The CDE of University Life (2019/20 cohort) - assignments, flat-hunting, Halloween and the end of their first term fast approaching

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Previous thread - Obvs the end of term is looming sooner for some than for others? I guess the Oxbridge posse will finish by the end of November or just into December?

DD has her full driving licence with her so no worries there. Just had a FaceTime (on her MacBook)to tell me that her phone has broken and as it’s still in contract until April she is stuck and unable to keep in contact with everyone. She actually cracked her screen in the day we dropped her at uni- bad timing or what! The glass has been falling out and now damaged the working of the phone. Any ideas? These phones are so expensive, it really bugs me.

@MrKlaw both mine got provisional for that reason! But DD had her first driving lesson on Friday morning and thought it was "fun"

@Benjispruce is it an iPhone? Loads of cheap places near me that repair! But we also noticed a repair place in Durham - it was by the gin bar (with literally 100s of gins) - might be worth trying it? Or there may be a cheap place in Newcastle?

He seems happy enough - not talked about the course yet (he’s doing some work at the moment), but flat mates all seem to have gelled and they’re connected up with other undergrads in the building (most are postgrads). Already looking at options for second Year. He’s cooking a lot and tends to take leftovers for lunch the following day. He probably has too much money so we’re suggesting he sweeps any spare at the end of the month into a savings account, so he gets used to having a fixed amount each month and is easier to track spending.

So relieved he seems fine - so much better than one word WhatsApp messages

Hi @bigTillyMint thanks, it’s just the phone seems to have broken now, not just the screen. Will get her to try though, thanks.
Surprised how many of your DC don’t drive already. I thought my DD was late learning at 18!

CEX for a second hand cheapy?

No need for ours to drive as we live in London. Infact we are probably going to get rid of our car

And DS says he's booked his train ticket home!

I think not driving will become more and more the thing for our DC generation.

We live in a city but it's smaller than what most of you would consider a town. c 40-50,000. Last census it was under 40 but think it's been growing. Bus service is not good unless you are at the uni... Both DSs started to learn on their 17th birthday and passed within a few months, it helped with transport to school. I think if we lived in London or in the center of a major city then I wouldn't have been too bothered if they left learning until later.

We are out in the sticks with no public transport so DS learnt as soon as he was old enough. DH is trying to use his car once a week to keep it ticking over. My DD (16) has been eyeing it up for next year, but I think DS plans on taking it back to uni with him in Sept 2020 as 2nd/3rd years take it in turns to drive to weekend away fixtures. I have a feeling it may take her a while to pass though so not an immediate problem.

It’s the independence of driving for me. It’s a must for us, public transport isn’t cheap, not regular enough and many out of town places not connected. DD worked out of town at weekends and in the holidays so driving was a must(my car, not her own) and I just didn’t want DC to be hampered in their future job choice if they couldn’t drive. I guess you can learn pretty quickly if you need to though.

Same for my DD @Benjispruce. She took her test before Xmas last year and the independence meant she was able to get a great job at a wedding venue out in the sticks over spring/summer and saved ££ for uni. She hasn't taken her car to uni as there is no parking available but it means she can come and go as she pleases when she's at home without relying on us or the very poor local bus service. She's hoping there will be space for her car when she lives off campus next year.

DD has absolutely no interest in learning to drive. I had hoped she would do this during her gap year, but nada.

The husband of one of my friends is a driving instructor and has said that it is very difficult to teach someone to drive who has no interest in it.

And it has massively restricted where she could apply for a job as public transport where we live is not bountiful.

DS has a long break at xmas, so suggested he booked his test again and had some more driving lessons. A deafening silence, so guess that is a no. Our public transport is dire and he will not use it when mum and dad are a taxi service sigh....

We told ours they could choose driving or something else for their 17th birthday. The deal with the driving was that if they chose that for their birthday then it was essentially a more or less open ended thing in that we would pay for a licence, lessons, up to 2 theory tests and up to 2 practical tests (though to be honest we would have paid for more as no point spending all that money and then not continuing to pass). If they chose something else then the value of that would be likely to be significantly less and then learning to drive would be at their own expense at some point in the future.

Unsurprisingly they both chose learning to drive.

I learned in my early 20s and was (and still am to a point) not very confident and stopped driving completely at several points during my life and then took a few lessons again even though I'd technically already passed my test.

It was the same with swimming lessons - i can swim fine and am okay to swim out of my depth, but i never had lessons, taught myself and have never been very confident or enjoyed it. I was happy to invest in proper lessons for them.

Well we weren’t so generous. We bought her licence and 10 lessons then it was over to DD. She was working and we were driving her to and from work. I think you need incentive to pass and nothing does that like forking out from your own pocket. Incidentally, my parents paid nothing towards my driving and I’ve never forgotten the personal pride and achievement of funding and passing all on my own.

DS also learned as soon as he was 17, we live fairly rurally & public transport is not very good. He too was able to get a better part time job by being able to drive (but he did have to share my car which meant much more walking for me ), that's one good thing about DS leaving for uni, I have my car to myself again.

Yes @Ragwort and my petrol seems to be everlasting at the moment. In the event that DD graduates and gets a job quickly() she may need to drive and so I didn’t want that to stand in her way, it’s under her belt. Having said that there are some good intensive courses around.

DD (currently on gap year) has a daily part time job that takes about an hour and half each way on public transport, bus-train-bus, compared to around 25 minutes if she could drive.
Her driving test is booked for later this month and I’m really hoping she passes as it will make such a massive difference for her. We live rurally, and the last bus leaves our village at 10am.

Yeah we are definitely over generous. However, they both passed theory first time and test 2nd, DS2 only had 16 lessons even with his dyspraxia. DS1 had a few more but he'd been mucked about a lot with a shit driving instructor. DH took them both out a bit too. If you use veygo, you can insure the car for a couple of hours at a time for £4-5.

DD had about 30!! So glad I didn’t agree to pay for all.She did pass 1st time thankfully but had to change instructors as the first was on the make and turning up late, cutting lessons short etc.

We did insure her on mine though with veygo and I think that’s what really helps.

Yep, ds1s instructor, would text him to say he was running late and then half an hour later, text with some other excuse, then text another half hour later pretending he had a flat tyre. All the while DS2 is stuck at school outside waiting as there is no signal inside and by then he's missed the only bus and I end up having to leave to go and collect him. He did this a few times until I called and sacked him, then his boss begged to take over which we went with as didn't want join a wait list elsewhere. He was just useless plus changed his car virtually every lesson. We went elsewhere for DS2.

That sounds terrible. DD’s first kept her in 2nd gear for 10 lessons and drove her to a set place every lesson and drove her back so she only drove herself for about 30 mins! That’s when we insured her and realised she could actually drive quite well so swapped to a great guy who had her on dual carriageways immediately as she was capable.

I can't recommend DS2s instructor enough. He really gets them up to speed really quickly. DS2 was really nervous about learning but was driving in 4/5th gear on 60 limit roads within a few lessons. He also got to go on the motorway. His Facebook page is full of passes, a lot first time and loads with no or very few minors. DS2 failed his first test for speeding. A road that goes from a 30 to a 50, everyone starts accelerating after they come through the lights so are nearing 50 by the time they reach the sign. He did too but obviously that meant he was doing 40 whilst technically in a 30.