How much did you spent kitting your DCs out for Uni?

[MintyCedric]

I mean the essentials...and any little extras to make halls a bit cosier for them?

DD won't be going until 2023, all going well but I'm a single parent and currently full time carer for my mum so want to start shuffling a bit away each month ASAP. Unfortunately can't rely on her dad for any meaningful contribution 🙄.

Fortunately she should get full loan and a part-time job she loves who have already said they'd be happy to keep her on remotely, but would like to set her up so she has as few outgoings as possible for the first term at least.

I take the point about London being expensive, but as @Needmoresleep says, we're looking at the bigger pictureof ease of getting a job if she needs to, the cost of more central accommodation vs cheaper accommodation but travel expenses etc.

She also has an uncle on one side of London and a much-loved Godfather on the other side so there are people that can help her out in the event if any kind of emergency.

I was deterred from going to uni by a constant stream of negativity, 'what ifs' and subject threats about all the things that could go wrong. It's impacted my entire life and is probably my single biggest regret.

The bottom line is I will do whatever it takes to support DD, particularly as she is so willing to put in the effort herself.

If push comes to shove, there is equity in my house and I will downsize to a 2 bed flat if that's what it takes.

DD wants to study law, possible with add ons of politics and/or philosophy, so she is simply making the best choice for her future ambitions.

Yes to Wilko. Much if the stuff is the same as you’d get in Next or M and S for a fraction of price.

People I know say their kids often didn’t bring everything home after 1st year and lots had to be bought again. So buy cheap.

Good idea is to buy bedding in advance, but get most kitchen stuff after arrival (Wilko gift card or a bank deposit) as there is zero need for 6x kettles or sets of saucepans in a small student accommodation.

If she’s keen on Law, could Durham or Bristol be in the mix? One other in London? Which one and why?

I would also check that Law and something else is just as good as doing Law on its own.

If she’s going to have to carry this stuff herself to uni, then buying locally is better. There’s even ikea opening on Oxford st soon for basics.

@TizerorFizz she's already doing her research to the Nth degree. Priority is LLB so she's only looking at combined courses where that will still be the outcome.

I'll definitely try and minimise what we take and plan to go shopping once we're there.

@Needmoresleep a didgeridoo

I've been left some anal beads odd things by tenants, but never a didgeridoo.

It's mostly pans, crockery, drying racks etc, with the odd slow cooker thrown in for good measure. My own student children have found uses for all of them except the anal beads

@MintyCedric
There’s a definite pecking order of universities for LLB. Research by a 17/18 year old might not flag up nuances.

I would counter argue that Universities offer very different student experiences, and that it is a reasonable for a 17 year old to be able to work out what might suit them most.

I understand that one of Tizerfizz' DDs went to a non-RG University in London, did not enjoy the experience and does not expect to ever earn enough to repay her student Loan.

This is very different for the experience of my focussed DS who knew absolutely what he wanted to do with his life and why he wanted to take the degree he did. London suited him fine as he was surrounded by equally focussed peers who worked hard, and many of whom, like him did not drink and were not into clubbing. And who, without exception, landed good jobs or went onto further study. They tended to be frugal and use student societies to socialise rather than spend money in pubs and clubs.

It is very MN for people to assume that students are at University for the "experience"" and need funds to hang out in coffee shops, buy nice clothes and toiletries, and to have the money to spend lots on nights out. Doubtless some London students do, but for many it is very possible to live frugally, avoid a party life style, work hard and still have lots of friends and a good time.

Law courses at a number of RG London Universities are well regarded. One tip, used by a friend of DS for banking , but equally applicable to law, is to wander into a city temp agency and say you are looking for a summer job, perhaps as a receptionist or similar, and would prefer something within the legal sector. It won't be a glossy intern gig, but it will be experience and actually other staff are more likely to be helpful and supportive. (Partly my experience as I used to work as a receptionist/switchboard during holidays when at the LSE and learnt a lot about different sorts of organisations working for venture capitalists, law firms and the like.) For a future lawyer the ability to go into law courts, volunteer at legal advice centres and go to lectures given by all sorts of people, and be taught by people who have fingers in various legal pies, etc, should not be underestimated. Yes this will happen elsewhere, but London has more.

