The trials and tribulations of Uni Apps for 2018.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

Just thought I'd start a wee thread for those with DC applying for uni for next year (or indeed applying for themselves) in ase anyone was up for sharing knowledge/support/venting etc.

I have DS1 applying for this year. Still doesn't know where to or what for .

Not done any open days yet and lots now clashing so can't do them all. He wont go alone and wont ask anything or tell us anything about it if he did, so looks like it might be family days out for the next month or so. Dragging DS2 with us as he is currently doing Highers and given his poor Nat 5 results, he needs some motivation to pull his finger out if he wants to go to Uni.

How is everyone else getting on?

That's okay then! And bracing myself for the cost of halls, especially as he decided against Edinburgh which (for us) would have been convenient and cheaper. He likes living here but says he wanted a new place for university and not to feel that he might bump into us at any minute. We're actually moving to rural Fife in the summer so he wouldn't do but there you go.

Currently having the argument discussion with ds about the relative costs of New Carnegie Court (£142/week) versus Grant Court (£109/week). He can apply now as he has pressed the button accepting his Unconditional for Aberdeen.

We're telling him asking him if having an ensuite shower and loo is worth £33/week as that would be his food etc bill and we're not paying the extra for him

Plus the "communal" area (kitchen, dining, sofa) area is bigger in Grant Court.

The beds are bigger in New Carnegie (3/4 double) apparently - but that's not an issue for ds as he's not tall.

According to ds' cousin, the wardrobes are bigger in Grant Court - but that's perhaps more of an issue for a girl! not sure ds even knows what a wardrobe or chest of drawers are for as everything is kept in the floordrobe

I suppose it's got to be their call
Tell them what contribution you are prepared to make and let them decide

Dd will pay for accommodation from her loan, we'll pay for her food. I'll give her the money and send food parcels. She needs to pay for fun things.

We're going to add up the bursary and full loan as a proxy for the amount that is deemed necessary for students. We'll make sure that ds has that amount available to him (still to decide whether he takes out a loan - dh has a visceral dislike of loans whereas I take the view that with the interest rates charged by SAAS, he might as well take the loan; we can always help him pay it off at a later date).

Thereafter, he has to realise that there are choices in his budgeting; so if he chooses the more expensive accommodation, then he's either going to be short of money or will have to find a part-time job (as opposed to a job giving him a bit of extra money). We're not paying the difference.

We might still choose to pay for certain "luxuries" for him like the membership of the Sports Village (iirc, I think it was something like £120 the academic year - whatever it was, it is subsidised by the Uni) as sport is such an important part of his life and he needs access to a gym to try to bulk up

Girl showing DN around accomodation said the best money saving tip she'd got was not to take an ensuite. She saved a fortune. Communal facilities were cleaned every day, had better showers and were never busy. Ensuites were a bit mouldy as people couldn't air them before lectures and heating was linked to key cards so if you weren't in the room there was minimal heating. She said if you felt you had to have an ensuite and are in a shared flat all with ensuites then take the futhest room from the kitchen/living room so your ensuite isn't the visitor toilet. She convinced my DN.

Wish I could show ds your post ttlshiwwya - but given he would kill me if he knew I was posting about him even anonymously , I can't

I may try to mention a few of those points in our arguments discussions to dissuade him from applying for the ensuite

I just pretend I was reading stuff on-line pb I just don't tell him it was me that wrote it or asked the question... :o

That's usually how I try to present it Wax

Superjaggy - what's going to happen if/when our dses get to know each other, given they're going to be studying the same thing?!

My DS is friends at school with the son of a friend I made on here.... We deliberately didn't push them together though, they just became friends, as far as they know we just met each other in the school car park.

Also I caught up with a friend recently with sons who both graduate this year. She paid for the cheapest accommodation for both of them each year but twin 2 used his loan to stay in much flasher places. He owes £12k more than his brother. He's very much regretting the private halls with the private dining room - which he never used and the food vouchers that he used to give away at the end of the month to classmates as he rarely made breakfast.

twin 2 used his loan to stay in much flasher places. He owes £12k more than his brother. He's very much regretting the private halls with the private dining room

I think they struggle, coming from home where they are looked after, to grasp the meaning of the sums of money

• I live near a uni town where beautiful new accommodation has been recently built, but its TWICE the price of the perfectly OK shared rental houses...but its all let, and loads of the older properties aren't - I think because its all student loan or money provided by parents, students struggle to see it as real money that they are spending.

Part of ds' "problem" is that he is not a big spender. He doesn't get much pocket money - and doesn't really spend what he gets. He doesn't go out much except occasionally to the cinema (although he does have a Nando's habit when he does go ).

