Starting Uni - The next chapter

[Groovee]

So results day is here and I knew it would happen but in just over 3 weeks Dd will be moving to Dundee.

Thought I would start a thread to get us through those moments that we as parents find hard.

Groovee - that was me 3 years ago . DD1 also headed off to Dundee I was in bits. DD4 and I kept welling up as I cooked too much pasta, shouted DD1 in my normal round up call. Now she's about to start final year and her time in Dundee has been great. I have fallen for the city. I'd give you my recommendations for bars, restaurants and coffee shops but I don't want to spoil the fun you'll have discovering them for yourself.

Best advice I was given (and it still holds true) get her a laundry basket with handles, then she can carry whole load to laundrette. And out to car when she returns for home comforts.

Good luck

I bought an ikea bag for laundry. It's what we use in Florida 😂.

Looking forward to getting to know Dundee. Liked the look of it on applicants day.

Since Ds not moving out I feel a bit of a fraud but I'll check in anyway :)

Looks like DS2 is now interested in Uni and had a better results day this year so has the beginnings of the requirements to build on in S6.

We haven't had a hamster for nearly 10 years and I still keep bits of veg to the side for it so I'm not sure I would cope if DS was moving out.

Ds is off to Aberdeen. He’s had a year out as he would only have been 17 last year and we wanted him to grow up a bit. Not sure he’s done that but I’m certainly more prepared for him going this year! Have bought some stuff but need him to actually get involved - and he’s working a lot so not around when I am until last week August..

I'm not looking forward to DS1 heading off, he's a kind gentle soul who has never said a mean word to me his entire life whereas his two brothers are more typical volatile teenagers.
I took him shopping for some new, more studenty clothes the other day, he is fairly oblivious to fashion and was quite happy wearing his horrible purple blazer year in year out so he needs style training!

My DS is going to Dundee too. Had a stressful week last week trying to sort accomodation for him as he lost out on the uni accomodation as he didn't answer the email! And then this morning we thought we'd need to cancel the flat as he'd missed his offer by one grade. But he's going and it's all sorted. Dundee looks like a fun place to study and live.

Ds is also off to Aberdeen. Accommodation already sorted in Hector Boece Halls.

I'm currently gathering together bits 'n' pieces for him like a can opener, wooden spoon, spatula and spoon. I also acquired a cheap non stick frying pan and saucepan from Lidl.

We'll make a trip to IKEA for another duvet and bedding (already have a plethora of pillows at home) and while we're there, I'm going to buy some IKEA bags for laundry etc - plus to pack things into to take up to Aberdeen

....at least, he assured me he has sorted out and accepted his accommodation and done the required induction

DD is moving into Strathclyde halls in 3.5 weeks. We've not done much of the utensil type stuff but I do have a big box of towels, dish towels and branded products to start her off am pretty sure that once she's needing to buy her own food it will all be own-brand but at least this way she starts off with heinz tomato ketchup and weetabix!

My mum has put together a hamper for Dd! It's got various things like a desk lamp, towels, little bits and bobs.

DD is going to Dundee too! Can't belive it's so soon. Already done some shopping in IKEA and Primark. Her list is endless, but she's been told she will need to fund the non essentials herself!

Dreading having an empty nest!

Great thread! Thanks for starting it's.

Aberdeen for my DS (same course as prettybird's DS) and he's in New Carnegie Court (where he's been told all the girls have Mulberrys... so I'm not sure it's quite right for him but hey ho, he needs an en suite, he says).

So far in his Ikea bag I've got towels, some cooking utensils and one of those things that cores and slices apples at the same time 😬. I need to up my game! He also needs to expand his cooking repertoire in the next 3 weeks and I've told him he's not leaving home until he can prove that he knows how to properly clean a toilet. Good luck to me 🙃

Superjaggy - my ds is in New Carnegie too! After the first weekend dropping him off dd reckons she won't visit his room again as he's not the tidiest and I hate to think of the state of his en-suite without his dad cleaning up after him!
We've got him a sandwich toaster as I reckon you can put quite a lot of stuff between 2 slices of bread.

