Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

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.

Another path ....... the journey begins

999 replies

chopc · 19/09/2021 22:28

Hello @321zyx @AvocadoPlant @bendmeoverbackwards @BigWoollyJumpers @Braveheart35 @calculatorqueen @ChimneyPot @Dobbyisahouseelf @Eastisup @jano69 @Majaso12 @MidLifeCrisis007 @NCTDN @Notagardener @OnTheBenchOfDoom @Parsonage63 @Pumpkintopf @Peaseblossum22 @quest1on @Peaseblossum22 @SATSmadness @SeasonFinale @Tenpastseven @Vargas @Xenia

Apologies for anyone I omitted to tag

OP posts:
chopc · 13/01/2022 08:40

@Longtimenewsee I am so sorry you lost your dad so young and pleased you had another great father figure xxx

OP posts:
SeasonFinale · 13/01/2022 08:56

@bendmeoverbackwards He said one of the questions he had anticipated so had a drawn up plan as part of revision. The second is proving trickier.

jano69 · 13/01/2022 10:09

@Longtimenewsee So wonderful to hear you had such a fabulous step dad after tragically losing your father so young.

I got the rent wrong for DD - it's £138 per week excluding bills - still extortionate.

Longtimenewsee · 13/01/2022 11:08

I think DD’s is actually £149 pw .. but including bills. @jano69 do you think bills will push it up a lot? Does your Ds pay bills separately? Dd was originally looking at lots near Gilesgate without bills and I was worried at the unknown amount she would have to pay on top.

OnTheBenchOfDoom · 13/01/2022 11:51

It is awful that so many of us have lost at least one beloved parent. Both my Mum and my MIL were both 63.

Re bills on top of rent you can't really control what someone else uses in the house and their consumption affects what everyone else pays. ie if you were cold you would hopefully layer up but you might put the heating on, you can't go into other people's empty rooms and turn their radiators down or off so you could have one person heating the entire house whilst they are doing online lectures whilst everyone else is out.

Also how insulated the house is and how much it bleeds out heat. Landlords usually ensure good insulation if bills are included and paid by them. The usual reason for 52 week contracts is council tax, students are exempt, landlords are not. Any unoccupied period is chargeable to the landlord as it is a furnished property or at least it was when I worked in council tax and business rates a million years ago, I loved that job.

jano69 · 13/01/2022 11:56

I think your spot on @OnTheBenchOfDoom. DS (final year at Durham) has bills included so I'm sadly none the wiser.

I'm hoping additional annual bills will be no more than £250 but I may be wishful thinking.

jano69 · 13/01/2022 11:57

you're not your 🤦‍♀️

Longtimenewsee · 13/01/2022 12:13

63 is no age is it @OnTheBenchOfDoom.Sad
Thank you all for your kind words x
Dd was told by other older students to expect £10 a week on bills if not included (£520 per year) but even then I wasn’t convinced.

OnTheBenchOfDoom · 13/01/2022 16:14

@Longtimenewsee I agree 63 is nothing. MIL had leukaemia and was told it was just bad luck but my Mum was mea culpa. She started smoking before the cancer link, everyone in her family and on screen stars all smoked, it was "cool". We begged her to quit for decades and as much as I love her to bits I am still angry with her that she put myself, my siblings and my Dad through the whole chemo process which saw her lose her hair, robbed her of all her vibrancy and I held her hand as she died. It is torture watching someone you love that much go through that. It was also fast, she was symptom free, it was picked up on a routine mammogram as secondary, primary as lung and she was dead within 3 months. She was fit and active just addicted to smoking.

It is why I feel this anger toward Dh's sister who smokes "socially" like she is 14. FFS. She is early 40s with a boyfriend who smokes and drinks and gambles I hate smelling stale cigarette smoke on her coat when she comes to my house, even the children have asked if we can hang it up outside because it stinks. Anyway, rant over. Blush

My Mum is still talked about a lot, my poor Dad and her were married for almost 44 years and he misses her dreadfully. We have lovely videos of her talking and laughing with all the grandchildren, she was full of life, a grafter, generous and helped everyone she could. Same with MIL she died 7 years ago also a great woman.

Re the bills thing, some pay into a kitty a set amount when they get their loans and then the bills are paid from that. There were other students who had flatmates leave without settling up leaving the others to pay extra if they paid on receipt of the bill. These days I think with Monzo and other instant payments to each other this would hopefully be rarer.

chopc · 13/01/2022 17:31

Bench - understand where you are coming from. My husband feels the same about smokers

OP posts:
chopc · 13/01/2022 17:31

Peeps this thread is almost filling up - are we calling the new thread the same title? Maybe for the first year of Uni?
Any other suggestions?

OP posts:
OnTheBenchOfDoom · 13/01/2022 17:50

@chopc I think we should keep the "another path" in there somewhere in the title, first year sounds good to me.

jano69 · 13/01/2022 18:20

No idea - I'm not really a sky blue thinker which is why I'm an accountant 🤔

Another path.... our freshers continue their journey

???

I'm rubbish at this sort of stuff. Anyone more creative?

chopc · 13/01/2022 18:51

Another path.... the first year sounds good?

OP posts:
jano69 · 13/01/2022 18:53

@chopc

Another path.... the first year sounds good?
Gets my vote!
Pumpkintopf · 13/01/2022 19:23

The usual reason for 52 week contracts is council tax, students are exempt, landlords are not. Any unoccupied period is chargeable to the landlord as it is a furnished property or at least it was when I worked in council tax and business rates a million years ago, I loved that job.

@OnTheBenchOfDoom I didn't realise that was the reason! Interesting.

Pumpkintopf · 13/01/2022 19:23

@chopc

Another path.... the first year sounds good?
Another vote for this Smile
Pumpkintopf · 13/01/2022 19:26

Sending hugs to all those who've lost parents, recently or prematurely. I lost my mum at 16 which led to a huge amount of disruption in my life. She was younger than I am now. I'm so glad to be around for my kids.

chopc · 13/01/2022 19:40

I am at DD's parents eve - someone else may need to start new thread

OP posts:
Majaso12 · 13/01/2022 19:50

@Pumpkintopf. That must have been so hard to lose your mum when you were 16, I can’t imagine how difficult that must have been for you growing up.

DD is glad to be back at her accommodation now. Dh took her back yesterday. I was quite upset I couldn’t go as well.

I had a negative test today, so think I can leave my room tomorrow! Will do another test first. I think I’m on day 10 today, but can’t be sure. Hoping we can empty the kitchen over the weekend ready for Monday as long as dh doesn’t test positive.

chopc · 13/01/2022 20:43

Have created the nee thread and tagged all current posters hopefully

@Majaso12 after day 10 you no longer need to keep testing full stop

OP posts:
Majaso12 · 13/01/2022 20:47

@chopc. I’m just doubting what day I’m on. Symptoms started on Monday 3rd with headache all day and I didn’t feel well at night but because the lateral flow didn’t pick it up until Saturday morning and I didn’t do the PCR test until Friday, I’m wondering if I’m out by a couple of days.

chopc · 13/01/2022 20:53

@Majaso12 I see what you mean. Hopefully tomorrow will be negative 🤞🏽

OP posts:
Pumpkintopf · 13/01/2022 20:56

New thread - thanks chopc

Hopefully link works Grin

Another path- the first year ...... http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/4452922-another-path-the-first-year

New posts on this thread. Refresh page