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

[chopc]

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

Excited for the Durham lot!

@OnTheBenchOfDoom very jealous of your pizza oven, I want one! Do you use it outside?

BigWooly "As someone with Italian roots, they certainly find our obsession with "going away" to university odd."
Yes not italian but not UK either and I do agree. The "having to not go home for a weekend" even if (because?) you feel lonely.

I do think the demise of the Polytechnics and teacher training colleges is a shame , or at least not demise but transformation into the university model . I think they tended to be smaller and more focused on the individual . Polytechnics whilst much larger also had a considerable minority of local students . I absolutely agree with him that university halls if residence are in some cases like Lord of the flies , you only have to read some of the experiences on The Facebook page of WIWIKAU to realise that many struggle with this model.

The structured experience at some of the older universities , despite this years omnishambles, is a world away from the private halls which some eighteen year olds have landed up in. Plus the expense is ridiculous when many could do just as good a course at their local college/university.

We live very close to Surrey University - a very good university by all accounts. But no-one local ever goes there because "people would think that was odd". On the other hand a friends dd went to Manchester, and apparently quite a few of their year lived at home and commuted in. I wonder whether it is particularly a Home Counties thing as well? Quite a few have mentioned their DC's wouldn't want to go to London because they live in or near, DD included. I wonder what it would take to change the expectation/model?

I'm the product of the local vocational "college". Loads of us there at the time were private school drop outs (me), or those who just didn't want or need to go to university. We have all ended up in very well paying, professional careers, or set up their own businesses. Different times.

Going to Uni in UK is a rite of passage IMO.

I agree with PP, perhaps Uni's need to acknowledge the role they play in shaping a students future more.

I wanted DS to try for Oxbridge for the culture and lifestyle if I am perfectly honest - never mind being able to study his subject more intensely. I like Durham for the same reason. To be the degree is something that will happen as a side thing rather than the most important. I do think I think this way due to doing a vocational degree and knowing I will have a job at the end of it

Just lurked on the Durham thread. Good luck to all on your long travels today, tomorrow and Sunday. I hope you all manage to fill up your cars, and arrive safely.

I think it's a lovely rite of passage too, a chance to bridge the gap between childhood and adulthood.

I suggested London Uni but ds v keen to spread his wings a little more than that. Of course if my youngest wants to stay at home I will heartily encourage it!

@Revengeofthepangolins I agree. I do think it's a shame that so many university halls now seem to have moved away from communal dining towards self catering accommodation, and don't have the traditions and events you would find at some of the older universities.

I think self catering is over rated as well , dining together is a way of learning social skills plus although all my dc can cook it’s finding time for the shopping and everything which is the big thing. There is a reason why a lot even if not all the top universities have more than average catered accommodation .

I so enjoyed my time in catered halls at Bristol I was keen for DS to do the same, but he was adamant that if it was going to learn to fend for himself that it was better that he did it in first year and not second year when the workload ramps up.

He's currently full of cold/freshers flu and has just texted to ask if there's any chance we can do a Sainsbury delivery!

DD went to boarding school for sixth form where they had black tie balls at Christmas and in the summer.

The daily food options were really good, but DD and her friends would often buy and cook simple meals in their common room rather than go to the dining hall.

DD found that she didn’t enjoy going to the dining hall on her own as it was so big and felt overwhelming.

Being allocated a catered hall, plus distance from home, were major reasons for her to choose Exeter over Durham.

However I’m sure she would be quite happy, and socially competent, to deal with more formal social events. And I do think it’s a shame that (most) universities have so few formal events. But I guess that’s partly due to numbers and the physical challenge of creating formal events for so many, and at a price that all can afford.

@Jng1 hoping your DS starts feeling better soon, x
DD is still very croaky, but looks and sounds much better than she did a week ago

@bendmeoverbackwards yes we use the pizza oven outside, it takes around 10 minutes to heat up to around 420c and we use a combination of lumpwood charcoal and wood for the flame over the top cooking. There are loads of videos on YouTube showing the Ooni in action.

Dh got it for his birthday so we have had 6 months to perfect the pizza. We just have the oven on top of an outdoor wooden table but we store it away in the shed until needed. The high temperature is what makes the pizza taste amazing, a domestic oven cannot compete plus the wood adds a lovely flavour.

Re the whole moving away to uni, we do live within easy distance of a great university however Ds chose Durham due to it being small and importantly for him, very green with trees and the river. He discounted our local one as it is a city university, he felt he would get lost in it, not geographically but metaphorically, he felt it was too big and too sprawling. The same reason he discounted Manchester too. So just because something is on your doorstep doesn't mean it is right for you.

I do wish Ds was catered though, firstly it would halve the amount of stuff he is taking and secondly I think the communal dining is a great bonding experience in bringing everyone together. Dh was catered for first year, the flat all walked to the dining hall together to begin with.

Meant to say our pizza oven is the Ooni Karu 12. uk.ooni.com/collections/ovens/products/ooni-karu

Good luck to all those moving today, travel safely and best wishes with the move ins.

DD would have hated catered halls, as canteen vegan options can be very dull/ repetative and she loves cooking. We dropped her at Warwick yesterday, and she has a big shared kitchen with 13 of them sharing, which sounds quite sociable. She met 3 of her flatmates yesterday, and they walked to Tesco together to get food and cider. The rest will move in over the weekend.

[quote Pumpkintopf]@Revengeofthepangolins I agree. I do think it's a shame that so many university halls now seem to have moved away from communal dining towards self catering accommodation, and don't have the traditions and events you would find at some of the older universities.

[/quote]
When I was doing the open day rounds with my oldest dd a few years ago, we were surprised that the so called ‘catered’ halls lacked a canteen. Catered meant they gave you a food allowance to spend in any of the university eating establishments. This was at Birmingham I seem to remember but may have been at other unis too.

I’m very pleased that DD’s halls in Bristol have a proper canteen. She wanted catered in the first year as she didn’t want to worry about cooking.

Good luck to all the Durham lot! Looking forward to reading all the updates.

@OnTheBenchOfDoom DH also has an ooni and has now also purchased an Effe Uno which we have indoors. Not wood fired but the pizzas still taste amazing 🤩

Good luck to all the Durhamites setting off this weekend. Safe travels all x

Have just set off. Our Discovery is full 🙈. Yet I forgot my water bottle which I usually take on a journey 🙄

Oh my goodness @chopc you make me feel slightly bettter about the huge pile of stuff accumulating in our spare room now! Travel safely, hope drop off goes well and DS meets some great new people.

Good luck fellow Durham peeps, we are still packing and setting off tomorrow!

Good luck to all the Durham crowd. Looking forward to the updates of how they are settling in.