpful. DD has MacBook but was thinking of getting an iPad in addition. She's used Notability extensively during secondary school as they had iPads there. That was before Apple Pencil arrived though so we will take another look at that and the other software you have mentioned. Good idea to ask the mentors on her course as well. I think the Apple Education offer ends mid Oct so she has a couple of weeks to decide.

Thanks again

@Benjispruce was it a fire drill or someone setting off the alarms making toast/leaving a kettle boiling for too long? Or someone playing silly buggers? It happened to DS on his first morning in halls. Not nice.

@notaflyingmonkey that's not good for your DS at all. Maybe there needs to be an agreed, designated 'quiet time' in the kitchen when it's not packed out with people?

Anyone finding their homes generally tidier? I'm not missing half the crockery and glasses which DS used to tend to stockpile in his room until we'd virtually run out of clean stuff. The bathroom seems to stay spick and span too.

Yes dishwasher and washing machine seem semi retired! And yes to the tidy house. Still very quiet. DD seems happy but workload ramping up (medicine) and so hard to tell from short texts how she’s coping with that. Still managing to go out and friends from flat and course still mentioned regularly but would love a proper chat, deferred this weekend cos “too busy”. Hey ho better than needing to call frequently cos things not going well I think. Hope this weekends starters settle quickly, such a learning curve for them (and us!)

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 ... way tidier !! No encrusted protein shake cups ... no smelly gym stuff .. DD is loving having the bathroom to herself ... way less laundry.. and smaller food bills !! .. every cloud !

@Benjispruce
@NewModelArmyMayhem18 I doubt it would have been toast, etc as they are fully catered. Could have been an idiot, or just a planned practice DD used to have them fairly regularly in her halls.

@notaflyingmonkey surely halls should have autism-friendly flats where everyone abides by a tighter code - that is a reasonable adjustment, surely and would be greatly welcomed by quieter students too.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18, our house is already looking way tidier - it's fantastic

No encrusted protein shake cups

Yes! Although I did find a bottle of something unidentifiable when clearing out DS2's room. Along with half of my cutlery draw and the pairs to most of the Odd Sock Box.