Uni Accommodation Help

[Flump9]

Some advice please as it's stressing me out. My daughter has Autism and doesn't really decide things for herself or arrange them so everything is left to me. Since i'm Peri Meno I find things more stressful and incapable of making decisions so not a good combination.

She wants to try living away at Uni, it's commutable at a push but it would be good for her to try and get some independence and live away. She can always come home every weekend if she wants. The choice of accommodation isn't great and she needs an ensuite which reduces it further, we've done the application but they won't offer her anything until she gets her results and i'm not sure if all the ensuite will have gone then as some people with unconditional offers appear to be receiving accommodation offers now. One of the nicer halls you can book with direct not through the Uni but we weren't quick enough and they are booked up but we went on the waiting list and they've said they have a space in a flat but it's with 2nd years so I don't know if she should accept that or wait for what the Uni offer her but it could be one of the prison cell types that look rubbish and it will be too late to find anything better!

On the one hand more mature students and they might look out for her a bit more on the other hand they might all be friends already and not try to include her. She wants to try and make friends at Uni but she isn't very good at it and doesn't have any at the moment. She's not interested in drinking/social stuff. Help me decide please! I presume this place will go quickly so need to decide ASAP.

If your daughter needs an ensuite due to her disability, she can tell the accommodation office at the uni this. Then they should help her find a suitable room, one in a quiet block if necessary. They may also offer additional orientation to help her settle in and make friends.

She needs to apply for DSA and she can get accommodation support there, including guaranteed en suite if her condition means she needs it.

How are your DDs social skills generally? I probably wouldn’t recommend an autistic first year go in with second years because they’ve likely already have friend networks, commitments to societies and may not be a realistic friendship group for her - especially if they’re all already friends! If she struggles with social skills, breaking into an existing friend group will be much harder than making new friends when everyone else is in the same position.

She is more likely to make friends with other first years who are all looking to make friends too than second years with existing friendship groups.

As a pp says when she has her DSA assessment through student finance if she needs th ensuite due to a medical reason the uni will give her priority for one.

Accommodation is only as good as the people you end up living with. Don't start to overthink it. Wait until you can apply for university owned accommodation with other first years.

I would definitely try with the accommodation office and explain the situation and they could put her on a priority for an ensuite.
Ensuite is not the be all and end all if she doesnt get one. My daughter didnt and she realised that the bathroom situation is not as bad as she feared. She was worried about someone hogging it all the time, but because they did all different subjects, they ended up showering at different times of the day anyway. Plus come second year, she ended in a landlord owned share house which had 2 bathrooms between 8, and again, no problem. :)