Ds will wave jealously to your dses from Hector Boece

Oh jeez my niece has applied for New Carnegie!

Dd has joined a few chats. She's met her Auntie's colleagues daughter and some of her flat mates. She's off for Nando's with them on the first night.

She's so excited. We'll see how she gets on once her boyfriend comes home from 3 months in America next week.

I think ds still hasn't grasped that we won't be paying his rent (we'll make sure he had c£7,700, whether that's loan or top-up for the 39 weeks and then it's up to him how he spends it) . So he could have gone for New Carnegie but would've been broke, especially after paying the £250 for the Aberdeen Sports Village.

Dh and I are having arguments about how much extra we should supplement him; think he needs to learn how to budget and dh wants to make sure he doesn't go short. Yet he accuses me of spoiling ds and being the one that has encouraged him not to treat things with respect and spoiling him

I'm currently waiting on the pack of 3 door stops from Amazon - apparently having your door open is a good way of making friends in the early days! Ds will probably not thank me for them though

My dd1 isn't moving out in first year, but is off to Glasgow School of Art while living at home - she hopes to move out in 2nd year. So proud of her getting in, she art-ed her heart out this year and now she's in can hardly believe it!

As she's my eldest it'll take a bit of readjusting to I think - she's quite a homebody but I think once she gets her wee bit studio space she'll spend a lot of time there, and it'll be quieter at mealtimes without her pontificating!

We want her to have freedom to come and go as she needs to, while still playing a part in home life - its not a hotel! Over the summer she's been great at joining in with holidays, meals etc even alongside the boyfriend and the job hunting (hoping to get something when everyone else moves to Aberdeen and Dundee!). I loved University, especially moving to another city, and want her to get the most out of it. She knows plenty people going to other places in Glasgow but no-one at GSA so at least she'll have that experience.

Going to pick up loads of tips for next year here! Though she's realistically not going to be that far away as a student, even when she does move out.

Ah this thread takes me back to 2 years ago when DD was getting ready to start in Aberdeen! Now we're getting ready for her to start her 3rd year in Spain...how time flies.

DS heading off to Warwick to do Politics and History. At least all your lot are still relatively close by!

@haggisaggis has your DS made contact with his flat mates there yet? (I don't even know how they do that but I presume it's an app?) Mine has met 2, so that's a good start.

Like the sound of a sandwich maker, however I think my DS is more of a 100 ways with pasta kind of guy (or 2 ways, more accurately)

@Groovee when will your niece hear?

@prettybird I fear the same with my DS' budget - he is on a very steep learning curve... we're paying his accommodation from a unit trust and he has to partly pay it back each month... I wonder how often he'll miss the payment 🤨

@Superjaggy hopefully in the next day or so. However she's travelling so her mum will need to pay the deposit.

Ds has apparently eventually asked if anyone is in his flat and no one has replied. I get such abuse if I ask if he asked to join any specific Facebook groups for the specific halls that I daren't enquire further

He's a nice boy really to everyone else

DS is off to Oxford after a year off in which to age a bit. Such a long way and we can't take him because of timings and work so he is heading off on the train.

Terms are really short there and he only starts in October and has had longer sway over this year.

Hard though. Hard not to try to do stuff for him (buying things, organising travel, hassling about books and courses). Also, weirdly, a bit jealous as it brings my university years back and his Dad and I are both having to stop giving advice that is many, many years out of date (and for very different places.)

....longer away....

@Roseformeplease that is hard - but what an amazing opportunity for him. I'm sure he'll meet others who are equally far away from home and they'll support each other (in their own way!). I'm also envious of my DS heading off to uni, they really were some of the best years of my life.

@prettybird same here - I get most of my info from his sister 😉