Thread 40 - Corona Cohort , Falling into Autumn 🍂

[CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee]

This is a support thread for our young adults post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting, and their results ( or life updates for those who went into work or have had results earlier). It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, uni vs employment please don't within this thread.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue. We were previously on the secondary board and then further education, now we shall be here in 'Parents of Adult Children' gulp

Our DS/DD may continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed). Be warned there might be lots of 'Uni Freshers' chat this time of year. My experience is that everyone is welcomed wherever, whatever their child is doing we have some in work, gap years , apprenticeships etc too. Lots of contributors with different experiences and always sympathy and support to be had !

This is exactly the same for DD.

DDs got her first freshers event tonight at the SU so a good chance to mix and meet some more people (and recover tomorrow) before her course starts on Tuesday.

@Heifer thanks for the heads up on insurance. Ds1 says he hasn't done it, didn't notice it.

@singingstones
No. Are we expecting instructions re drop off?

Sounds like today’s drop offs have gone well! Hope they all have a good first night/day.

After showing no interest in uni all summer, dd has gone into full on spending (my money) mode 😩 Even buying from B&M and the Range, it’s cost me a fortune!

My DD is living in a uni-owned shared house for 5. They have a kitchen and a dining room, but no lounge as such!

@Oblomov22
All they've said so far is to arrive at University Park 15 mins before your slot to allow time to walk to the halls, but not sure where he has to go at UP, what he has to do there and why we don't drive straight to the halls as there is parking right outside. Also where he gets his key etc. Was just wondering if anyone had heard about that kind of thing.

Reading hall for DD is a self contained flat for 8, with kitchen with table and chairs at one end.

Drop off went smoothly with lots of trollies and helpers, although I was glad we had an early slot as cars looked backed up when we left at about 12. DD was disappointed I hadn’t left a huge ‘care package’ full of sweets and made her bed like some of the other parents did apparently. Hmmm

She seems to have met lovely flat mates and apart from struggling with noise from outside last night seems to be settling.

Just received photo of delicious looking Spag Bol - lining the stomach before the pub, methinks! She also asked where she’d put her Tupperware, so may have overcatered!

@singingstones are you Broadgate Park? I know where DS has to collect his Rutland key from and at what time. This was in the accomodation induction. I'm assuming that parking will be obvious when we arrive. I read somewhere that once we've dumped his stuff we can move the car to the field near the West gate, where we parked for the open day.

Finally got DS to sort through his wardrobe and drawers ( I first asked him to do this in the first lockdown 🤷) We now have three huge bags for the charity shop and a small pile of clothes to take to uni. He has still being wearing some age 11 tops/PJ's/pants 🤭 I've got no idea what to do with his old school uniform (also being wearing until recently as lounge wear as Polo shirts and hoodies - no uniform in sixth form) as school has totally changed the uniform this year.

@mummyinbeds I’m not sure dd (also in Rutland) did the accommodation induction. Was there anything else important she needs to know? Was it live or a video? She seems to have mainly been watching TikToks telling her about all the things she needs to buy 😩

Yes Broadgate Park, I will get him to check his emails. @omnishambles do you know how arrival / key collection etc works?

We’re back from RHUL, all went smoothly but I’m drained. I can’t go into dd’s room tonight which is so silly, particularly when the hairdryer is in there and I’ve just washed my hair!
I’m glad things seem to have gone well overall this weekend for us all on here. Let’s hope it continues.

Exeters East Park is really rather lovely , beautiful bedroom looking onto woods, huge well appointed kitchen with space for 10 to cook eat and relax together.
so glad she’s in and we are in our lovely room. Everyone was getting tense.
The other students seemed nice. She got invited out tonight , but declined- too exhausted by picking the 1 bra to get left behind….

Glad so many have had smooth landings. Just speaking to Dd. Nobody has emerged from their rooms today. The one friendly lad has texted and set up a group chat on DD’s suggestion but other haven’t replied. Why do people stay in halls if no interest in socialising with flat mates? It’s so unfair in the others. She went for a walk around shops today alone. When she got back a friend of a friend who is in other halls messaged to invite her out tonight and she leapt at the chance.

@Benjispruce4 Is there any sort of communal area where she might meet people in other flats? Ds’ friend moved in yesterday & also found his flatmates did not come out of their rooms. He deliberately had not arranged meet his school friends as he wanted to get to know his flatmates. I think he hung around a common room & found some people to go to the SU with.

DD didn't do it properly either so I went through it earlier. Only thing I really noted was insurance. You needed to accept their free insurance. The induction info is still there under accommodation login so I would go into it and agree to insurance and set a login for it. Need to get DD to download an app I think too (havent done that yet)

@Decorhate tnere is no communal area in her building but she can use the next building. Don’t think she’s brave enough to go in her own. Lots of people at NTU already know others.. We had t considered this. Thought everyone would be making a fresh start like it was for DD1.

Well she's in. I'm exhausted! No trollies so everything carried up to her 2 Nd floor flat. We helped start sorting out her stuff as she seemed completely overwhelmed by it. Lovely room, although on the small side, so storage limited. Same in the kitchen. There are 13 in the flat, all moved in today. We took her to the supermarket for a food shop. Finally left her after 5 hours, and got home 3.5 hours later. Have since had texts to say some of them are ordering pizza and some are going to the SU welcome party, so fingers crossed she will find some friends. Feeling fairly numb at the moment 🙁

Hope all is going well with other new arrivals.

Glad things have generally gone smoothly. @Benjispruce4 I’m sorry DD is in with people who aren’t coming out of their rooms. I rather suspect DS will be one who does this, I think he finds change a bit overwhelming and is very shy, rather than not having any interest and will take time to adjust. He was really freaked out when he started boarding and struggled and I thought he would have to come home but he did adjust. Hopefully your DD will have a good time tonight with the people from the other flat and get to know them, then in time her flat mates will emerge.

I understand that @Volterra i guess it’s because there are only 4 you notice it whereas in a larger flat there are enough people to talk to.

Sorry to keep asking everyone about the HSBC accounts but one more question! DS tried to set up the app but it asks for digits from his “telephone security number” but we don’t have that? A quick google leads me to believe he should get that in a separate letter but can anyone confirm how they got theirs?

Also, the insurance, his is with Endsleigh and he set up the log in but the link in the verification email takes us to an error page so when we try to log in it just says he hasn’t verified his email address, anyone else had this issue?

@Benjispruce4 sorry to hear about DD’s flatmates, such a shame they are being so unsociable. Hopefully they will start to come out a bit and mix with everyone

I totally get that @Benjispruce4 . I will be loading DS up with cake and encouraging him to go to kitchen and hand it around but am not holding my breath . 4 is a very small flat and can see that must be very difficult for her. Hang in there, things will improve.

@Fiddlersgreen DD never got the number either so she rang the HSBC telephone banking number and when it got to that question didn’t enter anything and got put through to speak to a very helpful person who took her through some security questions then she was able to set it up on the phone then stayed on the line while she logged into online banking and activated the card.

Fingers crossed for your dd @Benjispruce4 . Hopefully she’ll find friends elsewhere and her flatmates will gradually come out of their shells. Reassure her that it will take time to make real friends and she’ll have lots of opportunities to meet people over the next term.

Glad things have gone smoothly for most of you - hope DC find their feet and settle quickly. We've still got another week to go here!