Uni starters 2024

[radiator2]

The countdown is on. Uni move in has started for some unis and is right around the corner for others. How are we all feeling? Wishing the best of luck to all freshers!

My first year also has a house sorted for next year - as opposed to his older brother who still hadn’t got anything sorted in the July for going back in September for his 3rd year. In the end they took a flat in private halls - the online photos made them look nice, in reality we nicknamed it ‘the bunker’.

@DemocracyR The legal situation for renters is different in Scotland, so students can't usually sort out accommodation until the spring. DD is at Edinburgh and is hoping her group can start looking in the new year, but from what I have read it seems April / May is more realistic. Presumably St Andrews will be similar. The downside is last minute rush. The upside is that they don't have to decide on flatmates so soon after starting uni.

Also still here! Continue to love reading about how your kids are doing. So pleased to hear about those who are doing well, especially after less ideal starts, and hope things improve for those who are poorly.

DD is still loving uni life, both the academic aspect and, particularly, the social one (that one a tad too much, maybe?). We've been to see her again and are looking forward to her coming back next week. Still hasn't got a flat sorted, although there have been conversations and she's part of a loose group who've agreed to live together. She tells me there's no rush as there's plenty of accommodation where she is, and if she's not stressed, I'm not either.

I know it's not all roses and there are bumps along the way that we're not told about, but I try not to dwell on that too much and cling to the belief that should a bump be significant enough she'd ask for help. (Yes, "Worry" is my middle name 🤣).

Coming home next week! We met up in a middle town a couple of weeks ago but she hasn't been home at all. She's absolutely loving life, the course, new friends, best social life she's ever had.

Just paid the deposit on a lovely room for next year that used to be a uni block but was sold and renovated, so still virtually on campus, so that seems less stressful than I thought it would be.

Most exams are after Christmas but she was so excited to tell me she got 89% on her first module yesterday!

What a great start to uni life she's having!

DD had 68% and 70% on her first modules - being two years post A-Level she seemed very relieved to have got off to a solid start. I'm not sure what the overall pass mark is for the module but hopefully that relieves the pressure on the final assignments.

Hello! I've only skimmed from November... seems most are settled with a few ups and downs- as one would expect! I visited DD in November and we had a lovely (if expensive- Premier Inn isn't that cheap) visit Remembrance Day weekend.

DD has really become involved - works on the newspaper, course rep for her year, volunteer coordinator for her college. Again, still one friend and loads of acquaintances, but she has signed for a house next year very reasonable and perfect location for her. One essay to go (course load is intense), but this evening went to a dance recital and a panto at her college. She's been to a ball, has attended as many socials and guest speakers and events as she can fit in and made LinkedIn contacts- networking! For an introvert I'm so impressed. She's also applied for a summer internship already. Back Saturday and I can't wait.

Well, we have DD home with us again - she arrived looking tired out but hopefully some TLC will sort that out.

Definitely seems to have enjoyed herself and has made plenty of friends. Has an assignment due this Wednesday but she says she's only 400 words off finishing it and intends to do that today. They all got extensions due to them losing power (and water in some cases) during the storm.

Am a bit worried about her French exam in January as she seems to still not be sure of some basic vocabulary - I learn French myself as a hobby. I'm planning to enlist her help in testing me on lots of things - that should give her at least a bit of practice without me nagging.

The planned accommodation for next year fell through but apparently her proposed group is now planning just to rent one of the uni houses on campus for next year. Had a quick look at the Aber website and they seem to be positively encouraging students to continue in uni accommodation so hopefully that means there are plenty of spaces available. If it comes off it would certainly save me all the hassle of being a guarantor etc. Of course when I asked when she'd need to apply she said vaguely "summer?" and the booking portal actually opens tomorrow!! 🙄🙄

My son back. Definitely been enjoying himself! He has already started his old retail job which is good.
He and boys in his flat in process of getting 6 bedroom house as are the 6 girls. Got house (if all goes through ok) but rumblings round rooms as best to worst quite stark! He wants a mid range one but even he foresees awkward conversations ahead!

DS is home too. Worn out, happy, hungry 😅

@DizzyDandilion I'm relieved about the house the girls (5) settled in. The I've they seemed must left in was a but cheaper but one large bedroom, one tiny one (with no sockets!) and the others in between. But the one they have is more even and I told my DD to try and avoid the one next to the kitchen! But she said another girl wants it and she'd be happy with any of the others. I recommended a discussion about overnight guests...but all part of growing up!

