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Original poster

Annnddd they're off! Uni Starters 2023 Thread.

1000 replies

Titsywoo · 02/09/2023 10:55

Hi all,

I thought I'd start a different thread as the Alevels and beyond one is more geared to remarks and clearing at this point so didn't want to start derailing that with chat off packing and freshers week.

How is everyone getting on with helping their DC prepare and the idea that soon they will be moving away?

My DD is off to Cardiff to read psychology so will be about 3.5 hours drive away. I'm both nervous and excited for her right now! Packing is going well - pretty much all stuff has been bought and the induction pan set should arrive today. There is a large pile on the landing which keeps growing as we think of extra bits.

Due to a very lucky spot by me when scrolling Tiktok DD has found and been added to the Cardiff Psychology year 1 snapchat group. From that she got chatting to some others who aren't massively into drinking or clubbing and they have another chat for people who want to do other things than clubbing. They are organising meeting for some of the SU 'Give it a go' events such as an escape room and Ikea trip! Dd has also persuaded a couple of people to join the Hookers society with her (for crocheting! 😄).

Dd had a terrible time with bullying and social isolation from year 5 till the end of sixth form so I am praying this is the new start where she finally finds her tribe 🤞🙏

Looking forward to hearing how everyone's DC is getting on and how the first few weeks are for them. Not long to go now! DD leaves in 20 days 😬

OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
tribpot · 02/10/2023 14:43

@giddymonday I would definitely do a pickup (and I did, even without the diabetes). She - and you - will feel much better at home. We have managed to shield pretty successfully with masking and handwashing.

LightandAiry · 02/10/2023 15:58

I definitely would @giddymonday my BIL with type 1 avoids germs like the plague he says it plays haviv with sugars

MouseCatchingCats · 02/10/2023 16:56

giddymonday · 02/10/2023 13:06

well after a fantastic start,
been away for three weeks, making loads of new friends, my fresher now has freshers flu (or possibly covid) and has just phoned me crying and saying she feels
horrendous. She has type 1 diabetes too which is affected by illness. She's about 45 mins away in the car and wants me to pick her up as she feels horrendous. Wondering what to do!

I would be there like a shot and grateful I lived so nearby.

giddymonday · 02/10/2023 19:52

thank you everyone. Well, after dosing herself up with nurofen and throat lozenges, she's feeling much better. Her flatmates and coursemates have been offering to run errands and help her too. When she spoke to me she hadn't taken anything cos her throat was so sore. I encouraged her to take some pain relief for the sore throat/headache and she did. Feeling much better. Concerned she missed a seminar today. Was working on what she missed when I facetimed her just now. Bless her. I was ready to go get her. Her blood sugars are behaving! ( I can see them, wonders of dexcom and technology!)

Loomy · 02/10/2023 20:11

DS was going to come home on Saturday but was feeling ill so he stayed there. I was gutted.
He's fine again now and is having an amazing time at Manchester. There seems to be a group of seven of them that spend time at the halls together, all different nationalities and a smaller group on his course who he goes to lunch with.
After doing 5 A-levels he’s finding the timetable a doddle so far and he’s quite enjoying chilling and not being nagged by me to tidy up!

Allloveisbeautiful · 02/10/2023 22:00

So DS has managed to sort his uni email and timetable out but he still hasn’t registered properly despite saying he went along today to do it… he has since had an email stating he’s completed his online registration but not in-person and he won’t get SLC Finance until he does..

Anyone else in a similar situation? I want to leave it in his hands as he has to learn to sort these things out but it’s very frustrating!!

Dairymilkandtea · 03/10/2023 12:53

My dd went to register yesterday but the queue was really long so hasn’t done it yet either, hopefully be quieter today and they have all week to sort it. It’s hard isn’t it getting used to them being independent, I have been reading about them changing when they first come home from university at Christmas, dull at home compared to university.

ZittiEBuoni · 03/10/2023 16:11

DD has found her lost ID!