He doesn't drink (yes, I know he's not 18 yet ) and there's not much else for him to spend his money on except birthday presents like mine last week but as a result he claims to have a disdain for money "as a capitalist conspiracy"

I'm not sure whether to be worried or proud

Capitalist conspiracy or not, he's going to have to learn to budget for himself

SAAS applications are now open

Thanks @BeautyAndTheBrat

So, ds has now applied for his accommodation. His first choice is not New Carnegie Court (with the ensuite facilities) but instead is the ones in Hector Boece/Grant Court with 2 bathrooms per flat (£4 extra per week) - although I think that might also possibly mean a 7 person flat.

Killer argument against the extra cost of ensuite wasn't the £42 (or £38 ) extra a week which would have been almost all his spending money , but instead was the simple question, "How much is the Sports Village membership?" while having the argument discussion about priorities (response was "Oh Fuck" )

Actually, he still hasn't fully grasped the value of money as he was swayed by a cost of £250 which he didn't know we were prepared to pay for him anyway versus a cost of £1500

Superjaggy - has your ds been invited on to/joined the chat group for the PIR offer holders? Ds has joined it but says he's keeping very quiet.

Hi pretty, catching up after being away for a few days... DS will be putting New Carnegie as his first choice, he's adamant... he's not started his SAAS application yet and he hasn't admitted to joining any chat groups but will almost certainly be a lurker if he does

They get extra points on their young Scot card if they complete the SAAS application before end April.

I know it won't persuade your ds Superjaggy but SIL (whose dd is now in 3rd year but spent her 1st year in Grant Court) says that New Carnegie is not very sociable because students can just stay in their rooms and never come out - especially as the "communal area" is much smaller (and doesn't really fit 5, either for eating or even for sitting) to be able to fit the ensuites in. And the rooms themselves aren't really big enough for a "guest" seat as the beds are 3/4 size, as well as the space taken up by the ensuite. The desk configuration is nicer though (the other thing that ds had liked about it): a proper L-shape across the window end of the room.

Don't know if you had a look at the flats when you went up - but the ensuite shower is really tiny. You certainly wouldn't want to be a big lad trying to wash hair in it - no room to turn around.

Ds says he's not been impressed so far by those who've been active on the chat group - one of the reasons he's keeping his head down.

Ds got his acceptance for Hector Boece Court today and I've already paid the £100 non-refundable deposit (which iirc then comes off the 1st term's rental). It's all getting a bit real!

@Aurea . Not sure if you've now bought a car but we tried a 3dr Skoda citigo and it's perfect. Same platform as a seat mii and vw up but haven't tried those so no idea if the interior is the same. We collect ours next week. :)

Lots of progress on accommodation etc then. This weekend we are focussing on part time jobs. How many hours realistically are feasable to work while studying? Given DS will also be travelling.

I have no idea - and anyway, it will also depend on the subject and timetables. How many lectures, how many tutorials, how many practicals/lab sessions? How much reading preparation? How tiring is he finding the travel in your ds' case ? Plus you want to encourage him to make new friends and have a social life.

I would suggest initially just a few hours "casual" work if he can find it and then he can see if he wants or has the time to do more.

Yes I eascthinking if he could get something with 8 to 10 hours for now with the prospect of maybe more over the holidays and then see how it goes when he starts at uni. They break up in 2 weeks and apart from 3 exams, that's him until early/mid September. I think it would do him good to get into a working environment before starting so that he gets a bit more confidence since the promised extra work experience the school promised to organise never materialised. It's not really about the money, its about the self esteem that comes from earning your own.

My boys both commute to uni. DS1 forty minutes each way and DS2 sixty minutes each way. Both doing courses with labs so around 20 hours contact time. DS1 had a 12 hour a week shop job in first year but found summer work relevant to his course so has done this for the last two summers and hasn't done much during the term time other than a very small amount of casual labouring for a neighbour. I feel he has balanced things well. DS2 decided to wait until he was settled before looking for work. He found Christmas work which started at the beginning of November and lasted until uni returned in January. Despite only being advertised as 16 hours per week he was always given in excess of 24 hours. They were good at fitting the shifts around him but not reducing the hours. It was far too much especially since he had exams at the end of first term. He's found another job for this summer nearer home which he planning to contine during next year. I would say stick to the 12 hours a week they recommend unless you have ace time management . Plus ask around about the true number of hours they want you to work. DS2 felt a bit pressured.

Thanks, that's really useful :). They said about 20 hours contact at the offer holders day and DS should not be overly stretched by first year. He exceeded the requirements for entry and is doing relevant AHs and was offered entry into 2nd year with 2Bs. He won't be going into 2nd year directly regardless though. I d be happy with holiday work only but think he definitely needs to get something before he goes. He's very anxious (but comes across ok) and I think a small job would help him.