The ABC of university life (2019/20 cohort) - Will NewModelArmyMayhem18 forgive me?

[MrKlaw]

previous thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3701968-The-ABC-of-university-life-2019-20-cohort-settling-in-we-hope

Hope you don't mind - people have pent up comments about cheese graters and traffic cones to get out of their system!

Thanks that’s very helpful indeed. DS is hoping that he can fit in an offer holder day before he goes travelling in Feb ( on the website it says they hold them between Nov and March so fingers crossed).

Checking in to say for the benefit of the York mums that the rate of secondary bacterial infections that follow the flu like illness going round, is very high. To report back on dd’s illness - I swooped in yesterday to assess her and have brought her home. She is now on antibiotics for a very nasty chest infection, (with pleurisy). Another in her house is on antibiotics also for chest, and another for an ear infection - 3 out of 10 of them. I have, of course, also brought home the most enormous pile of dirty washing, including bedding and towels!

I agree walking is good for them and frankly 20 minutes isn't a long way. They get spoilt in the first year by living so close. But I'm sure it was a hint to buy her a bus pass. She's good at that. I just got sent a photo of some trainers!

Checking in to say we have had a lovely afternoon - walk on the coast and big lunch - with DS who is loving Collingwood. Just dropped him for a seminar and he has a formal tonight but we will hopefully catch up with him again tomorrow

Dunlurking I hope your DD is better soon

Dunlurking your poor Dd - that sounds grim. The Newcastle sore throat I have from Dd is a strange one - you feel better then it blasts you with aches and a throat so sore it hurts to breathe. Thankfully (touch wood) don’t think it’s leading to anything more.
In the NE they have had double the normal amount of rainfall. Don’t know about York?

That’s good she’s in safe hands now @Dunlurking, hope she recovers quickly.

DD was out AGAIN last night and her friend chipped a tooth! Emergency dentist search followed today.

I can't answer the accommodation question @LaBelleSauvage123. Suffice to say that I'm glad that DD isn't at Castle Leazes. It is definitely showing its age. We only looked at Castle Leazes and Park View as they were the only options available to look at when we did a campus tour.

DD has CFS and Park View is ideal for her as it is right next to the medical school, so other options weren't really a consideration. I will say that the flats are really nice.

We were in Newcstle and Northumberland for a long weekend, and the weather was vile and utterly miserable.

I hope everyone with nasty viruses and infections feels better soon

DD said she hadn’t seen the sun since her first week in Durham.

@Benjispruce DD hates the cold, so I'm hoping it's not going to be as bad a winter as some are predicting. Although the express predicts a terrible winter every year, presumable on the assumption that if they do that, then sometimes they have to be right.

I’m not sure if she just hasn’t been u early enough to see the sun. I’m sure someone on here said it was a beautiful day in Durham recently.

@Benjispruce, DS said it was a lovely day yesterday He was playing/training footy I imagine. There is a social every Wednesday apparently and they all involve copious drinking. There are abput 300 in the Collingwood footy club as 14 or more teams... And he told us the whole story of the initiation - where those to down their pint on stage first or last had to do a forfeit. Guess who was first and the forefeit was a "Castle" which was a load of pints and chasers apparently

Thanks @Chillywhippet, @ZandathePanda, and @Benjispruce. Zanda I hope that horrible sounding throat gets better soon. Keeping my fingers crossed I don’t get the York lurgy.

blimey... are all other Durham guys partying constantly? DS2 isn't going out at all! He's not a drinker or party person, but I thought he might go out occasionally... he IS an obsessive worker, and is playing ultimate frisbee and poker... but other than going to the common room, he's staying in...
Ds1 on the other hand, had his birthday this week and is partying like mad with his flatmates, rowing team and course buddies...I'm not going to hassle him this week about work, but I think next week, will be the time.

@Ingles2, it seems that Collingwood is the party college and the sports socs are the worst. I am hoping that once the essay deadlines start getting closer he/they will calm down a bit. The first term is definitely the worst.

Just had photos from tonight’s formal. Pudding looks good!

@Benjispruce, no photos here

@Ingles2 dd isn't partying, and I'd have been quite surprised if she was.
She's doing plenty of other things though. Baking club seems to be high on the list, and she's involved in the freshers show.

@Ingles2 my DD isn’t partying either but is quite busy with sports and other clubs. She’s generally happy and seems to be taking the work in her stride. Thursday is her worst day with 7 hours of contact time!
However last night she was in tears sobbing on the phone because everyone has sorted out their groups for houses next year and she’s fallen between two groups. She also (quite realistically) feels that it’s early days for knowing who your friends are and to decide who to live with next year after 4weeks seems so early! I didn’t know what to suggest but it does seem so early to be sorting second year houses. Obviously that’s the way it is in Durham!

@mum2eim, it does seem very early in Durham - I think DSs ex signed for a place in November last year. Its way too soon for most people to be sure of who they want to share with.

@Dunlurking I hope your DD recovers quickly. Poor thing My DD seems to be on the mend now, her cough is getting better and she's swapped to the other GP as the STYCs (second and third year contacts) told her to avoid the one that she had registered with as it takes too long to get an appointment.

Partying at York seems to have slowed down a lot now lectures have started. Luckily she didn't have a late night on Saturday night because the start/finish line for the York marathon was just outside her bedroom window!!! She was woken at 8.30am on Sunday by the microphone - not sure she was that impressed .

Her friend's parents visited and took them both out for dinner so I know she had a good meal midweek. She's been cooking omelettes a lot and using her toastie/waffle maker.

Weekends are a bit boring apparently, she is getting all of her work done during the week and admin/adulting too. Doesn't seem keen to join any more societies (apart from baking). I've given her some suggestions of things she could do and maybe she won't be as bored this weekend as she's feeling better and maybe she'll go out more.

Is anyone else's DC planning a study abroad year? DD was hoping to go abroad in her 3rd year (4 year course) but after visiting the global opportunities fair yesterday it seems that it probably needs to be in her second year, so this time next year she may be in another country

It isn't just Durham. DS1 signed up this time of year in Southampton and DS2 will be looking in Bristol. It was recommended that they look in this thread 2 years ago when DS1 started - there is a risk that the nice houses will have gone if you leave it.

at beginning to sort out accommodation.

I don't think dd's even started thinking about accommodation yet. Hasn't been mentioned at all. I think she was told December by older members in the college.

The potential study abroad year for DD complicates the accommodation situation for next year. If she doesn't sort accommodation and then doesn't get a place to study abroad then she'll potentially miss out on the decent accommodation. If she sorts out the accommodation and does get a place to go abroad presumably she'll lose her deposit and will have let her potential new housemates down. She's going to see if she can find out some more info on what others have done in the past from the global opportunities people.