Son off to Uni

Savvy_Sue

vickylee wrote:

Please remember to remind them to take bags and bags of common sense with them as well! Having worked in a Uni for the last seven years I'm still amazed how many students never think to look before crossing a road, leaving bags/books unattended,and not being there on returning. Also personal safety - they may have got into Uni but they are not invincible!

Oh SO true - I used to work in a postgraduate office and was astonished at the things anxious mothers would phone to ask about! I mean, how could a student get through 3 years at Uni and still not know how to use the launderette?

But anyway, as I've said before, while my eldest was still in 6th form I started to make him more responsible for himself: doing his own laundry and getting his own cash out of the hole in the wall for bus fares etc. It's one thing to know how to use a washing machine, another to learn that it's no use waiting until you have NO clean underpants before you put the dirty ones into the machine. Of course I still worry too much - according to him - but he's survived one term and just gone back for his second.

Yorkielass

Saving up the money is a good idea - we had to load money onto a card when I was in halls, £5 at a time and then use them in the machines - saved them having to empty coin boxes all the time and bank the 20ps I guess.

I agree about all the electrical stuff - we weren't allowed anything that hadn't been safety checked. With things like microwaves I think it would be better to keep hold of the money until you get there and then if there isn't one/no one else has bought one you can go out and buy one with the money then - or I know lots of people who put £5 each into a pot and bought a communal one - and then it didn't belong to anyone so no one had to worry if their own property got damaged.

Talking of anxious mothers - someone I work with had mums phoning her up at her last university asking what colour the curtains were in the accomodation so they could buy co-cordinating bedding :rolleyes:

nearlyrich

This is one of the threads from last summer when some of us were packing off our little darlings...;)


I have 2 at uni and anything that saves money is worth doing. Whatever you do don't buy top quality anything, my DD and her friends had a toaster taken from the communal kitchen fortunately it was only £6.;)

megsykins

Heir_2_Hesjane wrote:

I'd be extremely careful buying electrical items - especially high power items such as microwaves. Most University owned halls have been fully electrical checked and tested and have a lower power load limit on their circuits. I'm a been a Warden of my halls of residence for the last four years now and I've had to dish out my fair share of fines because someone has either been caught during termly room checks or been caught due the whole power circuits tripping when they plug in a hugely loading electrical item!

At my Uni each room will just about manage a computer, printer, stereo, and a few other small items (such as phone chargers, etc). After that I have known some students to trip the fuses and get a ticking off!

We are told in are room contracts that certain appliances are not allowed in rooms and ANY appliance that requires a 13watt fuse (other than computers/printers). Its best to check once you know which hall you have.

Our Uni did PAT test any electrical items in communal areas, inc stuff brought by students; officially all items inc in bedrooms had to be PAT tested, although they never checked up on this (I actually got everything tested before I went, but don't know anyone else who did!) Fridges in bedrooms had to be OK'd by the hosuekeeper and you had to pay extra for the extra electricity used. Usually only people with a valid reason (eg diabetes) were allowed them.
Some people were running mixing desks and all sorts in their rooms, but i guess for evryone who's using extension leads and doublers in every socket running 15 different things, there's another person only using a desk lamp to balance out the load. I never heard of anyone tripping a fuse though and some of our halls were pretty ancient.

:rotfl: at mums trying to get co-ordinated bedding!

superscotsman

The purpose is education. So keep the amount of equipment to a minimum. Lest you forget, give him a bottle of one-a-day vitamin pills. A good chef's knife might be useful - for culinary use - and who knows, one day it might save his life! A very good sleeping bag (or two sleeping bags, one inside the other) so he can spend time in other people's pads, and keep warm when he can no longer afford the heating. Don't worry too much about equipment: they find their own lifestyles.

Savvy_Sue

megsykins wrote:

:rotfl: at mums trying to get co-ordinated bedding!

Me too! Son's room is turquoise and yellow, truly ghastly, and the bedspread they provide is green! But I think he'd have killed me if I'd suggested co-ordinating anything!

but having said that, I did try to make sure that what he had was recognisable, ie he has two sets of matching and distinctive crockery and cutlery (at least he started out with two!) to make it easier to retrieve them at the end of term. The only thing I didn't recognise were 'his' teaspoons, I had to buy him a new pack as we don't have enough!

kittiwoz

Get cheap stuff because other people will use it and loose it or bash it about. Get minimum basic kit to save weight and space when it has to be all packed up to move up, or back to your house, or in between accomodation. My parents bought a crockery set from Asda. I had half and the other two of everything were saved for when my younger brother went. A hot water bottle will probably be much apreciated too. Not so necessary in halls which are normally all-in and quite well insulated and heated but a wonderful thing when in private accomodation which is generally a dump.

soolin

My son is off to uni as well in September if, fingers crossed, he gets his grades.

He was lucky to get 6 offers but has chosen his final 2 now and they are both at the same uni, but different courses. As we know what uni he will hopefully be at we've managed to provisionally book his accomodation and he will be in a catered en suite room on campus. It looks like we'll be lucky in that he'll only need bedding and personal items, he already has a TV in his bedroom at home so he can take that. I suppose I'll have to make sure he has mugs and plates and things for snacks as although he will be catered there is a little kitchen alcove type of thing on the campus where he can make tea and coffee and basic things in a microwave.

I hadn't thought about the laundry, so thanks for that tip I'll start saving £1 coins now ready for the machines.

All we need now is his exam results.

Soo

lushkat

My son was lucky enough to get 6 offers too, and has been given a great offer from his first choice "to complete and pass current course of study"!!

Today, however he has gone for an interview for a job instead of Uni !!!! Thrown the whole Uni thing out of the window - well for this morning anyway.... still, we'll know more after the interview ...

soolin

lushkat wrote:

My son was lucky enough to get 6 offers too, and has been given a great offer from his first choice "to complete and pass current course of study"!!

Today, however he has gone for an interview for a job instead of Uni !!!! Thrown the whole Uni thing out of the window - well for this morning anyway.... still, we'll know more after the interview ...

You do have to love them don't you? You spend years helping them plan for their future, you struggle when they struggle and you worry all the time, then they change the game plan on you!

Oh, well, I suppose that 's what mothers are for. :A

Soo