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!

Oh that's good news @MirandaWest

Great news @MirandaWest . Still no news here...

Seems like they have got the house as DS texted to say he’d paid a deposit and put me down as a guarantor 😊

That's good news Miranda.

DS was having a slight wobble last night as he had a group presentation this morning.

Last weekend when u was trying to encourage him to do some work on it as he was complaining he had nothing to do he said "don't worry about it mum, I will get all the group work done in the sessions this week". 🤦‍♀️

Hallelujah, dd has found a house for next year! so she can stop panicking and talking about trying to get a place somewhere else via clearing on this summer's results day .

It's super central and fairly reasonable rent for Bristol, but she will have a few unknown flatmates as well as the ones she was house hunting with. Hopefully they won't be ASBO types...

@troppibambini6 £150 a shift!! Bloody hell.

My DD is on zero hours contract at £7.55ph - more than minimum wage believe it or not. She’s wanted retail and zero experience so beggars can’t be choosers. She only started this week. I’m just hoping she does get decent lengthy shifts as it’s a 2+ hour round trip with 2 buses each way. I’m now wondering if she should have a car there. The house next year has parking. We are a good 230 miles away but I’d rather she got the train up and down really. Little cars and motorways are a bit hideous. Anyone else’s DC have a car? Thinking about it?

I'm wondering whether DS will want to take his car up to uni next year. Not sure whether new house has parking or not.

He sent me two texts at about 8 this morning which initially worried me, thinking there was a health issue - but he was just saying he doesn't have any classes tomorrow so he's coming back today rather than tomorrow (planned weekend visit as he's doing a gig with his band here on Saturday).

Ds is not on £150 a shift but he's managed to pull himself out of the financial hole. He has 3 jobs. They are all relevant to his degree and the pay is Ok. He is extremely dyspraxic which means that he genuinely does not have the skills to work in lots of student jobs - retail, bars, warehouses. He's tried and he's just in awe of people that can do that kind of work.

He's having to work really hard and is way over his allowed working hours for uni.

No movement on getting housing but I've recently realised that it can be different in London.

DD is finding it difficult to find work in Bristol, which surprised me - surely there are lots of opportunities there? But she's planning to work lots of shifts over Easter in her job here to make up for it.

@ZittiEBuoni I think there's also lots of candidates.

My ds is in London. His flatmate is finding it so hard. And he's in his 20s with decent employment history. He's been turned down by all the supermarkets. He's got bar experience too but again, no luck.

DD has arrived home for the weekend. We are off to York on Saturday. I jokingly I said I would drive her up so she could meet up with a couple of school friends who are studying there if she booked me into Betty's tea shop. DD and her friends all agreed so they have booked for us all to go but I have started a major health regime -ordered by the the gp-! Still I am going to enjoy the afternoon. DD and friends then off clubbing and no, I will not join them! She has a group presentation next week and thankfully all members have been working well together. She has had a number of shifts at work but has not been paid yet. Not found a house yet though. In Bristol so I am getting a little worried.@NotDonna thinking of getting car but insurance, parking putting us off at the moment. Will make a major effort during summer holidays.

Dd's got another uti. Frustratingly the last one I went to fetch her, but the GP (she's stuck with the home one because of complicated medical issues) issued a prescription without seeing her. This time I was hoping not to have to fetch her, and the GP said he wouldn't prescribe without seeing her.

But the really positive thing is she went (with a friend) to minor injuries and got it sorted herself. Which is amazing, because she can have health anxiety about talking to the doctors and I honestly didn't think she'd do it without me going there.

@NotDonna she's on £10 an hour and usually gets about £40 in tips. She usually does a ten or twelve hour shift.
She's very lucky to have landed it.

Dd has had a really busy couple of weeks with two lots of work experience and quite a lot of social stuff. There is a boy on the scene but when I've tried to prove I was told "mum it's not that deep" so I'm staying out of it!

She had her three assessments back and has done well. She got a 2:1 in two of them and two marks off a 2:1 in the third which she's furious about. She puts a lot of pressure on herself but I've told her to read the feedback and learn from it.

Dd has a car but hasn't taken it.... she has made noises about taking it next year but the idea f her driving over the snake pass in her little car makes me feel sick.

@MargaretThursday that's massive by your dd. Anxiety of any sort is a beast! Full power to dd. I hope she recovers well.

DD is also coming home this weekend (3x trains and first time doing so) @Lowther

@MargaretThursday sorry to hear about your DD's uti but great she got herself seen. Can I ask where the minor injuries clinic is please? DD had to take a friend to hospital which was in Chichester but hoping for a closer one (if DD ever needed to see someone) as DD is in Bognor.

@troppibambini6 great grades there, she must be so happy.

Just found out DD has got herself a job at Uni as an ambassador but I don't know how regular the work will be or the hourly rate but I'm so pleased she's sorted something as she says she's running out of money. I would be too if I was spending what she does on Costa coffees haha 😜

@AnneOfCleavage

She went to one at St Richard's which I think is just behind the Bishop Otter campus. It looks like it is on Google maps and she got there pretty quickly anyway.

She initially went to A&E because that was where she found and they sent her on with an appointment.
She was in and out in less than an hour, which I was quite impressed by.

@MargaretThursday thank you very much much. Of course, I remember your DD is BO campus not BR. Tbf it was great A&E saw her quickly and made her an appointment at the MIU. When DD took her friend to the hospital it was with an 111 appointment and she was there hours.
Hope she's on the mend soon with her antibiotics.

That’s a bit harsh. A 2.1 is the standard and most common degree award and what most employers would be looking for.

@AnneOfCleavage thank you yes she's really pleased just hoping she doesn't sit back too
Much now 😆 there seems to still be a lot of partying!

@RoyKentFanclub thank you

@MargaretThursday that's a massive achievement for your dd. You just be so proud of her! Ds suffers with anxiety so I know how crippling it can be.

Maybe if you hadn't been so rude in the first place I wouldn't have needed to be.

The end. I'm not engaging further.