Daughter Starting Uni?

sexymouse

Haven't read through all of the thread, but having graduated from uni last year, the experience is still fresh in my mind. No matter how grown up she thinks she is, she will still be feeling slightly lost when she first moves out, so take her to the local takeaway after you have unpacked, and sit down and have a last meal together. This also means that she isn't thrown straight into the deep-end of having to cook. Also, take some dusters and polish with you to help her clean her room. My room was still dirty when I moved in to halls. Some photos of the family to put on her walls will make her feel a bit more at home. Don't be offended if you don't hear much from her in her first week. She will be busy going out and making friends, and as fresher's week is fairly well organised, she probably wont realise that she hasn't spoken to you for a bit. In terms of the medical kit, make sure you get her a few boxes of tissues, a bag of loo roll, and lots of cold and flu remedies to combat that fresher's flu that everyone seems to get at some point. Oh, and also a hot water bottle! Hope this helps. Sorry for the constant string, but my work pc won't let me format stuff.

snoozer

I saw mention of a tV somewhere in the thread but no mention of a licence - if you have a tv in hall you must have a licence. I have been told that if you share a house/flat with no locks on bedroom doors than one licence for the house will do.

flufff

matress protector as you dont know whos slept in bed before you ewwwww....
desk lamp
alarm clock/clock radio
kettle
toaster
iron

rlm_3

filigree wrote:

If she needs regular prescriptions for something like an asthma inhaler, get her to renew just before she leaves. I know she'll be registered with student health services but in all the excitement of Fresher week she might not notice if her meds are running low.

I know she's going down south but any students going to study in Wales should wait 'til they get there for prescriptions. Thanks to the Welsh Assembly, prescriptions are free there for anyone under 25. I went to Bangor for my undergrad and masters and made full use of it. For example, a student-friendly doctor prescribed me ibruprofen when I injured my leg instead of making me go and buy it

eveyhammond

Take too many socks. For some reason, we all seem to run out of socks. All the time. My mum bought me a ournal when I went to uni, and I stuck all sorts in it. Photos of all my student digs, recipies I made up, wristbands and tickets from nights out, as well as keeping a journal in there. It still makes me laugh when I look back through it. I know it's midterm now, but this might be helpful come September. Oh, and like it or lump it- You probably will get freshers flu at least once in your 3 years. Be prepared.

Gingernutmeg

flufff wrote:

matress protector as you dont know whos slept in bed before you ewwwww....

Totally, totally agree with that one ...

On a nicer note, a good dressing gown is a must, not only for snuggling up in but also for those inevitable 2am fire drills ... Cosy socks and slippers, a hot water bottle and a fleecy blanket were some of the things I used the most when I was in halls. Hot chocolate was an essential too, and a groovy mug to put it in!

belfastgirl23

The best thing I got when going to uni was a hot water bottle from my gran. Ours got pretty cold and were heated on a sort of B&B basis so heating was off from about 9.30 till about 4 in the afternoon.

Would def second the insurance thing, students are a magnet for casual thieves.

And on this, warn her never to leave wine in a communal fridge Or expensive or gourmet food (not that most students have this anyway)

It's a great adventure, I know the urge is to wrap her up in cotton wool but as long as she knows she can ask for anything she needs, you might be as well letting her work some of it out for herself. You really appreciate something when you've had to do without!

morganlefay

What a fabulous list, and they're all good suggestions. If she is ever going to need to cook why don't you SHOW her how to cook one or two really nice things so she feels confident she can make them and will get known as the girl who can make a great - say lasagne, which is a good way to make friends etc. And she will have that nice memory of a bit of special time spent with you doing mother/daughter things.
And could I say that when she goes you will miss her horribly - even if you fought occasionally, and you should plan to do something nice for YOU too after she's flown away. I used to go into my twins' bedrooms and just inhale the lingering fragrance of them (deo and perfume, not sweaty trainers) and I missed them dreadfully (two going at once is not nice) so remember yourself too - she's out there learning and growing and making friends and will love it, however scary the beginning seems, but you're at home wondering what to do about the space in your life - yoga, jogging, dog walking, swimming, a regular facial ? something nice for just you, anyway.

vfairbrass

If she is taking her own laptop - most do - then encourage her to get Skype - and get it yourself. Then you can talk to her and she to you at no expense. My daughter usually sends me a text to my mobile telling me she is online and up for a chat so I can log myself on and get the headphones working ready to chat to our heart's content for free.
If she is going in to non catered halls then my daughter found we had forgotten a baking tray in all the equipment we bought for her.
We bought her a termly season ticket for the buses in the city she went to - Birmingham. Could have done the same for trains as either were useful but we asked her to decide which after she'd been at Uni for the first week.
We didn't get her a TV - she had a DVD player on her laptop and we made her some DVDs of her favourite Green Wing episodes. No one in her 8 person flat bought a TV - reception is poor I gather. She doesn't seem to miss it and now rarely watches it when she comes home, having been an addict before. I think their life is so full at Uni, particularly if they have a part time job, that TV is not so important.
Be prepared for the expense of not only funding accommodation in the first year but also putting down a deposit for 2nd year accommodation around about Christmas. An added expense we hadn't bargained on.
Valerie

moonpixiewitch

squeaky wrote: »

What a load of regs you have to put up with. Jeeze.

As for the microwave, you can cook most things in one if you follow the instruction book - which, on a bet, you don't have...?

most microwaves/electrical appliances have free downloadable versions of the manual on the manufacturers websites.
I only discovered this a little while ago when I accidentally recycled my breadmaker instruction book with all the recipes in , but a search on the manufacturers website and I now have a pdf instruction book for free.:T