Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

University 2020 :9: And they're off, making hay while the sun shines.

982 replies

MillicentMartha · 16/09/2020 10:34

New thread, trying to be upbeat!

Old thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3996883-University-2020-8-Use-the-CAGs-don-t-use-the-CAGs?pg=40

OP posts:
Thread gallery
19
Ironoaks · 16/09/2020 21:58

DS has had his accommodation confirmed and is happy with what he has been allocated. A few people he knows from WhatsApp / Zoom get-togethers will be in the same staircase. They don't seem to have been grouped by course, so hopefully that's two opportunities to get to know people (course and staircase).

geogteach · 16/09/2020 21:59

Billydilly Ds is going to Leeds. We drop off on Saturday morning to a hall in Hedingly. He has had a gap year and is very laid back about the whole thing. He doesn't finish work until Friday evening so not sure when he is planning to pack . Hopefully it will all come right in the end.

ForestbytheSea · 16/09/2020 22:08

@Housewifehustle which college at Durham is your dd going to ? And what’s she studying? My dd is also going to Durham.

ShaunaTheSheep · 16/09/2020 22:40

@billydilly @geogteach DS is off to Leeds on Saturday too.

TerfTerfTerf · 16/09/2020 22:46

@Housewifehustle @ForestbytheSea My DS is in Stephenson College. Apparently they never get told which block/flat until they arrive (according to a mum on WIWIKAU). He got his online log-in today so could confirm accommodation etc and got college email etc. Wondering when we're expected to pay for it!

thesunwillout · 16/09/2020 23:41

@billydilly

Mr Stagger Lee?!

Charliecatpaws · 17/09/2020 00:36

@YeOldeTrout I feel for you, DS2 is moving tomorrow moving in slot of 9am (only 1 hour drive). We spent Thursday and Friday last week buying ‘stuff’ I’ve nagged him about packing etc. Midday he produces a pile of washing to be ready for packing this evening (well yesterday evening now). Fannys about on his phone while I’m trying to get him to pack. I think I hold the world record for saying ‘fuck me’ in frustration. Was actually glad to go to my exercise class tonight as I may have punched him in the face. Love him to bits but fuck me I can’t wait to drop him off. He’s taking his car so will probably be home frequently

Empra123 · 17/09/2020 06:38

Exeter DD duly deposited. Autism means she's less bothered about the lack of face to face contact than many. Just hoping it works out for her this time - we've sorted everything that was an issue last year but doubtless other issues will crop up.

Empra123 · 17/09/2020 06:39

And York DD is hoping that York doesn't go into lockdown before she moves there at the end if next week

Swarskid2184 · 17/09/2020 07:09

Billydilly my DD is Leeds too. Maths and music. Moving in to Central Village halls in Saturday. She is in contact with a few who have already moved in and they say that the rule about no parents in flat has not been enforced....

Trufflethewuffle · 17/09/2020 08:31

We are taking DD up to Glasgow this weekend. We are SW England so a huge drive. We are driving up Friday, staying in a hotel nearby.

DD has a slot to move in at 2, nicely in the middle of the day! So DH and I are staying a second night before trekking back on Sunday.

Managed to get her to start on packing yesterday evening. It will be a bit of a cram in the car. DD is the 4th and final one to go off so the house will seem very quiet after this weekend. She will fly home and back on most occasions but far too much stuff for the first time!

Good luck to everyone and their DC!

Housewifehustle · 17/09/2020 08:48

[quote TerfTerfTerf]**@Housewifehustle* @ForestbytheSea* My DS is in Stephenson College. Apparently they never get told which block/flat until they arrive (according to a mum on WIWIKAU). He got his online log-in today so could confirm accommodation etc and got college email etc. Wondering when we're expected to pay for it! [/quote]
I thought I saw the first bill is due in December? What is WIWIKAU?

billydilly · 17/09/2020 09:08

thesunwillout. Yes, Stagger Lee! Don't let on though, I'm trying to avoid him Wink

thesunwillout · 17/09/2020 09:43

@billydilly

Haha, fantastic.

Great taste. X

Monkey2001 · 17/09/2020 11:13

@Housewifehustle it is a FB group - What I Wish I Knew About Univerisity. You can join it, but this group is better!

Housewifehustle · 17/09/2020 11:47

[quote Monkey2001]@Housewifehustle it is a FB group - What I Wish I Knew About Univerisity. You can join it, but this group is better![/quote]
Thank you.Good to know.

