Why don't NEW students get a reasonable cooling off period?

Person_one

ska_lover wrote: »

I was shocked at how little support there was, when my lad started recently.

The settle in to the halls of residence could be made so much easier if they actually got to SEE inside their actual flat before moving in day (there was no option to do this, at my sons Uni, although he obviously knew the outside area). I think it would be a fantastic idea, if , perhaps a week or two before moving in day, they had an 'open house' for even two hours, - at every single hall - where students could go, view their accommodation, and then potentially meet their flat mates.

At no other point in your life would you be expected to sign a tenancy agreement to a property you have not even viewed the inside of and move in with complete strangers. It would be difficult as an adult, but as a teenager moving out of home for the first time, completely overwhelming

On arrival at the Halls on moving in day, it was simply a case of 'here are your keys, now get on with it'. I was shocked, I was expecting there to be more support there.

Luckily my lad has settled in well, much better than I thought possible, and has ended up with a good bunch of like minded lads

I can see why some would not settle though, and I agree, I think there should be a cooling off period. It is a huge descision to make.

Halls of residence are a terrible rip off, the price you pay, and the rules the infringe, is way over the top. The whole degree experience really does seem to be a money making exercise off the students backs

An event a week or two before would be massively impractical for students moving from across the country!

I agree with DR that its not really essential to see the inside. If you know you're getting a 10'x7' room with a single bed, a wardrobe and a desk, why do you need to see that? It'd take all of about 30 seconds!

I know some students find it harder to settle in than others, but really the best advice that parents or the university can give them is to show up with a couple of 6 packs/bottles of cheap wine/jaffa cakes etc. and set themselves up in a communal area ready to share and chat.

What can the uni really do beyond giving them the keys anyway?

paddyrg

Tomby1 wrote: »

Halls are very expensive if you look at them from a purely financial point of view.

However, they are the perfect opportunity for the average 18 year old to live 'on their own' for the first time whilst having considerably less responsibilities than renting privately.

Oh I totally agree about being a good transition into living in the world. I know things have changed in recent years to be single rooms often en-suite etc, sometimes including breakfasts, etc., so just wondering how they stack up against say a hotel room!

V_Chic_Chick

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Let's nail this canard (which has already been repeated by a lecturer on this thread, someone who ought to know better):

If someone rents a room in the private sector, as opposed to a self-contained flat, they have no security of tenure, but can leave almost without notice.

In private halls (which is what I was thinking of, but it also applies equally to renting a room in a shared house as most students do in second and third year), you're on an AST, and are tied into the contract for the full year, no matter what, unless you find a replacement tenant.

I think you're getting confused with lodgers, who don't have security of tenure and can leave whenever. However, I don't think anyone has actually gone into digs since the 70s...

GeneHunt wrote: »

What environment is that? There are more students going to uni than ever....and Russell Group Unis are always oversubscribed...

This year's Clearing was an absolute bloodbath. The vast majority of Russell Group universities had significant numbers of places in Clearing, including in subjects that you wouldn't expect. If I remember rightly, it was only Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL and LSE (and possibly Bristol?) that did not enter Clearing. People were getting in when they had missed their offers quite substantially, where a couple of years before a near-miss would have meant instant rejection.

Lower birth rates in the mid-late 90s are a leading cause of this, as there are simply fewer 18 year olds around. This problem will worsen for the next 5-7 years, before the current squeeze on primary school places starts to filter through to university places.

In short, no, it's not as competitive as it once was.

bewildered123

V_Chic_Chick wrote: »

In private halls (which is what I was thinking of, but it also applies equally to renting a room in a shared house as most students do in second and third year), you're on an AST, and are tied into the contract for the full year, no matter what, unless you find a replacement tenant.

I think you're getting confused with lodgers, who don't have security of tenure and can leave whenever. However, I don't think anyone has actually gone into digs since the 70s...



