University life for freshers (2019/20) - Christmas backpacking (or not) and festive homecomings with all the tinseltastic trimmings!

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Previous thread.

I remember fresher's week at Durham and sitting in the welcome talk with the dean of the faculty (and a stinking hangover) hearing how we "need to be considerate and sorry for the local community... they haven't got the intelligence or the opportunities we have."

I was a local student - I was pissed off back then and I've never forgotten it! I hoped the uni had become a bit more inclusive - obviously not!

Interestingly, dd was talking to a prospective Durham student yesterday on the train home and she said she's met a wide variety of people. She hasn't seen the "toff" side at all particularly, and for the most part has no idea whether the people she's met are from private or state school (she's state).

She hasn't been to many formals, mostly because they're always the same day of the week and start 15 minutes after her last lecture finishes-30 minute walk away.
But she did go up with 3 evening type dresses: all from the local charity shop costing less than £5 each.

Grammar schools are state schools, by the way. Some of them are not even academies.
Only 2 state educated students out of 25 in any group at any UK university would be an anomaly, so presumably just the weird way allocation worked out for that corridor (assuming that the application form for university accommodation doesn't actually have a box to tick for, I would prefer only to share with those of the same educational background as myself).

the international student had servants and ‘doesn’t do bins’!

The international student in DD's flat doesn't "do" anything either, although DD has said he has started to cook for himself now. He comes from a wealthy background with servants. I imagine sharing a student flat at any UK university must be a massive culture shock for them.

DD was the last to leave the flat, and was up until 3 am this morning washing up and tidying the kitchen because everyone just left it in a mess

They all get fined if it isn't tidied, and as DD didn't want to be fined she cleaned up. I finished the washing up this morning.

Her washing pile was pretty small, but I insisted that we brought all her bedding home and gave it a good wash, so, only two wash loads from DD.

Most of DD's friends are from the Northern half of the country, but she has a friend from Dorset and one from Bristol. She says the "ras" (hooray Henrys) tend to live at Castle Leazes and dress like they are homeless.

She has had the misfortune to find that her first friendship group from her course turned out to be rather bitchy and two faced. They ousted her and some others from their group chat then post on social media all the time how much fun their super elite group are having. Instead of getting upset, she just got cross, distanced herself from them but is still friendly towards them, and found some others on her course to pal about with. I don't know whether the fact that they all failed to get into their first choice university on their first choice course has anything to do with it, but I'm pleased that DD is being mature about it.

@ZandathePanda has your DD told you about Newfess yet?

DS is at Durham and some would view him as privileged as he lives on the outskirts of London and went to an independent school.

In reality, we have really struggled financially as a consequence of taking the private school route.

So it's difficult to judge who is truly privileged and who comes across as privileged. For example, he wore his old school shoes and dad's DJ to the winterball but felt confident in himself and had a brilliant time.

He has a great bunch of friends from all types of backgrounds from leading public schools, state and grammar.

I myself went to a bog standard comprehensive and was not university educated.

@MarchingFrogs, DSs ex gf was the only pupil from a comp on her corridor of 13 in a different college at Durham. There were a couple of ex grammar school pupils though. I went to a grammar school and a poly back in the Dark Ages

@Ginfordinner, maybe it's a thing on BioMed at Newcastle? More or less the same happened to DGodD. Twas resilience-building and she is having a great time (in Y2 now)

How much are the residential coats in some of these unis? Dd is paying just short of £6k this year but it's a shorter let and she will be paying nearer £7k next year for a longer term.

£5,500 for 38 weeks in Newcastle.

....my Dd and Ginfordinner’s Dd are in the same, rather lovely new student village in Newcastle. Quartz worktops in the big ‘living’ kitchens with large TVs and corner sofa and then bedrooms with a small double bed and en-suite.

Gin just asked Dd about Newfess. She told me not to look !

We are drinking mulled wine and decorating a large tree (needs ladder) which is probably not a good combination.

@DrMadelineMaxwell, I think DS is £7,500 fully catered in Durham. House next year will be about 6K but including bills.
DD was over 5k self catering halls in Bristol, but house is just under 6k? Bills not included.

@bigTillyMint it’s actually £7672 for a standard non en-suite room so I think en-suites are more. Unless your DD was lucky enough to be offered an en-suite on a standard let.
Yes I do realise grammar schools are state.

The only international student in FD’s block is staying there over Christmas. I pity him. The restaurant is closed, he has to rent a portable heater and use the kitchenette which is a microwave, kettle, toaster and fridge for a month.

DD got lucky with the ensuite, but it came with the short 38 week let at £5800. Next year it's a 44 week let for £6700. All bills inc obv still as she's staying on campus. Most housing was coming out at that rate if it included bills too, so not unhappy with it but would obv have preferred the same (or a cheaper house but that wouldn't have been the best set up for her anyway really).

@Benjispruce, DS got lucky.

That poor international student

That’s great for him but so unfair as DD has 1 shower between 10! How can they pay the same???

@kaponut that sounds awful.

Yes I do realise grammar schools are state.
Although you do get some that chose to go private rather than comprehensive, and kept the name (I went to one) so they could be called "Normaltown Grammar School" and be old grammar now private or a current state grammar.

Messaged DS to say make sure flat mates empty out their perishable fridge items etc. before they leave and as he is the last one to leave to make sure bins emptied. Also chuck some bleach down the sink, loo and shower tray. Unless of course they want to come back to a bad smell and hatching maggots. He took that on board

DD was clearing out the fridge and wasn't sure whether the owner of some peppers had gone home, so she left them there. When she got home she checked Snapchat and discovered he was in Doha. They will come back to slimy peppers and a revolting smelling fridge.

He has a great bunch of friends from all types of backgrounds from leading public schools, state and grammar.

For goodness sake, what does it matter? My husband and I were privately educated and our children are going to state schools.

We all have, as a present from our ever loving university, an exam at 9am on the first day back after Christmas that counts for half a module mark!

Lol good luck Kuponut .

Am looking forward to the return of my baby from Durham today . Hoping to meet her at the train station work permitting .

@Kuponut DD has exams too, bit not sure it's the first day back.

Just been watching the news about getting the flu jab. None of us have ever had it - should we be encouraging our students to get it?

@Kuponut it's harsh but I guess university is about getting young people into adult habits. Good luck with the exam.

@bigTillyMint didn't quite a lot of MNetters advise their DC to get the flu jab ahead of starting at university? I have to say that it wouldn't cross my mind (we are the type of family that rarely take meds and visits to the GP are about a once every five years event). What did the news story say? Is it a more virulent form of flu doing the rounds this year?

I think rightly or wrongly many people see grammars as bridging the gap twixt comprehensives and private/public schools, socially and academically.

Dd got the flu jab in possibly the only week she wasn’t too cold-ridden to have it. She’s very run down. I have got her some yucky iron juice to make her feel better