Still no accommodation for September

[Penguin7208]

DS is heading into his final year at St Andrews and still hasn't found anywhere to live. The cost and availability of accommodation is making the whole process incredibility stressful. The uni knows he doesn't have accommodation due to their tracker, but there has been no help from them, or no advice what to do if he doesn't have housing by September (orientation week is less than a month away).

Any ideas? Is it just a case of continuing to search for places and hope somewhere is found.

And just to say to everyone, St Andrews has just become so unaffordable for so many people. It isn't just housing, even sports clubs have stupid fees now. The uni keeps praising itself for being inclusive, but it is anything but.

I just think the uni experience has been completely decimated in recent years.

This is personal opinion on the general topic not a go at you OP. I think the expectations of a prepacked "uni experience" handed to students has been way over hyped in the last decade or so and it is about time it was reigned in a bit.

Thinking back to the conditions students lived in when I was that age in the late 80s and today, many have no idea how good they have had it in the last decade or so. I honestly think students in the 80s had a better time too - even with outdoor shared loos they had to take turns in cleaning!

As Scottish students do not pay fees, I’m not entirely sympathetic. Unis need the money and they are very much under the control of Scottish government policies. He’s still better off than English students. Most of us wouldn’t be quite so negative.

The Scottish system is far from perfect and means that there is a cap on Scottish students as they can't fund them all. I would say in many ways, the English system is better.

And he is English, just close to the border.

And even if he was Scottish, he can still be annoyed at the university system and the housing crisis. It is ridiculous to suggest that he couldn't be.

He would obviously prefer accommodation but doesn't want to waste his money. Must of the rent in and around the town would completely wipe out his savings would he really isn't happy about.

If something is good value for money, I think he'll take it. If not, he'll likely not want to, in his view, waste the money.

Don’t you make a contribution? The loan must get him some way towards rent? As he’s there for so little time, could he work? Why his savings?

https://www.spareroom.co.uk/flatshare/flatshare_detail.pl?flatshare_id=16862802&search_id=1239331799&city_id=&flatshare_type=offered&search_results=%2Fflatshare%2F%3Fsearch_id%3D1239331799%26&

https://www.spareroom.co.uk/flatshare/flatshare_detail.pl?flatshare_id=16862106&search_id=1239331799&city_id=&flatshare_type=offered&search_results=%2Fflatshare%2F%3Foffset%3D10%26search_id%3D1239331799%26sort_by%3Dby_day%26mode%3Dlist&

https://www.spareroom.co.uk/flatshare/flatshare_detail.pl?flatshare_id=16862822&search_id=1239331799&city_id=&flatshare_type=offered&search_results=%2Fflatshare%2F%3Fsearch_id%3D1239331799%26&

A quick search of spare room shows 70 flat shares available in Dundee tonight. Mostly around £400 / month.

Of course some will be too far out of town or for females. But these 3 I’ve linked to are all centrally located and near the bus to St Andrews .

Which takes under 30 mins and will be free to use for your son if he is under 21.

A friend doing their masters at St Andrews this year found a room by joining a Facebook page - not sure which exactly, but this is what they told me. You've probably already tried it, but wanted to suggest just in case.

He is a man in his early 20s. Why is his mother trying to solve this problem for him?

@Superfood Its really a rant against the uni and “the system”. The DS doesn’t seem motivated to sort himself out though.

That's really kind of you to do the work for the OP's ds.

It does sound like anyone studying at St Andrews could be FAR better off than students across the UK.

I agree @NoTouch and also with @Ragwort 's post on P2 :

Maybe the best option for your DS then is to live at home and 'commute' in for the lectures he has to attend? I agree with others that it's very sad that he is missing the whole 'Uni experience' but if he hasn't made a circle of friends or got involved in societies, sports etc maybe he should just stay at home rather than spend the money on rent? Not sure where you actually live?

Uni doesn't suit everyone, my DS has just graduated and had the most wonderful four years ... but he had a huge circle of friends, was involved in lots of clubs, sports and societies, plus activities in the city not just 'student' things so it was a completely different experience (& clearly a cheaper and easier location for accommodation).

My dc started in 2020 (the A-level algorithm year....the year of lockdowns and restrictions and bubbles and no F2F) but has had a ball since things started opening up in April 2021. They also acknowledge it wasn't just students who had lockdown, and felt much better off being in a bubble of young people in halls rather than stuck at home with Mum and Dad and not able to meet friends at home). My student - like Ragwort's - has availed them self of all the University and the course offers though, and also joined sports teams and served on the committee, and worked in 3 different PT jobs, and socialised and made friends and got to know where they live. Generally getting out and enjoying life, like the overwhelming majority of other students.

Maybe he has asked for support because he is struggling to find accommodation.

Even adults need a little bit of support now and then. DD is 23 and finished her university education last year. She found last year's flat all by herself, and has found this year's flat on her own as well, but she still wanted some help with sourcing an energy supplier and sort out council tax queries.

She can't make phone calls at work so I have had to do some on her behalf.

If all adults were as self sufficient as you clearly are then half the threads on mumsnet wouldn't exist.

I'm really sorry to hear your son is having so many issues getting accommodation in St Andrews. They have an advice and support centre, have you contacted them. Also the counselling and well being service might be able to help. I know he doesn't need counselling but they may be able to email someone higher up at the university for him and make a case for accommodation. Worth an email at least. Good luck and I hope he finds something soon.

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/study/support/student/

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/students/advice/counselling/