Fledglings 2026 - support, discussion and looking after each other

[ComingInByAnsible]

A thread for parents of Year 13 leavers as they go on to universities, apprenticeships and other new adventures.

DS is off to Warwick to study PPE.

And you can do multiple banks maybe it tanks credit score idk and I never really cared but a few years back I did Natwest, RBS, Santander, Lloyds and nationwide without issue and there are even better deals this year as Lloyds will give deliveroo credit too

Tbh don't think I violated any Terms and conditions either or if so it was not made very clear then oops

@MedicalStudent2024 Maybe he is actually a genius then! I had assumed that you would have to get your loan paid into a student account but then I suppose that some (lucky) students don't get loans so maybe not

Nah you just need to put like 100 quid in or something - nothing to do with a student loan

All you need is to have an offer (or for some have also got your grades so its confirmed) and then provide this code which is found on UCAS

I'd love some opinions about accomodation.

The college my DC will attend offers accomodation for all three years,. First years usually share a bathroom but some ensuites are available. She is a T1 diabetic. I know that a mini fridge will be provided so she can keep her pens cold as needed, and I'm wondering if she should also request an ensuite. She needs to inject multiple times daily and is more comfortable doing that in an environment that she knows is clean and hygienic. And she checks her CGM against finger stick tests several times a day as well. She's a bit nervous about being a squeaky wheel before even starting, but I feel like the accomodations staff are probably very accustomed to this sort of thing and will know how to manage it.

Yes, I think it would be good to let the accommodation team know. It's not being a squeaky wheel to let them know of her situation and to politely ask if she can be considered for the ensuite.

@temperedolive Yes, definitely let them know. It may help put her mind at ease about how she will manage everything. I am sure there will be lots of people making similar requests to accommodation team for various health conditions. Best to flag up earlier rather than later.

They only let you have a student account these days if the loan and maintenance etc is paid directly into this account

How have people finished packing? We've got 2, one for UoM, other at KCL but they don't have move in dates yet... Does everyone? Our plan is to send them off with only a few things and shop After they've been there a day or 2 when they'll know what they'll need. Is that crazy?

I'm also thinking they'll find their own favorite food spots etc I wasn't thinking we'd be doing much for them and they'll find their own way, being adults and all!

@HeyAunty agree with you. Just hoping to help with a few things when I’m allowed to! Daughter is a mix of very independent but also quite anxious about the whole thing. Nowhere near packed and ready - only know which accommodation she’s in and when she needs to get there at the moment. She’s also busy at work and going out with pals so not devoting much time to it and we are away for a week too.

Not even started packing leaving that up to DD. But bought her one nice duvet set and a sheet to go along with old ones she can take and the ones she’s bought. We know the moving in week dates but not been given a set date and time yet.

DD is headed to Durham and we haven’t done anything yet. We know her college, but won’t get her room allocation until next week so can’t sort bedding etc yet anyway. It’s also fully catered so I haven’t really got my head around what she actually needs in terms of stuff for the kitchenette yet. So, so different to when DS went to uni and had to take everything with him. We also had an incredibly quick turnaround with him so were on it from the day his place was confirmed. Durham moving weekend still feels very far away and DD is still in the midst of volunteering at summer schemes so we’ve not really got into gear yet. Next week once the younger ones head back to school we’ll get on it.

@ProdTraybakeQueen, that’s it, there are big discrepancies between when uni terms start. from Scottish unis starting imminently to Oxbridge start in October. It’s still more than a month till Warwick moving in window, so we haven’t started to pack. The Ansible household is also pretty last-minute by most people’s standards!

However, it’s really helpful to read everyone’s packing suggestions. I keep finding things I haven’t come across before that I wouldn’t mind getting for myself! Thanks for the pans suggestions, @manywanderings!

@FalteringFledgling, sorry to read the accommodation news, sounds awful. Hope the comments in the reviews have already been addressed and therefor no longer apply.

My fledgling is flying on Sunday! (French uni). So close now.

I’m including a mini screwdriver set in her packing, as it may come in useful. Also on the list is an extension cable, as there are never enough sockets. She can get that when she arrives.

My daughter is off to newcastle too - studying biomedical science. She is so excited. I just keep thinking it’s 250 miles away but she is so ready…and I’m excited for her.

No this is not true - I know someone who has got the accounts this year and does not have student finance

My daughter is having a MASSIVE wobble. Excited to go to LJMU but not sure about her course. She always thought she would do graphic design and illustration. When we visited she was in the middle of a level art project she was not enjoying. Visiting the graphic design departments made her very stressed , everyone’s work looked so wonderful , she wasn’t enjoying her art at that time ( having some burnout ) . We visited the media department and she was so happy , really excited that she could do art for herself and learn a totally new creative skill whilst keeping art for pleasure. Now as the day approaches she’s worried she’s made the wrong choice . Since she visited unis she grew into her art , really enjoyed year 13. Got an A*. She did a week in BBC in a regional studio recording a live program and found it a bit boring . She has ADHD and can be a little bit negative . Now she’s panicking , saying she misses art. Has been looking at the work students have produced and is thinking she may have made a mistake. She’s currently asleep with a migraine. Both courses are currently in clearing . She does not know what to do . What would you advise ?

There should be course handbooks for both courses providing details for the modules she'd be doing on each course. I think she should read through both of them and think about which modules she'd rather be doing.

DS has just opened a student account and isn't taking any loans. The only condition is that he has to receive a certain amount of money into the account regularly - but that doesn't have to come through official channels. Presumably the bank just cares about the money coming in - not where it's from. So we'll pay his tuition, accommodation and living allowance into that account, and he'll then pay it to the university.

Yeah, also depends on the bank

Natwest for example didn't even require anything paying in, the £100 was given pretty quickly and the account can then be closed

Some banks will charge a small fee if you do not regularly put money in (I think)

But as for getting the student offers its pretty simple, put the money they request in i.e 500 quid and wait for the reward

Nationwide has the just eat vouchers so for that you need to keep the account and claim a voucher each month for a year

It is my main account and I am happy with them for anyone interested

We went for Santander, as they give a free four year railcard, which will come in handy as DS is going to the other end of the country. They also do an 8% linked regular saver account.

She has and is still as confused. She’s written to the course leader of graphic design to get further info .

If I am honest had bad experience with Santander but that could just be me, the railcard is super handy though so definitely worth at least opening for this and then can close or if you are happy keep it as his main account

Brilliant DD will be delighted to hear that. Good to know. She already has 2 bank accounts so can hopefully ask to be transferred over to a student acct with both.

Or just make a new separate student account, a switch is not necessary

Some banks will have switch offers which are separate but generally harder to do as require more money or direct debits and not applicable to student accounts.

I think in this case the easiest thing is simply to just create a new account at the new bank and then close the one you no longer want

DS just got the bank to automatically switch over to a student acct a couple of years ago. So DD will just do the same.

DD had to open up an account with a different bank because she had some fraudulent transactions twice on the same first account. She still has both accounts so can hopefully actually open a completely new student account at the first bank with all new details and close the fraudulent one completely.