Starting at university is extremely daunting. A new place to live, new people, often a totally new city or even country miles away from home, whatever the situation it’s not an easy time in your life. Of course it’s exciting, a totally new adventure and new chapter but what about those you leave behind?
We’ve spoke to a few parents to see what went through their minds when their offspring flew the coup!
The over riding response was that a parent wanted their child to fit in, to be safe and to flourish in their new environment and not be weighed down by any stress that this new lifestyle could bring. We’re happy to report that each parent we asked had only praise for the support and accommodation that The Pinnacles in Sheffield offers its residents.
Each and every parent will want to research their son or daughter’s choice of city to study in and those who opted for a DIGs property found our detailed website, blogs and information a reassuring source to go to that helped them prepare for this important change in their family’s life. Spending time together looking into the place they decide to study is a great way of settling both of your nerves, seeing where they might live, socialise, study and shop. Why not take a virtual tour around the city using Google Earth? At least then when you do visit for the first time you might recognise a few places and be a bit more familiar with what it has to offer.
After speaking to both a parent based in the UK and one in the USA another really resounding piece of advice they had to offer was to make sure the parent and child have a set time and date to contact each other and we were surprised at how many spoke of using Skype to keep in contact (a great tool over the internet as it’s totally free so a student can’t have an excuse of not having any credit to phone home with an update!) Having this in place meant that the parent’s mind was put at ease knowing that the student was doing well (you can video call over Skype too so you can see if they are looking tidy!) and staying safe but also meant that mum wasn’t calling and interrupting an all important night out at the local quiz!
Something else that everyone we talked to mentioned was giving the child their freedom and allowing them to make their own discoveries and mistakes, and one parent put it perfectly, “let your children fly with their own wings when they are ready for it”. There will never be an easy way of packing your loved one off to university and letting them fend for themselves for the first time but here at DIGs we’d like to reassure parents that we are always on hand to offer them guidance, support and most of all keep them safe within our residences.
Accompanying your child on their first journey to their new home is also very important, we understand that you want to make sure they are settled and you can see where they are going to be spending most of their time. You might even want to meet some of our staff and they’d be more than happy to meet you!
If you need some accommodation whilst visiting here are some suggestions for our Sheffield site;
Ibis Hotel: Shude Hill, Sheffield S1 2AR. 0114 241 9600/ibishotel.com
Hilton Sheffield Hotel: Victoria Quays, 2 Furnival Rd, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. 0114 252 5500/hilton.com
Travelodge Sheffield Central: 1 Broad Street West Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S1 2BQ. 0871 984 6305/travelodge.co.uk
Mercure Sheffield St Pauls Hotel & Spa: 119 Norfolk Street Sheffield, South Yorkshire S1 2JE. 0114 278 2000/mercure.com
There is no piece of advice we can give to stop a parent feeling anxious about their child leaving home but what we can say is we will take very good care of them. Don’t forget, we’re always only a phone call / email away! We wish you and your son / daughter all the very best in your new chapter.
Back by popular demand, the highly successful Refer a Friend has made a welcomed comeback.
Know anyone who is still looking for somewhere to live next year? If you refer them to us and they sign up you will bag yourself a nifty £50… bargain!
Referring is dead easy, your friend simply needs to tell us they have been referred when they apply and we will do the rest!
This offer is only on between 1st May and 18th July, so get your skates on with the referrals… To book please visit The Pinnacles Student Accommodation website.
*** £50 referral fee is paid by cheque at the start of the tenancy, once the referred friend has moved in.
The marathon is definitely upon us and the team’s training is hotting up!
Members of the team can often be seen leaving The Pinnacles in their running gear and returning an hour later red faced and tired… much to the amusement of the office staff! Unfortunately Elisee and Matt have had to pull out due to injuries but we want to thank both of them for their commitment to the race and hope they can make it on Sunday to watch.
Last Saturday the team went to Boot Camp to see how fit they really were and judging by the stories from Richard and Steve in the office, I think they were certainly put through their paces! Although Steve has sworn to keep going and is convinced he will soon be an Olympic champion…
“The boot camp is great, you go at your own pace but push your self and you’ll see results. I’ve been three times now and improved loads. The great thing is it has increased my fitness when doing cardio as well.”
One of the runners Ellice has really taken to the training and has even begun her own blog about her experiences. Read all about her stories here.
If you haven’t already sponsored the guys please do as it will help some great charities in the city and might encourage them to run it again next year (which will mean more laughs and entertainment for the rest of the site!)
The race begins at Don Valley Stadium at 9.30am this Sunday and will last approximately 3.5 hours (depending on the contenders!). Details of the route can be found on the main website, by clicking here.
The Devil Wears Prada is a loose adaption of the book of the same name. It follows Anne Hathaway as Andy who moves to New York city aspiring to be a journalist. She ends up getting a job as an assistant to fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep).
This is a review coming from a blind-viewer; someone who has never even leafed through the book on which the movie is based. But from the opening lines of KT Tunstall’s ‘Suddenly I See’ it’s clear what kind of movie this is. But chick flick or no chick flick, The Devil Wears Prada is something different. It’s a feelgood movie that really anyone can enjoy.
