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My daughter starts Uni in September and I was looking for some advice.
Firstly, how much money would be enough to live on at Uni, I do not want to give her to much but enough to get by and I know whatever i give her as a monthly allowance she will prob spend the lot pretty quickly anyway so will probably need a part time job too.
Unfortunately the grants do not even cover accommodation costs.

Also to any students, is there one thing you wish you had taken with you which you did not have or any other advice would be great.


Cheers

obv. depends where she is studying as living costs can be double depending on where they are..

is she living in uni accommadation and is it all inclusive? so are you just talking about stuff for going out and extra's for herself?

Probs £50 a week on top of accom/food/bills is good.

Depending on whether she is in accommodation with a cleaner - and potentially even if she is - a mini fridge might well be a good investment.

Other students are filthy beasts and if, like me, your daughter has OCD/control issues, having somewhere in your room to put your food is a great shout.

Also stops neighbours stealing her stuff. Did I mention other students are filthy beasts?

As for money, also depends on how much work she will be doing. I saved a fair bit by spending a lot of time in a library. And even more by not drinking.

It's a harsh learning curve if she's never fended for herself before.

Would advocate a massive bag of pasta. You can get enormous bags these days - term sized!

Money really does depend on if you're including food, how often she goes out, what does she enjoy doing in her spare time, etc. You don't have to figure it all straight away, it's a learning curve for the parents too! She'll likely be going out more in the first couple weeks when freshers is on.

Annoying things I forgot was stuff like cotton buds and nail clippers. I know it sounds a bit silly, but it was stuff I had at home but had to buy again, which is annoying. Extension cable is another useful thing to take with you.

Yeah, people do steal a lot of food at Uni. Midnight kitchen raids happen everywhere.

I didn't have a part time job, and am sooo glad. Obviously a lot of students do however, and I'd recommend something on campus (if it is a campus Uni) simply because you still get to meet more students that way.

Another bit of advice is to start looking for second year accomodation around Christmas time. We did at my first Uni and we got literally the best flats ever. People don't look till summer time and you're left with the worst options.

Extension cables and those things I forget the name of that give you four plugs for one. (Yes yes I know. Paid for an education and can't remember the name of those white things with the four plug sockets in them).

Which uni is it? Maybe there's someone on here who has been/knows someone who has been.

Thanks for the info, she is going to Falmouth Uni in Cornwall, we have been down there a couple of times and its not the cheapest place to live but really nice.
All good stuff, its seems its all the small things that get over looked.

@Tal We had already thought about getting a mini fridge but we are not really sure if there will be room in her room until she gets there. Four gang extension leads, noted :)

@Free Rollin thanks for the advice about loooking for second year accommodation early, i will pass that on.

I used to send Brian off each week with a big grocery bag full of stuff, but the things he asked for most were pasta, rice, and tortilla wraps.  Tortilla wraps are good because you can fill them with anything and they're an 'on the go' kind of thing.  Also, loads of chicken breasts & mince beef...stock up on them and freeze.  They're easy to cook and feel like a proper meal.  Don't forget a tea towel, loo rolls, bin liners, sandwich bags, cling film, washing up liquid and kitchen paper, as well as a couple of plastic take away containers to put left overs in.  Hangers are usually a bit scarce as well as stick pins for posting things on their cork boards if they have them.  It all sounds silly, but those were things he came home asking for during the first few weeks.

She'll need at least £50 per week for the first few weeks and possibly a bit more if you can manage it.  No matter how prepared you try to be, there's always going to be a few little things forgotten and it'll eat into her money in those first couple of weeks.

Best of luck to her and hope she has a great time!

Students like tortillas because iteans no washing up :)

Large pack of Condoms

£50/week is fine for normal term time, freshers week will be closer to £100 though if she wants to go to most of the events.

Definitely a big +1 to looking for second year accommodation early. I moved into a house with the people that I lived with in first year and we had pretty much the nut house (local was the student union :D) but we had a couple of third years in the group too who were insistent that we started looking at places in October. Turned out to be a very good move. Avoiding a 25-30 minute walk in the mornings increases your chances of getting to lectures exponentially ;)

For a lass... be a bit careful on fresher's week. Don't go overboard, etc, etc.