OP your daughter sounds great, but then so do you.

I don’t understand what my DD has to do with anything. She didn’t study Law. She did, however, go to the best uni for her subject. Mainly because London does indeed offer up opportunities. 50% of students don’t repay student loans. In arts subjects it’s not unusual!

It’s pretty well known though that some universities are better than others if you want to be a qualified lawyer. I haven’t said anything about not studying in London. What I would say is that the unnamed university in London might not be as good as Kings. Bristol and Durham are big hitters regarding Law and shouldn’t be dismissed.

The other university is unnamed as DD hasn't made her mind up yet!

She's been doing her research since she finished her GCSEs and has far more knowledge and insight than I'll ever have!

My side of the family is from London originally so DD's spent a lot of time there. The unis she's considering are all among the top ones for law both nationally and In some cases internationally, and she's in a programme at college to support students aiming for Oxbridge/RG places in their applications so I'm pretty happy she'll make good choices.

She has looked into Bristol and may revisit that option.

Durham wouldn't work for her.

@MintyCedric
Good luck to her. I do have a DD who is a barrister so I have some knowledge. Law is very competitive regarding getting employment or training opportunities and as a parent, I can assure you it’s a rollercoaster! Belt up and get ready for the ride!

@Lovemusic33

I don’t plan on spending much for dd. I’m a single parent too and a carer to her younger sibling. I will be buying her a sandwich toaster as it’s the only thing she can really cook (she doesn’t like pasta, rice etc…) 🤣. I am hoping she will go into catered halls as she has dyspraxia and Aspergers, she struggles with cooking. She already has loads of bedding and nice fluffy blankets which she can take with her, obviously she will need a duvet and pillows and some bits to make her room homely but I don’t plan on it costing too much.

You may already know about DSA, but just a prompt for those whose kids have extra needs. Just check the box when applying for student finance and that will get the ball rolling.

DSA helped our kids going to university with bits of learning equipment, and declaring their disability when applying for accommodation gave them some priority and benefits too. Really worthwhile for my two with autism.

Not much. We had a lot of things, I just rummaged around the house for cutlery, glasses etc that we didn't need.

We had a spare duvet and sheets. I did buy a mattress topper (£25 off Amazon) and a few kitchen things, along with a small desklamp and door hooks. I don't think we spent much over £100* though.

Charity shops are really good too. .

*The most expensive thing was a new laptop

As for the best universities for law, there are lots of threads on here about that. I do find a lot of MNers rather stuffy and stuck in the legal world of the 90s so do take a lot of the comments with a pinch of salt.

It is very very hard to get a training contract. However, the university you went to is much less important that it used to be though having a good name on your CV is never going to hurt.

My DD qualified in the last 5 years. Also there are league tables produced which show which universities get most students with training contracts and are at the bar. It’s up to date info! So respectfully it’s Oxbridge followed by top tier RG, then RG and then others. I’m sorry, but it’s true!

My parents spent nothing like a lot of these. I paid for most of it out of my own money and my loan.

They very kindly helped me move up there with all my stuff and took me food shopping when we got there. I think they also bought be a toastie maker.

If I’d not brought my belongings home with me that would have been entirely my problem to solve too. Funnily enough it never happened as I didn’t want to have to pay for them a second time.

Ds did have new stuff because I am quite minimalist and so didn't have spare duvets/towels etc. His one on his bed is a down duvet and as he can come home for the weekend that one stayed here.

Duvet, pillow, crockery, glasses all came from Ikea. Cutlery was an old set we used for picnics, he just took 2 knives, forks etc. Towels, baking tray, large recycled fleece throw from Dunelm. Duvet cover from Next. Frying pan Asda, saucepan Lakeland but mainly because it has a draining lid. Chopping board and knife came from home. Food thermometer to check food piping hot from Amazon. Microwave Sistema bowl from Dunelm.

Clothing wise Primark as t shirts are around £3, jeans and pyjama bottoms or sets. Hoodies from Primark or Costco for branded. Some t shirts from Next. Suits x 2 from Next around £120 each. New waterproof winter coat £60 from Go Outdoors. Umbrella £15, new rucksack £35.

