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!

@JennyWreny glad to hear your dd is recovering from her chest infection. Hope she resolves her year abroad dilemmas. My dd a bit better this morning after 48 hours of antibiotics. Hoping to get her back to York Sunday, all being well.

Thanks @dunlurking Glad your DD is feeling better today. Are her lectures recorded? Will she have missed much? Hope she continues to improve.

Thanks @JennyWreny. Her lectures are recorded, but she's only missed 2 so far, which she's caught up on. She should have had seminars yesterday and today and had done the reading already so all she's had to do is email the supervisors for those.

Is anyone else's DC planning a study abroad year?

Yes - a lot of American students seem to do a junior year semester abroad. DD will almost definitely do one. She's contemplating Spain, but England is also an option :-)

@LaBelleSauvage123 DS is in last year at Newcastle.

I would suggest location important as campus is very spread out-

DS ended up on the wrong side for everything.

And for PP's mentioning sorting out houses for next year-DS had already done his by now in newcastle someone else organised it but DD at UEA already forming a group-I think a lot do sort before Christmas as the good ones go fast.

My DS is on the way home for the weekend. I am preparing a banquet of all his favourite things. Also time for a proper chat about how he's doing at NTU and student life.

Given the possibility of a general election in December, I have just reminded my DSs to apply for a postal vote. Whether they do remains to be seen!

I am sure Demon Dom has calculated the student vote will be much less on 12th December. They are going to struggle with voting venues as village halls round us are booked up for amateur pantos etc.

We registered DS at Lincoln six weeks ago and he still has not even had an acknowledgement from them which is very shoddy.

DD registered to vote in Durham as soon as any possibilities of another election came up. Here's so safe that the MP could declaim he was king of the underworld and he'd still be elected. I don't think the other parties even bother canvassing most of the time.

DD text to say that today she’s been looking at houses for next year. Can anyone tell me what the procedure is? Also, is the rent normally similar to accommodation in halls, or more, or even less?

@Benjispruce would expect it will be a supply and demand issue. Durham is quite a small city, so would think good rental properties will be at a premium.

It does seem very soon to be thinking about committing to sharing a house with people they hardly know yet.

She’s found a 5 bed house with 4 girls she has made friends with and been out with most of the time she’s been there. They’re all really happy with it and want to sign up.

Rental agreement is July to July. If they don’t get their loans until October, how does that work?

This accommodation talk is making me very nervous.
Dd is very slow and steady with friends, and I can't see her being ready at this stage.

I think it depends where you are. I've just looked at DSs local area and there are still available flats for this year with reduced prices, even 4 bed ones which is their thought at the moment.

Same here Witchend

@Benjispruce, DS said today that one of the boys on his course has just put down a £400 deposit on a shared house.
I think DDs deposits have been abput a terms rent.
DS says the girls he might share with are getting all anxious about sorting somewhere. They have known each other 4 weeks - it's madness

@bigTillyMint @Witchend DS and his friendship group were due to view a house a couple of days ago but it was signed up by someone else an hour before they went. His group (of seven) have found somewhere else now and have paid their deposits as they were worried about the decent houses going. It does seem very early though.

I don't know whether to say something to dd, or not. If she's feeling everyone is joining up, then she'll already be stressing about it.

@Witchend it's a difficult one isn't it? I guess she will know that people are signing up already, I doubt there is much that isn't common knowledge within the colleges. I'm sure there will be plenty of housing to go round in the end though, so it's probably better to make sure she's happy with the people she's sharing with first, than to hurry the process in order to get the 'best' house. It's an additional needless stress though, particularly when they are only just starting to settle .

@Witchend your DD sounds very like mine re taking it slowly with friends. I think that makes it hard to decide on houses at this stage but they can’t be the only ones not quite ready. My DH said DD phoned today and seemed less stressed by the housing thing so I’m leaving her to figure it out herself.
I really feel for them all though. Starting uni, adult admin, getting back into study, making friends, coping with freshers flu and illness and now getting a house! So much in such a short time!

Maybe we'll have to suggest a Durham MN house where they can all moan about their parents posing on MN.

@Witchend 🤣🤣
At least I don’t feel so isolated anymore and I can genuinely say to DD that I don’t think everyone has found a house.

@mum2eim me too.

She's doing very well on her cooking, hopefully that will be a draw for some housemates.