Pizza cutter

My daughter also goes to Uni in September so I know how you feel!  We are paying for her accommodation (in the halls).  She gets the minimum maintenance loan, and her first instalment is about £1200.  She wants £300 of that up front for freshers week, to get things for her flat/room and for books.  We will keep the other £900 for her - she wants to save quite a lot of it for Christmas presents etc.  We are going to transfer £50 a week to her bank account which is for food.  She very luckily managed to transfer her part time job at Sainsburys from our home town up to Newcastle, so she will be working 16 hrs per week there, so her income from that is hers to keep and will be used for night's out and clothes mainly I suspect!  She will be earning over £100 per week at Sainsburys, plus our £50 per week, that should be plenty.  We are hoping that apart from one off purchases like a summer holiday and Christmas that she won't need to use the majority of her maintenance loan and certainly shouldn't need an overdraft on her student bank account!  She is pretty terrible with money and we're hoping that drip feeding the food money weekly will help her to budget a bit better!

In terms of things to take with them, we took a trip to Ikea last night to buy all the bits and pieces we thought she'd need!  

Kitchen utensils inc set of pans, frying pan, wok, griddle, cutlery, glasses, mugs, crockery, potato peeler, cheese grater, pizza cutter, strainer/sieve, wooden spoon, spatula, knives, chopping boards, baking tray, tea towels, freezer bags, cling film, can opener, bottle opener/corkscrew, storage containers for sugar/tea/coffee, plastic sandwich boxes (different sizes) & measuring jug.  We also intend to buy her a sandwich toaster as she loves toasted sandwiches and they're cheap!  If we forget anything then she'll just have to go and buy it from Sainsburys (she gets 10% discount!).

Room essentials inc bathroom bin, room waste paper bin, desk lamp, storage boxes, drawer organiser/separator.  There isn't a lot of room for anything else tbh!

Check what her accommodation comes with.  We're having to take duvet, pillows, duvet covers, pillow cases & fitted sheets as the room comes with just a bed and mattress plus a desk!  The accommodation does however come with an iron, ironing board, vaccuum cleaner, mop and bucket etc!

We've also bought her a couple of books which arrived this morning which are really good.  A Virgin University Survival Guide by Karla Fitzhugh & Nosh for Students by Joy May.  Both from Amazon.  

Other stuff off the top of my head - passport, course acceptance letter, course reading list, loan info in case money doesn't come through, Driving Licence, bank cards, passport photos, railcards, insurance docs, alarm clock, phone, ipod, chargers for phone/ipod, laptop and power cable, multiplug extension lead, towels, stationery, pens, folders, files, washbag, toiletries, loo roll, kitchen roll, hairdryer, hair straighteners, clothes, shoes, dressing gown, slippers, medication/contraception, photos, exam certificates, fridge magnets (to hang things on white boards!).

It's a very stressful time for parents and children!  Get organised, make lots of lists, plan how you're going to fit everything in the car, but don't forget to enjoy the next few weeks as a family, because things are going to be very different once she's gone!  

Stress the importance of security. My daughter had her laptop stolen. She was in a ground floor room & had left the window open. Oh & a separate hard drive can save a lot of stress.

I wouldn't really rely on PT jobs and the whole "she must find one" because every student is in the same situation. But of course it is ideal, but actual most students don't and I had to tap into my pocket so many times, because I couldn't find a job.

By the sounds of it you have not got much out of the loan and grant, but any student will struggle on £50 a week, because let's be bloody fair you don't need to study hard in the first year or even second year to get a good mark at the end of it.

It will definitely be a struggle if the loan and grant doesn't cover the costs of accomodation for sure. It just is pretty much about the lifestyle that your daugther leads.

For those of who didn't go to uni, these student halls (a little poky box room) cost me over £110/week in Manchester. Such a rip-ff, but is the only choice.

Hope it all comes good!

Thanks for all the replies, really helpful advice.

@aaron1867 yeah the loan/grant does not cover the room costs, at Falmouth its £160 a week.

@MLH Thanks for all the tips.

@Tonji Yeah, She has some really expensive camera equipment plus macbook etc and i have already got her a back up drive, if she uses it will be another question.

Going on holiday tomorrow for a week so when we get back will have to start the shopping list.

