General Chat

Right here we go again .....this thread is for all of you to add to in a way of helpping all those parents who are about to let their off spring go to uni in september

What we need is ALL your tips and hints on how to make it easy to do ALL this prep and get them there on time .....

I found this type of thread helpful and my sons about to go a placement this year about 20mins from home .....I,m so happy as hes been 100miles up teh road .....

So EVERYONE help please the whole lot cheap food ,clothes discounts for students The awful TV licence situation ....come on the WHOLE lot

Thanks and Good Luck

First tip

Start buying NOW

If you have a Wilkinsons in your area do look for the 'specials' for Students.
I found some real bargains in there last year.....

Day to day living tips will depend on whether they are in Halls or a let or at home, but if they are away from home I'd say don't send lots of equipment.
For one thing, there won't be much space, if house share / accomodation block folk take loads too. Our daughter found multi-use items useful.
eg. a Pyrex bowl can be used for mixing, serving salad or pasta etc. and can go in oven or microwave.
Give them lessons now on shopping for food and looking for bargains or ways of stretching the budget. A bulk-buy of pasta might be an idea if several students want to share. Eating together, if possible, can benefit the budget and nutrition.

Teach laundry skills. What we see as routine, they might need yet to learn.
Accept that there might be a few washing mishaps, so don't send them off with super-expensive gear, eg bedding.

i find the local supermarkets have a wide range of very cheap food and housewhole products

defo start getting stuff in now lol

Make a list of what they need to take and need to do

Make sure their room contents is insured

Buy the minium they need, unless they are going literally the middle of no-where there's always an argos/asda/tesco/sainburys near by they can get extra essentials from.

As for clothes (and quiet a few other things), unless its a bargin their NUS card (normally costs a fiver) will give them a discount in a lot of stores (10% min), so it might be worth them holding off on the clothes shopping spree till they get that, also they might decide they fancy a different look once they've settled in.

If its their first year they will probably have a single bed, the matteresses are rarely decent, so when you get there either be happy to get a spare duvet to pad it or buy a cheap matteress, it maybe £50 but it could be the best £50 you spend. (Or maybe thats just Hull uni who think its okay to provide a wedge of foam (and not memory foam, big standard foam) as a matteress. Also its may seem a bit to pay out but if they are their 150 nights thats 30p a night, which is worth it as a good nights sleep mean they will learn better and no doubt you are probably contirbution at least £1000 (probably a lot more) to their tution fees.
Edit: realised a memory foam or any other type of matteress topper might be more practicle as they can bring it home with them and use it the following year.

See if there's any major supermarket that will deliver to them, then if you are worried they are running low on food you can pay for and have food delivered, also I wish this service had been avilaible when I was at uni then when my parents did visit we wouldn't have wasted hours in a supermarket.

A warm but light blanket, they can put over their bed or wrap themselves up in, I don't know why but halls and student houses never seem warm enough espically in winter. I say light, should add washable, and of a size it will go in a normal washing machine.

Vaccum bags, the ones you store clothes in, get a big one for their duvet and pillow, will shrink it so it takes up less room in the car, and if you have the cash, buy a few more if they put their clothes in here again it will mean they take up a lot less space.

A lamp, to stop eye strain when they are on their computer or reading, also to provide an alternative light source if the light in their room blows and they have to report it then wait for it to be replaced (normally doesn't take long, but even one night in a room with no illumination is no fun).

Memory stick, and tell them always to back up courseworks, espically if they have used the univesities computers, although their own may also throw a wobbler at excatly the wrong moment.

Cash, the student loan normally filters through a few weeks after you start so they need some money to live off till then.

Try and get them there so they don't miss the freshers fair, lots of freebbies to be had, I arrived too late to go to mine, so unlike my housemate I didn't have the free samples or discount vouchers my housemates had picked up.

Pan's no need for fancy ones, non-stick makes the washing up easier but don't spend a fortune, as they might treat them well but will their hall or housemates, as there's normally at least one who thinks they can use other people stuff without asking. Same goes for plates etc, don't give them anything expensive or sentimental to use.

Edit: Cleaning products if they are in halls or university housing are not essentials to take, as they normally have a cleaner, so most they will have to do is run the provided hoover around their room, bit of dusting and their own washing up. So washing up liquid, a multipurpose surface cleaner and a few microfibre clothes should be enough to get started. I reccomend cheap sponges for doing the dishes as they are unlikely to boil wash dishclothes and reuse them, and don't forget the tea towels.