Most expensive item he bought was a laptop but he is doing computer science so needed something that could cope. Think that was £1300. Can't think of any more.

Unfortunately we don't really have much family to speak of, and most of my friends will be sending their DDs off to uni at the same time.

A few months before one of my dc went, a colleague was having to clear out her parents' house and she was delighted to be able to give a load of useful things to my dc. It is just timing really - when someone wants to get rid of something, they are usually happy to see it go to someone who can use it. (Hence so many local 'giving away' sites on Facebook). It doesn't have to be a close family member.

I’m sorry, but I would be appalled to hear that a prospective undergraduate was forced to avoid particular universities because of accommodation costs. There are always ways to make university affordable
You can be as appalled as you like, but it is a real consideration for most families I know.
When ds went, he was paying £82pw for a lovely room in the student village where he was, whilst his gf at the time was paying £186 for a room half the size and a commute away from her university in London. That is before you add on all the daily living costs - yes, including a pint and a meal in a cheapish pub, but also haircuts and groceries. That £100 a week plus all the other extra small amounts on everything, puts London out of reach for huge swathes of students. I'm just guessing this bit, but I think mostly the students where parents will be having to contribute 1/2 the maintenance loan would be even less likely to encourage their young people to apply anywhere in London, than those on the full loan.

Yes, if mine wanted to do a course that were only offered at a London University, then we'd have found a way, but if you want to do something like Psychology or some form or Engineering or History or Chemistry etc etc which are offered at many, many good Universities, then it is pretty normal to take living costs into account as a major factor that contributes to the reason you choose one University over another.
To the poster who was mentioning Bristol - I would put Bristol in a pretty similar category to London in terms of housing costs, so not really a 'typical' university to use as a comparison.

@OnTheBenchOfDoom

Yeah, we don't have vast amounts of spare stuff as I started from scratch with this house 4 years ago when I got divorced and DDs room aside we have very different taste!

The vast majority of my stuff was given to me. My Mum used it as an excuse to upgrade and get herself some new kitchen bits - it didn't occur to me to mind.

My older siblings, family friends, relatives - everyone had something to spare. Nothing matched but it all worked. I took all my stuff from my bedroom like desk lamp etc. The odd bits I was bought were from pound shops or B&M.

The first Christmas after starting Uni I asked for a new duvet set, and photo frames - decor stuff etc. Family got me some nice bits then.

Some of the kids I was at uni with were stonking loaded - they still all turned up with a brown box of hand-me-downs filled with chipped plates and novelty mugs.

So honestly don't worry, hit Facebook market place or ask family/friends to remember DD is going to Uni so if they have any old towels, duvets, pots, pans, mugs, cutlery they want to chuck out - throw it your way. Great tip you can dye old towels. Got a faded white one that's otherwise fine? Dye it grey, or navy blue etc same with bedding.

Also don't put her in a position where you buy her stuff all new and then go ape shit when half of it has been lost in the first term. She's not going to have any control over someone using her stuff in a shared kitchen, breaking her plates, scorching the bottom of a new pan etc. Give her hand-me-downs and buy new stuff for yourself, then you won't care and she won't be known as the weird girl who freaks out when you use her mug ;-) haha.

I should also say that Ds has lockable cupboards in his student kitchen so no one has used his stuff. He washes up immediately, dries it and puts it away. Even if he didn't plan to do this at least one person in his flat washes up before cooking as they have not cleaned up from before so he isn't risking it.

The thing that personalised his room for him was a huge wall hanging held up with Command hooks and photos of friends, family and places plus a few bits from home.

The vast majority of his clothes he already had and he is not influenced by fashion, he just wants comfort and warmth.

His bed at uni is a 3/4 or small double so we bought a double duvet but a small double fitted sheet. His bed here is a single.

IKEA has a year to return stuff unlike Dunelm. He got his results and we went shopping within a few days. However we had researched beforehand so there was no dithering. Ikea had absolutely no kitchen knives left hence him taking one from home.