Insurance for the valuables is a must. Students are an easy target for burglaries - they all have laptops, iPods etc. Back up hard drive sounds like a fab idea.

Don't forget she will need a TV licence if there's a telly in the room. It isn't covered under the university's licence.

I don't know what uni you went to but if you want a first or a 2:1 on a decent course this is complete bollocks.

For the first year it's vaguely true depending on what subject and how easy you find it.

The first year of a lot of degrees are concerned with bringing everyone up to the same level. So if you were a high flyer at maths A-level for example then you're probably going to find the first year of a maths degree pretty easy going.

I agree for the 2nd and 3rd year's then you can't take it easy if you want to end up with one of the higher classifications though.

When I did my degree, the first year only contributed 10% towards the final mark - other courses it was zero and all that mattered was that you didn't fail the end of year exams.

This is true, but come second and third year there is no shortage of 'I wish I'd listened in first/second year' sentiment. My degree was Economics and I know from experience that not putting in the work in first and second year really hampers your. Chances of getting a high overall grade.

Depends entirely on what type of girl she is, some will be in the library four nights a week taking sandwiches with them and others will be going out 4 nights a week, buying new clothes and eating kebabs after two bottles of wine and 10 double vodka lemonades.

My group of friends in first year were from a variety of backgrounds, from single mothers on benefits to absolute multai. I was fortunate enough to fund myself through poker and live in catered accommodation - only food expenses were takeaways at 2am, an abundance of Asda pizzas and food on nights out really. Away from that my spending was quite ridiculous for a student thanks to poker.

The first four weeks will be far above the norm though with all events forced onto you, you can't say no and it's imperative you don't. Fancy dress costumes etc are a one off

Once those four weeks are over things calm down a lot as should spending.

The first few weeks of every term are a bit hectic though as everyone's loans come in, and towards the end of terms they become skint and spending as a whole stops.

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For an average student £50 a week after food expenses was plenty, trip to cinema and a night/two out.

- Frozen chicken breasts, frozen veg, pasta, tuna etc are all cheap and keep for a long time and are easy to cook/healthy enough.

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ACCOMMODATION - Like Dan said looking for second year accommodation early is essential - first few months are really lax on all courses excluding medicine so make sure she spends a lot of time with her flat mates/new found friends. The best houses go really quick and aren't any more expensive than the ones she may be left with if she leaves it until after xmas.

WORK XP - Getting work experience in the summer before second year is so ridiculously beneficial in distinguishing you from the hoards of other average students. To get into good placements they will all be wanting 2:1s on completion of first year - you won't be needing to be locked away to get this result in first year either. The ones who did are the ones who have secured the best jobs immediately after finishing.

INSURANCE -, my halls were very safe/secure but insurance is still a must when going to have laptops, ipads, cameras and whatever else about. Good idea to lock her room every time, albeit pedantic, she leaves even if its just to the common room or w/e. Will stop the 'frapes' and practical jokes if nothing else :)

JOIN A SOCIETY - this one is massive, even if its something she hasn't done before, doesn't have to be sport. But meeting new people and networking is absolutely essential, get her to force her housemate along to something. The more people you know at uni the better. Becoming a president for a society/your degree course looks good on a CV and is pretty rewarding - again everyone on the course/society will know you/ you have some importance doing your role.

PART TIME JOB - TICKET SELLING, one of the easiest jobs at uni will be ticket selling/advertisement for clubs etc. The easiest money she will ever make and it forces you out, people will get to know who you are. As she's in halls first year be easy to sell 50 tickets for a night out within 500m and a minimum of 50p commission for everyone sold.

ROUTINE - Give herself x amount of hours a week to read over notes/do the work set. Lock your room/be in library for x amount of hours and don't leave until works done/hours finished. No excuses.

Don't care or act on other people mocking you for the society you choose or the amount of work you do, try to filter out peer pressure. Get things done and then go mental when they are. Laugh at those unemployed when you're having weekends away with your graduate job. (I'm the one who didn't do all of these things and now without a graduate job hah)



Pizza cutter!
Whiteboard/pinboard for scheduling/notes - put somewhere that you have to look at constantly.
Diary/blog? Only at uni for so long and I regret not blogging/w/e as I got up to so many different things that there's no chance of remembering them all, or their names (wheyy)
Pictures of family/friends - I wasn't ever one for this but some people can get very homesick.
Email/letters - may be a good idea to write a letter to granny or email mum/dad every week or fortnight. (Granny might enclose a fiver as well if you're lucky lol) Definitely a feel good factor for both parties when they're away from each other.
Set aside a time each week to skype call instead if that's a preference.