My DS is on his way home, can’t wait to see him! This term has gone so much quicker than I thought it would.
His dream was always Loughborough and he had a very long journey to get there, rejected the first time, got lower grades than he needed then got papers remarked and then applied again and took a gap year. He hasn’t had the best start to Uni life, got put in a flat entirely of 2nd/3rd years which has been quite challenging.
He is currently full of self doubt, is a huge perfectionist and is finding the work harder than he is expected. Got 69% on first assessment which by all accounts is really good (70% is equivalent to a first) but he thinks it’s not good enough.
He has found a 5 bed house for next year with him, another boy and 5 girls…I’m hoping that it will make things easier for him.
He is working in his gap year job for this week then having time off to revise and rest.

It sounds as though he is very resilient.

He shouldn't beat himself up about missing one mark. If he could write perfect essays at this stage, he wouldn' actually need to be studying!

I remember he had a difficult start to uni. So glad to hear he’s stuck it out!

Well after basically two days sleep ("do you know how much I've had to socialise?!"), Mrs Never Made A Cup Of Tea In Her Life is making tea for us tonight 😯

I was worried she'd be all highly strung and feel trapped being back but it's all nice and chilled. Even screen boy addict has popped out for a catch up with his sister. Looking forward to finishing work on Friday so we can properly hang out!

Love the 'HAD' to socialise, like it's a compulsory lab class!

Isn't it! Classes they can miss as it's all recorded anyway. But good forbid socialising should be dropped.

My yp came back at the weekend and has just settled back into home, it's like she's never been away. Was starting to get a bit overwhelmed with all the assignments, which worried me as we have had big issues in the past with her being overwhelmed and huge anxiety issues but she was messaging me throughout and managed to get assignments in. One was late but she just spiralled so getting it in was an achievement in itself. I've advised her to speak with her tutor when she gets back, thinking of maybe seeing GP for advice too. Her college and lecturers were brilliant in terms of getting support in place but I'm not expecting too much from the uni. Hoping I'm wrong. But in the meantime I'm just enjoying having her back, my house feels full again. She's made arrangements to catch up with friends and get some shifts at her job here over the holidays but we've made some plans for outings too.

Getting those results with a difficult start is amazing. Hope he gets better accomodation next year.

DD is home, so happy to have her back. Despite her staying up until 4am creaking around as she’s ’not used to going to bed early’. She was ready to come home and have a break/reset from uni, so it’s so good she’s home. Feels like she never left.

Exactly the same here! Beyond lovely to have her back ❤, and to see her so genuinely happy, comfortable and cosy in her own home. And also creaking around on the first night, I imagine for the same reason.

DD is home. Arrived at 1am this morning as getting a later train was much cheaper. Has a rotten chest infection which she's been suffering from for a week but says she's feeling better than she was.

She's not impressed that she's no longer in 'her' room though - she's in the spare room. She knew about this and agreed with DS that he would move into her room when she left.

She's changed so much and seems much to 'big' for here (if that makes any sense). 3 months in London has made such a difference and built her confidence up.

Anyhow, I don't expect I'll see her much before 3pm today, and then she's out with friends.

I'm looking forward to the time she spends with us - the plan is for her to stay until term starts in January, with a trip back to London to celebrate the New Year.

DD now home a week and it's beginning to feel a bit normal again!

Came home with a bad cough but (fingers crossed) it seems to be improving a bit now. I wonder if these things can also be a bit of habit - when she's just sat in her room she coughs a lot more than when we're doing things with her.

Has booked her accomodation for next year - four of them in a uni house for five - so likely they'll be sharing with A Random Person as well. I'm a wee bit disappointed that she's not in a perfect house by the sea but having lived in a rented room the year before uni I suspect she's not terribly keen on a year of fighting over undone maintenance and trying to extract the deposit at the end of it.

She was also doing seminar prep yesterday so not entirely a lazy holiday!

Anyone else's DC gone back to Uni from the Xmas break yet? My DD has been home for 3 weeks and she has gone back this morning and my heart has broken all over again. It has been so amazing having her back home and I am sat here just feeling sad and lost again.

I know I will be okay and that I will settle back into her not being around again, but wow, initially its still so painful.

Can anyone reassure me that it gets better? That I will get used to the 'coming and going' and it won't always hurt so much.

@Lulubellamozarella sorry to hear you're feeling like this. Mine is going back on Thursday and I'm not looking forward to it. I fear it might even be worse - the going after coming back somehow feels crueller. I'm sorry I can offer no consolation, but lots of solidarity. 😘

DS going back tomorrow. I feel better (at the moment) than I did in the summer, but we’ll see.