Meryl Streep is brilliant as Miranda Priestly, the ‘bitch’ of the movie, who never raises her voice above usual speaking level throughout the entire movie, leading you to think there’s something more to her character. Anne Hathaway, as usual, plays the charismatic and ‘sweet’ role and does it perfectly. It’s odd how funny it is when Hathaway swears. Emily Blunt, appearing in one of her first major supporting roles here,
There is a bit of a story twist during the second half of the film which makes the story a little more three dimensional than how it was previously running. You get to see different sides of the central characters too.
You can pretty much guess the ending, but that doesn’t stop you from getting a warm feeling inside and a sense of satisfaction that everything worked out okay in the end. The Devil Wears Prada doesn’t ask much of you, it’s a very funny and heartwarming tale.
The challenge: To make “Spicy chicken stir fry with chilli and basil”
Cost per person: £3.90
Time to prepare: 10 minutes
Time to cook: 35 minutes
Overall rating (out of 5): 4
The recipe
Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
2 tbsp Thai green curry pasts
1-2 red chillies chopped
15-20 cherry tomatoes
Basil
2 tbsp brown sugar
(Coconut milk to taste)
Method:
Splash some olive oil into a frying pan (or if you have one a wok is best) then add the curry paste
When the pan is hot add the chicken and brown
Add the brown sugar, fish sauce, chillies and basil. Cook until the tomatoes are unrecognisable as tomatoes
You can add as much coconut milk to reduce the heat.
Tip: when waiting for the tomatoes to cook feel free to add some more basil and/ or sugar depending on your liking.
Serve with rice and naan bread or poppadoms and a pickle tray
The verdict
Steve found the benefits of this recipe to be:
Really easy to cook
A bargain at £3.90 per person- he still has some of the ingredients left over so next time would be even cheaper to cook
Really tasty and a healthy option (good for those training for the marathon!)
WARNING!!! Steve didn’t read the recipe correctly (!!!) and so used 2 jars of Thai green curry paste- and said the only problem with the dish was that it was too hot…
However, even if you follow the recipe properly (!) this dish can be quite spicy- we recommend for 2 people to use half a red chilli and change according to the number of people you are cooking for.
Tip: add the chilli gradually- keep tasting and add more if you want.
For more recipe idea’s check out our first blog post: Food Glorious Food.
Quentin Tarantino does what he does best in Kill Bill: Vol. 1, his fourth film. The movie sees The Bride (Uma Thurman) who decides to escape her life as a killer. She fled to Texas, met a young man, and on the day of their wedding was gunned down. Four years later she wakes from a coma and discovers her baby is gone. She decides to get revenge on the people who were responsible for her death.
It’s pretty mind blowing and gruesome stuff, but that’s what Tarantino is known for. The blood is so gratuitous but that’s what makes it brilliant. As with Tarantino’s other films, he mixes dark humour with peril and mixes it amazingly well. None of it is pointless and none of it takes anything away from the story. It just flows seamlessly.
Uma Thurman is superb in the role of ‘The Bride’; the vicious woman seeking revenge on Bill. You can really feel her rage and determination as she ticks off the people on her ‘death list’. Lucy Liu also does a fine job of portraying O-Ren Ishii; one of the five people who played a part in almost ending her life.
The lengthy sword fight scene will keep you wanting more and the cliffhanger will ensure you will want to watch Kill Bill: Vol 2. Brilliant.
When I think of Sheffield I think ‘home’. And it has been my home for 25 years, except on the occasions i decided it a good idea to “try somewhere new”. But no matter what I do or where I go I keep getting drawn back to this iconic city…
Over the past few years Sheffield has really had a face, brow, boob and personality lift! It has always been a place of comfort and happiness for me, however, the changes that the city and its people have seen has really put Sheffield on the map and made others sit up and take notice.
Sheffield’s music scene is becoming one of the most influential movements around. With well known local artists such as Reverend and the Makers, Pulp and of course those Arctic Monkey lads encouraging others to get creative too. Across the city on almost any night you can find live performances from up and coming unsigned bands, on their way to stardom. Venues like Leadmill, The Green room, Plug and Frog and Parrott boast a generous selection of live music nights to choose from.
The ever growing choice of bars and clubs in the area are also making Sheffield become an ever more popular choice for big nights, with people coming from the tradititonal hot spots such as Leeds and Manchester to sample our delights.
Sheffield’s location too makes it such a unique place to be- drive 30 minutes from the busy city centre and you find yourself in the beautiful Peak District. Here is a great place to walk off those hangovers and to sample the true Yorkshire experience!
I have in the past left my beloved Sheffield, when I went to study in the West Midlands and then again when I went travelling. All of these other places were of course wonderful in their own right. But I just never felt quite at home as I do here. Many of my school friends stayed on to study in Sheffield and have confirmed what an amazing student scene it has! If your university of choice is in Sheffield then you won’t be disappointed. Be prepared to fall in love…
Helen Sutherland
Senior Administrator and Marketing Coordinator
Do you love Sheffield also? Why not add a comment to tell us the best bits!
