Another path - now we have a map

[chopc]

Chopc - Durham-History
@jano69 -Durham -History
@OnTheBenchOfDoom -Durham - Natural Sciences
@Majaso12 -Imperial - don't know subject
@bendmeoverbackwards -Bristol- History
@Pumpkintopf -Imperial/Cambridge -Natural Sciences
@ChimneyPot -Brown (US) - ? Subject
@Stillcrikey -Bristol -MML
@Tenpastseven - Bristol -also modern languages?
@Longtimenewsee - Durham - Chemistry?
@MidLifeCrisis007 - Durham -History
@BigWoollyJumpers - Exeter- History
@SeasonFinale -Bristol- History

Wow@ChimneyPot . How are you feeling? Safe flight back

Glad she’s settled in ok @ChimneyPot.

That's brilliant that she's so well settled @ChimneyPot . Safe trip home, hope you're ok, must be a wrench to leave her but helpful that you're leaving her happy.

@ChimneyPot sounds like your DD is settling in really well, great that you were able to spend some time there with her.
Safe trip home.

@Pumpkintopf All the young people I know had a fantastic time in Leeds, Reading and Boardmasters - even those who came back with covid. So pleased your DS enjoyed his experience.

@ChimneyPot Congrats on getting your DD safely settled at Brown. DD went to one of the London girls schools you described so yes they have probably met! Small world....

Great news @ChimneyPot safe trip home.

@Pumpkintopf glad he had a great time! Anyone’s dc go to the Victorius festival in Portsmouth? We’ve just had a weekend away there and saw all the festival go-ers. The Mary Rose museum was fabulous.

@ChimneyPot

Heading back to Ireland having seen DD settled in her dorm. I was quite surplus to requirements about 30 minutes after she started online international orientation and made friends. *@jano69 and @BigWoollyJumpers* I think you both had friends of your DDs or DDs of your friends going to Brown. If they went to one of the big London girls school DD may well have met them.

Gosh, such an adventure. Not sure my DD or indeed myself, would be brave enough to go abroad for uni.

DD's friend wasn't at a London girls school, but a Surrey school, but that probably counts too! That reminds me to drop my friend a note to see how they got on.

For those with dc's Durham-bound, check out the £5000 deferral offer email...

It won’t come to us because ds deferred last year . But also beware that last year the offer was means tested so not everyone got £5000

It doesn't say anything about means testing, and is only for certain courses, including ds', but he is pretty adamant he wants to start this year. He may change his mind when he gets his college allocation and it's the one college he really didn't want...

It was in the very very small print last year !

@Peaseblossum22 That is so poor

We’re still tying to work out how much money dd will need to live on. Lots of people are saying around £75/week but that’s for self catering. Dd is in catered halls so her food bill will be much lower. Anyone any ideas?

@bendmeoverbackwards I was going to make up to the value of full Maintainance loan and divide by the number of weeks he will be at Uni ...... don't know numbers yet due to poor communication by Durham

We’re working on a budget of around £100 pw for DD, of that I’m assuming around £30 for food/drink, but until she actually starts it’s a bit “finger in the air” and guess-work.

I’ve suggested she deduct some sums for one off purchases like books, travel and gym membership so they will be excluded from the weekly spend.

@chopc the full loan is supposed to cover both accom and living expenses, but so many students end up in accom they haven’t chosen! Our DD is only entitled to the minimum loan, so she is using that to live on, and we are paying for the accomodation.

Yeah just saw that Durham accommodation could be as high as £8477 - if we make it up to the full value of £9488, based on a 41 week year (just thought of that off the top of mg head), it only works out about £25/ week. May need to pay by ear. All one off expenses we plan to pay for. I recall another Durham parent saying how much she gave last year but as usual I haven't retained the info

If any help, UCL is 29 weeks excluding Christmas and Easter hols, and 37 weeks from start of school year straight through to summer end of term. I imagine D will be similar (can you tell that I have been pouring over excel on this topic recently too )

@bendmeoverbackwards I have heard that figure too, Ds thinks his weekly shop will be £25-£30 max as he is in self catered so that would leave him with £45-£50 based on the £75.

We are topping up his maintenance loan to the full loan which will give him over £100 a week for the 30 weeks he is there. He feels like this is way too much. We have said we will just look at it again after his first term. His Grandparent is also supplying him with some money plus he has savings if there is anything else he needs or wants.

He went up to Durham yesterday with some friends who are also going to Durham and a 2nd year student! So he was able to answer loads of questions and they were toured round everywhere by the 2nd year. Ds went to 'Spoons and his hearty meal and drink cost him £8 so he was very content

Thank you @OnTheBenchOfDoom so if I give dd £60/week bearing in mind most meals are paid for, does that sound reasonable?

I found the post and in a catered hall in Durham, she gave her DS £150/week which she said was enough. However last year was not a normal year.

Great to hear your DS has had a look around @OnTheBenchOfDoom.

How much is the full maintenance loan does anyone know?

That sounds like a lot @chopc!

@bendmeoverbackwards I have it down as £9488

Ds gets £4422 and we are expected to "top up" (by the gov not Ds) by £5066. Those are my figures in my excel sheet from when we were working this out.

@chopc it completely confirmed his love of Durham. There were 4 newbies including Ds and then the 2nd year student.

Sorry that was £150 a month 🙈🙈