Parents of Durham freshers 2026

[NellyNoMates]

Thought I would start a new thread for parents of any Durham freshers starting September 2026.

I found the similar thread from last year so helpful in preparation, but don’t want to hijack their thread with our own questions etc.

All welcome

Thats good to hear - we have the same job for this morning. I’m pretty sure my DD has packed way too many clothes but I suppose at least then she won’t need to use the washing machines so much! Everything is vacuum packed though so it might be very creased on arrival!l She is travelling up with my husband tomorrow, I’m following in the evening with DS.

I googled, it suggests you need to move your car out of the drop off zone to longer term parking asap. It says you can go in but the flats are small. We have stuff in plastic boxes so hoping to take those away as I’m driving my car but the bulk of the stuff will go in her Dads van which he is driving up.

Thanks!

You may have to move the car at the Bailey colleges after it is unloaded but you can definitely come back. If there are two parents, one could stay and start unpacking while the other parks.

Yes our plan is for DH to stay in the car and be ready to drive off to different parking as soon as car is empty - DD goes to get key, and I will assist freps with getting stuff to her room. We will then begin the unpacking and will definitely be removing one of the suitcases, at least one of the plastic boxes (one may stay to act as a bookcase for all her course books depending on shelving in the room) and probably several of the large bags. (Those more so that she doesn’t have to dispose of them) We’ll just have to walk back to the car with those empty items but they won’t be heavy and we for sure won’t be the only ones doing it I’m sure.

Her roommate doesn’t move in until about 6 hours after her so we are planning to try and sort everything before she arrives as we don’t want to impinge on the space when there is another family there trying to sort stuff out.

Thanks, that's reassuring. I'm not a big one for emotional goodbyes, so I doubt we'll linger long, but I'm not sure I want to just drop at the car and go (particularly with a 12 hour round drive!).

I’ve cooked a family dinner with all DS2s favourites. He created a play list for the event starting with another brick in the wall, he’s leaving home etc, he loves a play list.
Me “when my time comes you can do the music for my funeral”
DS2 “ I’ll start with ding dong the witch is dead”.
Hope everything goes well tomorrow for everyone.

We've done the food shop just now to avoid the hoardes tomorrow. If it's anything to go by, DD will be living off of Pot Noodles and coffee cake next week... Our efforts to get her cooking this summer have definitely failed!

We're going to be buying food when we arrive as the car is pretty small. I think logistically its going to be a pain.

Good luck today, everyone. I'm slightly apprehensive after DD cried on me last night saying she was scared. I'm hoping she has some lovely kind flatmates and they connect quickly today.

She's been on a really challenging journey over the last 6 years (school refused for 2.5yrs and took her GCSEs online, had an ASC diagnosis which she'd now rejected, then went back for sixth form and thrived despite some MH challenges) and we're holding our breath, hoping this is the right next step for her. It's what she's wanted, but it's still hard.

Best wishes to her, I hope she connects with people early and isn’t too disheartened if it takes a few weeks.

My DD initially had quite a downbeat freshers’ last year as she didn’t gel with the people on her corridor, and there was a teary call just before matriculation. I remember telling her that there were only a handful of people on her corridor and literally hundreds of newbies in her college, so SOMEONE had to be nice - she just had to keep meeting people. Fortunately she met the “corridor above” during matriculation and fell in with them at meals, and firm friendships grew from there.

I think Freshers Week is actually a bit pressured as everyone wants to have the time of their lives immediately, but it’s pretty normal for it to take a little while to find your friends!

How did today's move go for you all? It's was seamless - massive thanks to the Stevo Freps. And DD met her lovely neighbour which massively helped her. It's going to be tough but we're quietly hopeful.

Dropped DD off today - There seem to be lots of very confident boys playing 50 a side football on the lawn outside her window. She says she can’t see herself being friends with anyone on her corridor ☹️. She’s going to go to lots of events though.

Well, drop-off was good - college seemed really friendly, room was fine. DS (generally quite an introvert) seemed pretty cheerful and we left him heading off to explore the college and buy a robe. He's going to a club night later, which is fairly hilarious for him - he's definitely an introvert who'll be pretending to be an extrovert for a few days, before (hopefully) finding his geekier niche. I actually surprised myself by feeling more excited than worried for him than him as I walked away. He's already messaged a couple of photos, which I'm taking as a good sign! He bumped into a couple of people from school while wandering around the city yesterday, which I think helped to anchor him a bit. For me, I think it will feel strangest when I get home and tidy up his room a bit after the packing frenzy.