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!

@Witchend the cooking has got to be a draw! If DD misses a college meal she’s heating up a can of soup!
But she’s neat and tidy and is fab at tidying a kitchen so that’s got to be good!

Her college is self catering so she needs to be able to do something, but she's cooking more complicated things than I did as a student. And she bakes nice cakes.

@Witchend bonding over their mums posting on MN

Our DD's sound very similar Witchend. DD likes to eat well, and cooks proper meals from scratch - fajitas, risotto, home made sauces for pasta etc.

They have to sort a house by December don’t they? So it’s nearly November and I can’t see her friendship group changing by then. The first I heard she was looking was yesterday and when I suggested seeing a few more, she got a bit anxious saying it’s hard enough negotiating 4 other girls, an agent and a landlord without adding more properties into the mix. They saw two and prefer one. At £2.5k pm I advised her to quit the degree and become a landlord!

@witchend @benjispruce my DH said when he spoke to DD yesterday she was more relaxed. She had spoken to someone who had said even up til August there were rooms going and there were properties with single rooms and shared kitchens much like self catering college. That’s not much use of course if there are a group wanting to live together like your DD @Benjispruce but my DD felt more confident she would be able to find something and not have to beg to get back into college. I’ll let her find her way for now and hope it all works out. Not much I can do for her!

I agree but it’s DD’s decision. There are lots of properties still out there. They just want to be together, in the right area. They are looking at the cheaper end and have found somewhere they’re all happy with, decent size bedrooms etc. They met the current student tenants who were happy with it so that helps. Think they’re just worried about not finding something together or too far away.

It’s very unusual for my procrastinating DD to be ahead of the game so the other girls must be good organisers!

When I spoke to DD about looking for accommodation she said she thought everyone left it until the summer. I pointed out that this was a bad idea.

It is ridiculous. I remember DD telling me last year that they had to decide this early so I knew it was coming. We haven’t even had the invoice for the first term yet!

@Benjispruce sounds like she’s in with a good group! Organised friends are great to have 😊

Dd is desperately holding out for a group from netball otherwise she's sharing with 5 male rugby players

@Benjispruce, it sounds like your DD knows what she's doing.

DS says there's been dramas already with the girls he might share with. Stress from one girl whose mum keeps sending links to possible houses... Luckily he's very good with drama queens (DD) so hopefully it'll work out.

@mum2eim thank you! That makes me feel much better.

I'm a little bit unsure about it, as I was in halls all years, but dsis had a couple of years where she didn't get in groups and looked at one point that she was going to be sofa surfing, and certainly had no choice of who she went with.

DGodD had a time of it last year when groups joined up and changed, but she and a friend found a couple of others and they apparently got a nice house, so it worked out in the end.

I’m not too worried about the group of friends. They are the same ones that have featured in her photos since week 2 really. I think most are on the floor below her so I’m really pleased she found common ground. Some play on her sports teams too. I think there will be falling out no matter who they share with so I think sharing with the girls she has got on well with, gone out with regularly is a good thing. What else can you go in at this stage? She could wait but then lose out.

@Witchend I was on a 5 year course and in halls for 3, hospital accommodation for one and then there were hardly any of us left by year 5 and had organised friends who sorted it all out so it’s all a bit new for me too and hard to advise DD. And I suspect it’s probably a lot different now.

@Benjispruce it does sound like your DD is sorted and the mix of friends seems ideal. Of course there will be fallings out but I agree if she’s got a group of similar friends why not go for the preferred house now. No point waiting.

Lol about the 5 rugby players @Trewser. She’d feel pretty safe but might have to hide her food!

I'm already funding most of the junior welsh rugby team nutrition

I agree about the pressure/panic to sort next year's houses early, and it's good to be able to feel it is sorted and they can relax.

That said, DD1 Edinburgh, went through the same her first year for year 2 accommodation.
Year 3 she was in Canada and did some travelling on the way home. Not back til July and borrowing a friend's place in August to work the fringe. I have been worrying about her final year accommodation all year but she had two friends who also had the year abroad and they sorted it after they came back at the end of July. Good flat in a great location.

So I think it's a bit like panic buying. Places keep coming up all year. Try to stay cool is my advice.

I agree but it’s not me making the decision. Ultimately it’s what suits the student.

I have casually mentioned accommodation to Dd and she is aware but I think she’ll get her act together after Christmas. Hopefully this will be fine.
If she was in Durham I may be slightly more concerned as I think they’ve expanded a lot recently in numbers so I would hope there’s the corresponding rise in accommodation for second and third years.

I think Durham is very small, so the rentals market will be limited. Other larger cities won't have the same issues.