They settle in and we miss them. Uni Starters 2023 - Thread 2

[spamm]

I wanted to get a news thread ready for everyone as you wake up in the Uk.

We are settling into a routine of talking to DS on FaceTime on Sunday mornings after our breakfast, which is early pm his time. It is so nice to see his smile and catch up on how he is doing. I know at some point he will have a bad day, but so far he seems to be doing so well, I am ridiculously proud.

Hope you all have a good week!

@MargaretThursday they may find that the original person wants back in!

I suspect that might happen too.

Ds has just text and said he's got a house. That's all he's told me. So I'm waiting to hear the actual details.

Also just found out he's got a girlfriend as he asked if he could bring her home for the weekend!

Now I feel like he's grown up....

Just back from dropping DS back at Newcastle. Feels like he’s had very long Christmas holidays but as his lectures don’t start again until tomorrow then he stayed here until today. As there was a week when he was in hospital then it’s been good to have him a bit longer.

He said he’s planning to be more sociable and meet new people a bit more (felt he probably wasn’t so much last term due to being with girlfriend so now he’s not he’s going to try different things). Am just hoping he’s OK as his health condition is such that it may well flare up again at some point.

He does seem to enjoy the learning part of university which is good 😊

Oh wow, even later than my DS @MirandaWest . I dropped him back last Sunday as Storm Isha was just getting going.

Hope your DS does have a good term. Mine seems resigned to treating it like a job with fairly hostile coworkers, and just counting down the days til he can next come home.

Just back from dropping DD back to Bristol. Food shop and then had dinner by the waterfront. She is looking forward to this term but still needs to get going on the housing for next year. Also got a job working Friday nights. It was great to have her home over the holidays. She had a number of assignments but was in good form and it was really great to hear the loud music and laughter, now back to quiet nights!

DS also needs to work on housing for next year.

DD is back at Bristol and wishing it was Cardiff...but she's always been a grass-is-greener type. She seriously talked about reapplying for next year, mostly because of all the househunting stress in Bristol, but seems to have abandoned that idea as she is close to securing a house now.

I can’t believe some of you are just dropping off your DC, DS has just started his third week back.

He has secured his accommodation for next year. Apart from completing the guarantor form we haven’t really been involved.

Same here. DS is also in week 3. There seems to be a big difference in term lengths.

DS has an eleven week term due to freshers and then two ten week terms. Finishes on 28th June.

DDs term technically started on Jan 8, but she only had 3 days of lectures that week then 2.5 weeks of nothing because many others had exams but her course doesn't. So she came home again!

Similar to @PatriciaHolm . DS had one exam during the assessment period and it could be done online, so he did it at home. Semester 2 got underway on 22 Jan so he didn't need to be back til then.

From what we can see, the whole of May is given over to assessments, which based on the current showing means that he could be finished with year 1 at the end of April 😱

DD doesn't start back until next Monday (5th). She's been home since 15th Dec! I think we're both ready for her to go back now.

DS's term also technically started January 8th (good thing for him his course didn’t as he was in hospital then!) - some courses had exams and others lectures as well I think but he just had an online submission to do so stayed put here.

Ds term started 22 January- but he went back before NYE and he also works in schools so had to get back sooner. I went to see him this weekend as it his birthday soon. He seems really happy but financially he is managing terribly. I'm a bit surprised as he is 20 and was always so stingy before. He is looking for better paid work.

Blimey, @loobylou44 , that's one long vacation! And Easter is early this year too.

Well done to your daughter forgetting a job! I have no idea how to advise my son. He has applied for so many minimum wage jobs but has had no luck at all.

@tribpot DS's university seems to only have 2 semesters, so his exams are scheduled for April, so could be home at the beginning of May for the start of the summer break

My DDs term officially started on 8th Jan, but in actual fact the first week was a reading week and the next 3 weeks were exams, but she's only had 3 exams across the whole 3 weeks. Term doesn't really start until 5th Feb. It's all feeling like a bit of a con really. DD feels the same. I think if she could get an engineering degree apprenticeship, she'd leave and do that.

I definitely think she needs to get a job, one that's part-time now, but where she can up her hours in the summer. I get the feeling she's bored - been revising since 16th December because she's really got nothing else to do work wise, and she'd much rather get stuck into working full time.

And because she only has revision to do, her mind wanders and she dwells on the ex-boyfriend, but I'm sympathied-out on that front, totally fed up of hearing about it.

Yeah I would be strongly advocating for a degree apprenticeship if my DS were doing a subject you could apprentice in, @Lyxou . It does feel like a con. He's bored, but so far from home it seems kinda pointless looking for a job there if he could be leaving end of April and not back til mid-September. He has applied for a role with the uni, but no news on that for a while.

I'm trying not to bring up the subject of moving unis again. It just feels pointless being exiled so far from home.

Dd's uni is going on semesters, so has almost no break at Easter, then finishes late May.
However she does seem to have no lectures/classes for about 1-2 weeks at the beginning and end of term, which, whereas is very nice for her, feels a little odd.
I suspect it may have been built into the system round covid as apparently these are for catching up on lectures etc missed.

DD went back 3 weeks ago but came home for a flying 24 hour visit on Friday which was really nice. She is enjoying her course which is very involved but not really having what I think of as the full uni experience - hardly going out at all. She says she is overall having an OK time so possibly I'm worrying too much. Solidarity to anyone whose DC is not having the best time (and of course it's great for all those who are enjoying everything!) also all the best to those who are coping with medical conditions - very tough.

Mine is still at home, going back at the weekend. She's had several assignments to complete and submit online and lectures/semester 2 starts on Monday. It's been a very long holiday and she's enjoyed the comforts of home, I think I'll struggle again having had her home for so long but hopefully it'll gradually get easier. Enjoying Uni and the course but she's very quiet and struggles socially.

My ds is fine socially (which is nice) but is very bored by his course. I have suggested he seeks every additional opportunity connected to his course. But he's already good at all that networking stuff. He's ahead on the work (as in he has completed the assignments but not submitted until it's actually taught it just in case) so far he's getting firsts on what he has submitted m.

He is actually putting on job applications that he's studying part time. I am hoping this will change a bit as we are only year 1 semester 1. He doesn't see it as a scam such but obviously it's not great.

Dd dropped out and 'scam' was her exact description.

DS seems to be having a rotten time. He wants me to go over tomorrow to see him (it’s not too far), so I’m obviously worried about him. He is quite a shy thing - argh - but his own worst enemy (ie won’t listen or take advice).