This year's Clearing was an absolute bloodbath. The vast majority of Russell Group universities had significant numbers of places in Clearing, including in subjects that you wouldn't expect. If I remember rightly, it was only Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL and LSE (and possibly Bristol?) that did not enter Clearing. People were getting in when they had missed their offers quite substantially, where a couple of years before a near-miss would have meant instant rejection.

Lower birth rates in the mid-late 90s are a leading cause of this, as there are simply fewer 18 year olds around. This problem will worsen for the next 5-7 years, before the current squeeze on primary school places starts to filter through to university places.

In short, no, it's not as competitive as it once was.

I'd agree with your first point on tenancies. I've worked in several big university cities and the general rule is that landlords won't rent to students unless it's a fixed term AST (either single or joint) and increasingly backed up with a parental guarantee for the full year's rent. And landlords / parental guarantors enforce it, which is why one of my tutees has just received a CCJ against her for a full year's rent plus costs (after having walked out because someone on the internet said you could).

On clearing last summer though I think you're wrong. Most (all?) of the RG are trying to expand now that we can take as many ABB students as we can recruit without penalty. It's tough though if you miss an ABB offer in a popular subject - our admissions tutor was only allowed to take 3 near misses as the university had used up almost all of our 'core HEFCE' places on widening participation offers and supporting recruitment in 'at risk' subjects before results day. Fines still exist for over-recruitment under ABB. Students with those grades are starting to realise their value and are using clearing as a mechanism to shop around and trade up as far as they can (particularly if their predicted grades were below what they actually got). It's a completely different ball game than a few years ago - almost as if there are two clearings going on - one for those with ABB and one for those without. I know we were at target on results day but still went into clearing for weeks just to hoover up ABB students from universities lower down the rankings. Cautiously asking around friends I've yet to hear of an RG that's down on numbers (although I don't know anyone at Southampton which did badly a year ago), and some like Newcastle and York have intakes even bigger than the 2011 'pre-fees' year (and ran out of halls places). You're right about the 18 year old demographic but the number of UCAS applicants this year was up (except for part-time which has collapsed). I suspect some places are suffering, but to the best of my knowledge it doesn't seem to be the RG universities.

laurel7172

Has your daughter been to the university accommodation office, OP? My daughter has been having similar issues (hall too far out, unfriendly flatmates, difficult to socialise) and her uni have been really helpful. She took herself to the accommodation office, explained what she needed and is moving into a campus room (vacated by a young man who has dropped out) just down the corridor from a couple of her friends from her course. I'm quite proud of the way she has sorted things out, actually What rooms are available is obviously a matter of luck, but they DO come up.

Aryndeneth

OP - has your daughter spoken to the Careers team at Leeds? Dealing with students wanting to leave is a common query. If she really does decide to leave they can discuss other options with her in terms of what she can without a degree or what she can do in the next year if she plans to return to university on another course/another institution.

ska_lover

Dunroamin wrote: »

I don't see how you could meet other people living in halls a week before starting, surely they'll be on holiday at that time?

I think that if you've seen photos of the inside, that's all you really need. Generations of students have coped with moving into halls sight unseen and managed perfectly well, it's just today's over protective parents who might see it as a problem. Even you admit that your son had no problems so you were worried for nothing.

Does everyone go on holiday the week before starting Uni then? Not on planet Earth, they don't. Most are busy preparing for one of the biggest events of their young lives

Generations of students who came before, were not lumbering themselves with massive debts, - completely different kettle of fish - not the dark ages now, you know

ska_lover

Person_one wrote: »

I know some students find it harder to settle in than others, but really the best advice that parents or the university can give them is to show up with a couple of 6 packs/bottles of cheap wine/jaffa cakes etc. and set themselves up in a communal area ready to share and chat.

That is the most common sense thing I have read on this thread

mumps

I always told mine to make a big pot of pasta or chilli and invite others to eat with them. It worked for them.