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!

@Shimy ... exactly the same here .. he only ever said"yep" to most things when he was at home .... I think he's still settling and trying to be stoic ... he seems a bit better today and has responded to my texts ... also to mention he misses the cat !!!
He doesn't drink and spends hours in the gym ....

Hi, can I join in and tell about dd's first week at Exeter?

She's in a flat with 8 others. Her room is small but well designed with lots of shelves, a wardrobe (half hanging, half shelves) and lots of room under the desk, which spans the wall from wardrobe to window, so lots of room. The kitchen is quite large and equipped with the basics (the microwave was faulty and is being/has been replaced).

DD had a problem with her mattress which impacted badly on her health condition and the powers that be are getting her a better one. She has a small fridge in her room (an en suite, more expensive) which was also faulty and was replaced on the day she reported it.

She is having a good time. She managed to get tickets to various events - not all the ones she wanted, but 3 or 4. She had two introductory lectures in Fresher's Week, so has met quite a variety of people. She also has at least one friend at the Uni anyway.

She is not particularly confident but she pushes herself to talk to people.

also to mention he misses the cat !!! = misses you all @Alicatz66. Easier to admit to missing the cat than one's 'human beings' .

@Shimy Me too. Total communication since drop off last saturday was a message on Wednesday that his can opener broke.

Hasn't replied if he picked up his aunties present - nothing. Don't want to be a one sides machine gun of messages that feels like nagging but I'll chase him on that later today - he has no subject prep meetings today so I don't even know if he'll go up to the campus.

I'm kind of frustrated, but only in the sense I want to make sure he is

1. feeling ok and settling in with his flatmates et
2. managing the practicalities (I think he'll be ok with this, he can cook and there aren't that many buttons on the washing machine so not that complicated)
3. all prepped ready for next week. Would love to see his timetable.

Then about a week after classes started his new roommate left completely, probably because he couldn't sort loans and payments to register for classes. So now he has a double room to himself, at least until the spring semester

I'm in the US (as I'm pretty sure you are) and a friend's son has decided to delay starting college till Feb so he can train for a marathon and work as a lobsterman for a while :-)

Done the last shopping now (I hope). DD's gone to pack (I hope too!)

DS says he's started packing. I hope he has!

DS just gone to the barbers and then we'll be packing for Durham this evening. Most of its already laid out in the living room ready to box up. He bought a big warm coat this morning so ready for those northerly winds.

Witchend you are being ambitious saying it’s the last of the shopping! I have well and truly utilised Amazon Prime this month.

Jano69: do you know where your DS got his big warm coat? Trying to persuade mine that he needs a new one, but he is very reluctant for me to spend any money on anything and thinks his tatty old one will be fine.

@SchrodingersKitty We splashed out on a North Face puffa jacket - it's a long overdue Christmas present (2018) and should last him years!

@NewModelArmyMayhem18

Thanks for the new thread

Some of us are yet to start though!

Good luck to all DC starting this weekend!! Hope the rain stops for our journey

Went to Cheshire Oaks, DS found a down and feather jacket reduced from £250 to £87. He agreed to buy it because tis a lot colder in Yorkshire than N Wales.

Cannot believe it is a year since I was on this group and we were all agonising over the UCAS applications... that was so stressful.

@Jano69: sounds great. Unfortunately DS is allergic to feathers so trying to find him a puffa-type jacket without down. His last one was great but no longer being made. I ordered one replacement but it isn't right and he now insists his old one with broken zip will be fine. I've rather given up as v. hard to see details online and I don't want to traipse round shops or order repeated failures. All very back-packy of me, no doubt, but I'm absolutely sure son will choose to get soaked rather than set foot in a shop once in Oxford. I suppose he'll learn, though.

Tilly yes I read dinner on Sunday too.
We’re going up tomorrow evening to break the driving up . Just home to DD making a cake! She has sorted her costumes/black tie 20s and I am about to take to an old white duvet cover with my scissors. Most things are packed now. Good luck everyone this weekend.

@justasking111 I know Cheshire Oaks

@Benjispruce glad you said that - I thought I'd imagined it! We are also going up tomorrow - might bump into you! You have just reminded me - the cake and sheet!!!

@AWanderingMinstrel I absolutely agree with you that Freshers is built up to be such a BIG THING.

DD, all experienced and all now lectures have started (😉), has said that it was OK and everything but it boiled down to everyone drinking too much and going to glorified discos 😂

I suppose it’s a rite of passage but I’m pleased it’s over now!

@Northernlurker
DD is going to be in Vanbrugh.

James college looked pretty good when we visited!

How’s the York packing going? We’ve got the car’s all packed, we just need to pop the bike rack and bike on in the morning. Dd’s got Halifax college, second cheapest room tariff, no en-suite, yet still works out £1000/year more expensive than ds’s room was in the cheapest halls at Warwick.

Dd says that only Halifax move in tomorrow, and the other colleges are Sunday. Is that correct?

Vanbrugh is tomorrow as well,

Derwent and Hes East colleges on Sunday

We haven't packed the car yet. .. just getting the roof rack on!

Which freshers stuff have people bought?

Dd has bought the college freshers wristband.

But there is also the freshers bundle ticket which is Freshers Festival, comedy night and the Viking Raid?

We haven't bought that yet :/

Dd is in vanbrugh and is slowly SLOWLY doing the final packing. Drop off tomorrow pm.

She is not at all interested in any freshers events. :)

Well DS is coming home today for work. I haven't heard from him all week and have sat on my hands so as not to be That Mother! Just hope he has done the things he should have done. The sodding Totum card hasn't arrived. Seems like a shambles to me. Hope he has liked the first week. Am hoping that no news was good news.

All packed and ready to go tomorrow. We're taking 2 cars, it's less than an hour away and little brother wants to come too. Think ds is getting nervous.

I think dd has retreated under her duvet and is feeling overwhelmed.
Ds has made her a special cake, and wants it to be a secret. I don't think the secret will survive her nose coming out of the duvet as it's smelling very nice.
Ds and dd2 went to the shops and bought a couple of treats for her, which we've secreted in her packed bags. Hope she doesn't need to add anything to them!