Monkey2001 · 17/09/2020 12:10

Bad news for NE students. Are Durham people going to delay going? It will be even harder than expected with the extra restrictions.Sad

oneofthegiantsisme · 17/09/2020 12:23

Well, DS has gone. DH took him down to Exeter yesterday - all a bit stressful, apparently (photo ID - I didn't know I needed photo ID - fortunately a scan of his passport was acceptable)! He'd had a bit of a wobble packing on Tuesday night (all too big & scary & difficult), but got over it & finally finished somewhere around midnight.

We've heard from him this morning - he seems happy enough with his flatmates and his room so far, so I'm hoping he'll settle OK. I never worried about lack of contact from his sister when she went, but with his MH history, I may be checking in rather more frequently with him.

So, onwards & upwards - now I need to make sure DD gets started on the packing before she goes on Saturday (at least all the kitchen kit etc. is still in its boxes from when it came home in March, so it's only really clothes & food she needs to sort).

Housewifehustle · 17/09/2020 12:54

@Monkey2001

Bad news for NE students. Are Durham people going to delay going? It will be even harder than expected with the extra restrictions.Sad
They have bubbles set up, school is still on. Even if they are fully on-line (I believe it is hybrid now anyway) but living on campus in bubbles that is good for them both education-wise and for their mental health. The city will also benefit from $$ coming in. If Durham (and this goes for any university) can work out keeping plentiful and healthy food available to those in catered accommodation it can work.

This generation is tough. They are flexible. We adults can't let them down by not respecting their ability to get through it one way or another. We also have to ensure they understand how high the stakes are if they choose not to wear a mask and follow the rules. If everyone cooperates universities should be able to operate. Am I being overly optimistic?

Hoghgyni · 17/09/2020 13:26

I'm with you on that Housewifehustle. This isn't going to be a short term thing, but a state of affairs we all have to get on with.

ClerkMaxwell · 17/09/2020 13:28

Anyone's DC finding internet connection/speeds a bit rubbish in their uni accomodation? Did they upgrade to a better package? DDs uni offers an upgrade for £250 per year but wants to be sure it is indeed much better before splashing the cash. Recommendations welcome. DD not a gamer and doesn't stream much.

Monkey2001 · 17/09/2020 13:35

@ClerkMaxwell

Anyone's DC finding internet connection/speeds a bit rubbish in their uni accomodation? Did they upgrade to a better package? DDs uni offers an upgrade for £250 per year but wants to be sure it is indeed much better before splashing the cash. Recommendations welcome. DD not a gamer and doesn't stream much.
The universities should be providing the fastest connection they can for people who have to stream lectures! One for the student union to get involved in?
Monkey2001 · 17/09/2020 13:45

@Housewifehustle I have mixed feelings on this. Some DC will land the right way up in any situation. My DS is doing OK, although he was lucky that when St Andrews started the restrictions were not so tight so he was able to find a group of friends in that first week when lots of people chatted on the beach.

He, and many other catered people at various universities, have found that it is very difficult to make connections with their bubbles if they have no communal space. There were also quite a few in his bubble who already had friends at the university, so took the easy path of connecting with those, rather than developing friendships in the bubble. They are not unfriendly, it is just that if the universities do not oil the wheels of communication, it is much harder than in a normal year.

The extra restrictions will make it even harder to meet people outside the bubble.

Are they tough and flexible? Some are, I would say a large minority are not, and could get knocked back by just how hard it is this year. I hope that the universities will step up and help the bubbles to function. I think the self catering ones with a dedicated communal space for the bubble will fare much better.

GaribaldiGirl · 17/09/2020 13:47

My daughter is on day 5 now and desperately wants to come home. Heartbroken for her. She says lots of the students in her hall seem to already know each other (because apparently they went to the same schools?) and she is stuck alone in her room on an empty corridor, eating meals in a cafe with tables in an exam style format and no clubs or activities other than online (with very slow Wi-Fi)
I think she’s lost heart now and feels she doesn’t fit in. I haven’t heard her cry for years and now she is so sad and tearful.
Being hundreds of miles from home doesn’t help.
Damn Covid.
Hope everyone else’s DCs have a better experience.

LIZS · 17/09/2020 13:52

@ClerkMaxwell personally I think that is a real cheek, given how reliant they are on online resources and potential lockdowns. And how much this accommodation costs!

Dd is having options angst. One of her choices and its back up for semester 1 is full and they have defaulted to her second language option. They also seem unable to tell her whether there is a waiting list or what alternatives are available. Hopefully a discussion with her personal tutor will help.

Swipe left for the next trending thread