It had been handed in to the front desk...and they hadn't let her know Hmm. She only found out when she went to pick up a parcel I'd sent her.

She's also finally been placed in German for her open unit instead of the unwanted Geography - and within one lecture, the tutor has suggested moving her to the Post-Beginners group (she has German GCSE but thought she'd forgotten everything). Friend from home coming to visit tonight, and a 'Deep Funk' night with the Music Appreciation society in a local club (that she can now go to). So all looking reasonably bright now.

Original poster
Titsywoo · 03/10/2023 20:10

DD is feeling a bit better today and has gone to the Taylor Swift society first get together this evening so hoping that was good. Lecture tomorrow then the Hookers society in the afternoon (don't worry its for crochet 😂)

Her boyfriend has had to go home for a few days but honestly I'm kind of glad. They are spending too much time together which isn't good for her meeting people. I am also concerned about the fact that he has basically moved in with her at her private halls. It isn't allowed (max 3 nights a week is in the contract) but since several of her flatmates have people staying all the time (and noone from the management checks) she has been letting him stay what appears to be every night bar one since moving in 10 days ago. I'm not happy about it for many reasons - one being that we are paying 30% of the rent and are guarantors on the contract! I need to talk to her about it but am giving it a bit longer to see if they get bored of constantly being together (probably unlikely).

Is anyone else struggling to not get too involved especially when you can see them making mistakes? I'm finding it very hard and think I might be coming across as a right nag. She is my PFB and we are pretty close but I know she is an adult now and needs to find her own way. However I'm a bit of a control freak. I know I need to rein myself in - I'm just finding it very hard!

OP posts:
Allloveisbeautiful · 03/10/2023 20:33

@Titsywoo I am also a bit of a control freak but they are never going to learn unless they have to do things for themselves… even if it does mean they make mistakes. DS is very patient with me because I text him regularly to ask what he’s eating, what he’s up to etc! But he is being pretty responsive so far. He’s coming home at the weekend to watch the F1 with DH so will be lovely to see him and I expect he’ll have a bag of washing with him 🤣

HasaDiga · 04/10/2023 02:16

Ffs DS is 100 miles away and has called me totally lost, totally wasted and he has lost his bank cards, all his cash, his drivers licence and his shoes! How do you lose your shoes?!

Fortunately on campus and it’s a campus I know very well so with the use of face time and much falling into bushes I was able to eventually get him back to his flat. Now I can’t sleep because I’m worried about him.

Fifireee · 04/10/2023 04:52

@HasaDiga Oh no!
Thank goodness he called you. You’re brilliant to have been able to direct him!
Hopefully all his things will turn up. I wonder what happened to the shoes?!

My dd had had to cancel her bank card because it was cloned so she has had no money for three days and didn’t want to bother me. She rang about something else and only told me when she mentioned she hadn’t had lunch because she wasn’t hungry. She is never not hungry! She’s quite frankly a danger to society when she hasn’t eaten.
Anyway I’ve sent her some money to her new account and now she has food!

MustbeFeverTree · 04/10/2023 08:05

Ffs DS is 100 miles away and has called me totally lost, totally wasted and he has lost his bank cards, all his cash, his drivers licence and his shoes! How do you lose your shoes?

At least he didn't lose his phone!

And thank goodness he trusted you enough to call you when he'd messed up.

IWillNoLie · 04/10/2023 08:42

Fifireee · 04/10/2023 04:52

@HasaDiga Oh no!
Thank goodness he called you. You’re brilliant to have been able to direct him!
Hopefully all his things will turn up. I wonder what happened to the shoes?!

My dd had had to cancel her bank card because it was cloned so she has had no money for three days and didn’t want to bother me. She rang about something else and only told me when she mentioned she hadn’t had lunch because she wasn’t hungry. She is never not hungry! She’s quite frankly a danger to society when she hasn’t eaten.
Anyway I’ve sent her some money to her new account and now she has food!

I’ve advised DS to keep some cash for exactly that sort of eventuality. It seems cash has pretty much gone out of use for that generation.