This is all a massive ramble as there is so much that could be said/done different/more efficient, but hopefully some of it makes sense.




Agree with what MLHMLH said about enjoying last few weeks with her, she's going to be a completely different person when she comes back having lived in Student halls :)

Absolutely right, i was incredibly lazy and breezed through both.. attendance in my 2nd year was like ~40% aswell (not a brag it just goes to show how little effort getting decent grades in these requires) - so assume your daughter is going to have ALOT of spare time on her hands meaning unless she has cheap hobbies, life will be more expensive then you think!

Counsel for the defence, anyone?

It is possible to work hard because you genuinely enjoy the subject, get a higher grade than most and maintain a social life in line with many's expectations.

One thing the truly smart kids learn at university is balance, even if in doing so they spend many evenings losing theirs.

OP knows their daughter better than anyone. Thread's heading towards "It's a year of hedonism and debauchery, a year of frenetic cramming and a year in between with a bit of each"

Not how I remember uni but I'll cheerfully accept some people's recollections will go close :)

Not trying to spoil the party but playing poker, sports and getting smashed was pretty much all I ever did at uni and it was six weeks a year of 14 hour shifts in the library over the two exam periods that got me through it, but only just. I came out with a third which was what I deserved.

At primary and secondary school I was one of the smart kids and it was all pretty easy. My grades surpassed what I deserved given the effort that I put in. This stops being the case once you hit second year of uni and the only way to really prepare for that is to get stuck in to the work in first year. As others have pointed out, it doesn't take much time in comparison but its so so easy to just remind yourself that first year exam results don't count towards the final grade and just mug off studying in first year. It comes back to bite everyone though. Of the people that I know that came out of my course with a first, not one of them took a blahzay attitude to first year.

People kinda laugh if off 'cos a lot of people of my age in the poker community dropped out or didn't go to uni for whatever reason before they took up poker, but even though my degree class has no bearing on my personal income (touch wood) I do genuinely regret not putting in the effort when I could have done and I do intend to re-take my degree at some point in the future because of it.

I think a lot of topics have been covered here but i am going to throw my 2p in on the money issue.

my "Deal" with my parents in the first year they paid my accomadation, then i got £35 a week of them for food on top of my maintenance loan. I never really found myself short of money as my mum send that every 2 weeks so i knew i was getting £70 if times got desperate.

Personally i set up a savings account put full loan in there at the start of the term, found myself the best student account which for most is natwest due to rail card and competative amounts of loan they will give you. For my student account is a must not many times in your life people are going to give you £1500 ~ and go here you go interest free for 4 years 5 years etc and then only not interest free in stages after that. If she took it out day one of student life and tooked it away during university she would make £100-£200 in interest. Bonkers in my mind not to get this.

I personally have always been quite good with money (poker has put a tough strain on this!!) but i was able to plan and budget myself, if i was not able to do this i would advise that you take her loan, set up the student account and max out the overdraft and then release the money in chunks, mabye bi weekly and pick an amount £50-£100 a week seems right to me depening on her social life plans.

After moving into second year i got a job and a credit card which for me is perfect. If used correctly they are a great asset at uni a way to build up your credit card and learn "bankroll management" i used my credit card for food and petrol and that £300~ bill each month was then paid of in full each month and i made sure my mum now sent me my monthly allowance just before this date. This really worked for me and still works now i am on placement and studying at Experian... As a credit risk analyst :P. All seem to work well for me!

Each person is indivdual you will know your daugther the best and you have to have an honest sit down chat about finances with her if she is a useless saver make sure she doesent turn up on week one with £1000 in her bank as freshers week can put a big chunk in that! I had many friends that spend all there money within the 1st month and lived of scraps till christmas, they did the same thing after christmas and complained all year about having no money! There was only one person to blame but they couldnt see that!



Disclaimer... if she is not good with saving/spending dont go down the credit card route, if she is good with saving and spending mabye in 2nd year it is something to luck into!