Re-nesting - perfect word! It's going on here too. We are empty nesters now but I have to say I am loving the reorganisation and the decluttering. What's even nicer is that it is staying that way for the first time in years!
DS is also matriculating today (Durham, Hatfield). We've had a few WhatsApp's from him, he says he's met loads of really nice people and the college as a whole is so welcoming. Loving the formal stuff which I was a bit unsure about, though the novelty may wear off I think. He has a lovely room, en-suite, sharing with two others. We took a bit of a gamble choosing a shared room but so far it seems to have paid off. We were only expecting one roommate so it was a surprise to find it was two but the room is fab, recently refurbished, great location in the college. He says the food is good which is a relief as he is fully catered!
It's lovely to hear how everyone is settling in and starting their journeys into the next chapter of their lives. Thoughts go out to those who are not so happy at the moment. My older DD struggled to settle at uni, those feelings of helplessness as a parent are awful. She did settle in the end though, and though she would never say her uni years were the best of her life, she did come out with a good degree and a decent career path, so not all in vain. In reality is a relatively short period in their lives though it might not seem so now.