HasaDiga · 04/10/2023 09:10

DS is safe and awake but he has no memory of the night (which is probably just as well!). I managed to get the bank to cancel his card at 2.30 am…. I went to the university he’s at (albeit thirty + years ago) so fortunately I could see things I recognised from the FaceTime screen.

Kids, who’d have them?!! 🙄😆

Delphigirl · 04/10/2023 10:15

HasaDiga · 04/10/2023 09:10

DS is safe and awake but he has no memory of the night (which is probably just as well!). I managed to get the bank to cancel his card at 2.30 am…. I went to the university he’s at (albeit thirty + years ago) so fortunately I could see things I recognised from the FaceTime screen.

Kids, who’d have them?!! 🙄😆

I’m sorry this is so funny. And you described it so well! I could practically see the phone screen turn black and hear the foliage and heavy breathing as he drunkenly tumbled into and climbed out of another bush 🤣🤣🤣
delighted he is in one piece!

Tabbytabs · 04/10/2023 10:15

@HasaDiga I’m glad your ds is ok, but that did make me laugh! Poor boy. Hopefully he can piece together the events of the night and get his stuff back!

troppibambini6 · 04/10/2023 13:02

@HasaDiga I'm so glad he's alright but it made me chuckle it sounds like the kind of thing I would have done to my poor mum 😆

Dd is still loving life. She saw her boyfriend this weekend and I sense she's getting a bit fed up with him.... she said all he does is sleeps. She's very independent whereas he's always had everything done for him and is finding doing everything very tiring 😆

I'm going over to see her for the first time in 3 weeks on Friday. I'm really excited!

MirandaWest · 04/10/2023 14:31

DS just sent me a text saying “I might join a beer brewing society”

Sounds a good idea 😃

HasaDiga · 04/10/2023 14:46

Update on the drunken son. Apparently he hadn’t lost his shoes, he was just so extremely drunk that he didn’t realise he was carrying them! That’s even more confusing than why he took them off in the first place!! 🙄😆

Tabbytabs · 04/10/2023 14:59

@MirandaWest Amazing! Dd is going to a real ale society meet up on Friday. Beer people are the best people!

@HasaDiga the tale just gets funnier 🤣 I want some of whatever he was drinking! Hope his head isn’t too sore.

GrassWillBeGreener · 04/10/2023 15:05

DS was home briefly on Sunday. Apparently he can still play the piano perfectly fluently when rather drunk (I'm not surprised to hear this actually). He was definitely feeling fragile when we saw him but it then became clear he was also dealing with a dose of fresher's flu. Sounds like he was ok yesterday (brief reply to a text, I'm jealous of those of you who get more communication from your students...)

MargaretThursday · 04/10/2023 16:49

@HasaDiga So funny! Hopefully he's learnt a lesson though, even if he can't remember it!

Dd has phoned a number of times now. Always with a question, but then stayed on talking. I'm conflicted between feeling delighted to talk with her as she said she wouldn't be contacting much, and worried that she's not enjoying it as much as she says she is. Silly worrying really!

ZittiEBuoni · 04/10/2023 17:02

@HasaDiga That's put my dd's woes with the lost ID into perspective, how funny (for me to read, probably not for you to deal with lol).

DD has a friend visiting from home for a couple of days and I'm really stupidly jealous that somebody else gets to see her before I do. She hasn't decided whether or not to come home for reading week - if she doesn't, I'm going up to see her for a couple of days.

HicIocusEst · 04/10/2023 17:27

MargaretThursday · 04/10/2023 16:49

@HasaDiga So funny! Hopefully he's learnt a lesson though, even if he can't remember it!

Dd has phoned a number of times now. Always with a question, but then stayed on talking. I'm conflicted between feeling delighted to talk with her as she said she wouldn't be contacting much, and worried that she's not enjoying it as much as she says she is. Silly worrying really!

That's me.
Every time she messages me I'm trying not to go "why are you chatting to me? What's wrong? Are you lonely?"

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