If daughter is away, one of those peg circular hangers are useful for tights and undies.
A large washed out plastic milk container can be used for decanting washing powder from home....Waterproof and spillproof if they replace the lid. Remember to tape amounts needed on outside of container.
An easy-to-put-on fleece / jacket/ warm dressing gown will be useful for all those times that they stand outside after the fire alarm, when someone has come home late and made toast ( or whatever) Daughter said this was a frequent occurance in the 1st month or so she was in hall.

Gwyn

They WILL need TV licence.

Daughter was able to claim some money back at the end of year because she could prove that the term had finished and they'd all vacated uni rooms.

Gwyn

A tin with a home made cake -my son never went back after a holiday without one of his nans and he said it was great for comfort eating! (To be hidden well away from the house mates.)

Make sure they do know the accomadation is likely to be basic, the carpets made of hardwearing material thats so rough they won't walk around bare foot, slippers or flip flops are useful espically if in halls and having the odd 'fire drill' also known as 'drunked idiots trying to cook bacon'.

I would say microfibre/proper travel towels (the ones backpacks use), are brillant, if anyone wants to treat their student this is a good gift as they dry very quickly so you don't end up with stinky wet towels (the number of male students who forget mum's not their to pick their towels up off the floor is shocking), also much lighter than normal towels.

If you get there and they are short on shelving but have room the slot together ones for your garage argos sell are a good solution, take a lot of weight (like an old style 14" tv, books etc) and can be taken apart and brought home and maybe even taken to their new place the next year.

This year my son has had LOTS of medicial cost ........hell its been bad ...we have paid for taxis from uni to hospitals about 10 times and then other medicail cost .....so parents on low income FILL in the forms for exception which will get them free prescriptions and free dental glasses...........and put away money in a "jar" to cover any inseen cost of that ....


Books use Amozen
Food cheap isnt always best
plenty of WARM clothes heating is kept to min
SOME unis will glue a micro chip to the lap tops then they can be traced if stollen


Thanks People keep them coming!!

DONT FORGET

basic first aid kit .......they ALWAYS get Freashers flu in the first couple of months ........


check they are up to date with injections my son needed menagitus (sp) before he went ....

and warn about swine flu it may have same syntoms!!

DET...its not daft at all .....they often have fancy dress dos so its a must!!!! even Primart stuff needs help!!

The mattress pad has already been mentioned, the best place is Ikea, they have a whole range of inexpensive ones, they roll up so are easy to get into the car, but really do make a difference.

Student digs are prime targets for burglars, so try to dissuade them from taking all their valuable stuff to start off with. In shared digs, the insurance is often only valid if their room door has a lock on it AND THEY USE IT, so check the policy carefully. If they do have a lock on the bedroom door, make sure that they have a spare key hidden somewhere else in the house, so much cheaper than having to pay for a locksmith when they lock them selves out or lose the key.

We bought our one of the cheap digital safes to keep their valuables in

Linda .....My sons house was broken into last summer thay had moved everything in and gone of to their parents homes ......they the so and sos broke in ............OUR home insurance gives our son £5,000 cover as its called Roming....which can cover your uni children


BUT PLEASE check this

Our home insurance policy also covered our children when they were students in a shared house, but a tiny clause said that their room had to have a separate lock on it. Some of the houses they had did have locks on the bedroom doors, but others didn't. While they were in those houses, I made a special point of ringing up the insurance company and getting them to agree that they didn't need a lock. If I hadn't, they wouldn't have been covered.

Good grief!What a lot of fuss!

AllI needed to know was where the cheapest beer was and
how to find Student Health!


xxxxx mick

and don't forget to pack the condoms !!!!! male and female alike

Trust Mike .........

Mike they dont need to know where the beer is they will be shown that in freashers week.......then go home an moan MUM didnt pack the paracetamol!!!!!!...........or a bucket to throw up in ....or clean bed linen after we didnt have the bucket and missed the loo!!!!!!!!!!


Condoms and essential part of gear ..............

Hi Kemp.
I can't believe it is a year since the last thread on Uni .
Don't send too many pants and socks (boys).The more they have the less often they will do washing.Same goes for other clothes too.I counted 20 pairs of boxers on my line!!!!!!!!!.They don't need that many lol.
They are very grateful to have plenty of nice toilet paper as they will then have to buy the cheaper stuff.
Of course as Kemp mentioned a bowl for the puke.Very important if they don't have their own en suite !