Thread 30 Covid Cohort, Mad March Hareing Towards Exams

@EventuallyDelighted - I’m sorry DS is finding it so difficult. Can I say as a mother to 2 kids who find everything academically easy (kid 2 and kid 4) and two kids who are just as bright but have significant processing issues/LDs and find academic work and exams very difficult (kid 1 and kid 3 - in this cohort) that the most important point you make is this “ I don't think he'll cope with the low contact / high self study aspect as he needs a lot of support now and attends every possible extra study support session at school.”

Listen to your instincts in that one. If that way of learning won’t suit his learning style, don’t send him down that route. He will either do poorly and lose his confidence while doing it, or he will drop out and the student finance advantage will be lost.

Don’t pay much attention to a potential career if he doesn’t know what interests him yet. Kids get employed when they come out of uni with a good degree, some work experience, good self- confidence and can demonstrate an interest in the job and a capacity to learn and work hard. The subject they study rarely matters.

If I had sent kid 1 to do a degree in geography where she sat in a lecture theatre for 4 hours a week and wrote essays the rest of the time with massive end of year timed exams (the original plan) she would have come out with a 2:2 at best and shattered confidence. Instead I steered her in the direction of landscape architecture which had no exams, only project and group work, and she excelled. She came out of her RG uni very clear about what she wanted to do (commercial property) and three years later has a great job earning £50k +, a masters done alongside her job, professional qualifications, and loves what she is doing (asset management). I would never have believed it when we were trying to kick her through GCSEs and A levels (which she tanked, btw).

So ask your son if he can really see himself enjoying the learning style of the traditional history degree, and whether it might not be better to find something that allows him to play to his strengths. As long as the subject can hold his interest for 3 years, he will do much better. If he can’t identify a course that he is enthusiastic about, tell him he can take a gap year. He may just not be ready. As long as he gets out into the world, and doesn’t just work in the local pub for the whole thing, he will gain maturity and have a better idea of what he wants.

Also if he doesn’t do well in an academic environment don’t sign him up for a 4 year course unless one year is in industry. Let him get the degree as fast as possible and then decide what to do.

That’s my 2p worth anyway.

Sorry, brain dump. Don't feel obliged to try and follow, I just needed to get it out.

Morning all, reading all the offer-holder day reports with interest.

DS is still undecided . This is doing our heads in. He doesn't feel ready to go to uni quite yet is the bottom line, but feels pressured into doing so now because of the student finance changes. Especially if he goes with RAU because its a 4 year course. So we are off to Chichester on Saturday for another offer-holder day. He says he would feel better if a decision was made but its all jumbled up in his head. RAU ticks all the boxes apart from he doesn't love the course just likes it. Whereas he loves history. But I'm not sure if loving a subject is enough when all the other factors are taken into account (no clear career path, low contact hours, huge amounts of self study, bigger universities). I'm just worried he'll come out with a very expensive degree and no real improvement to his career prospects. This is not knocking history degrees generally, I just can't see him him any of the careers history grads typically go into and I don't think he'll cope with the low contact / high self study aspect as he needs a lot of support now and attends every possible extra study support session at school.

So my suggestion would be to firm RAU. It's his lowest offer so insurance choice is irrelevant. He is likely to meet the grades for all his offers in any case. Fallback is clearing, with real fallback being history at Winchester as it will be in clearing and he can live at home if he fails to get accommodation. If none of those work for him, gap year and re-apply next year.

Happy birthday for yesterday @icanbewhatiwant.
@Orangecinammon theres nothing better than time out with sisters.
Ds & I loved Bangor today.
it has beautiful old buildings and was very friendly & much better organised than Aber.
The sports building had wonderful views of the sea from the modern labs within a Victorian Shell & a stunning staircase.
Someone asked me about Aber. a while ago.
I'm happy to answer any questions if you still need feedback.

Zebra, that’s why I pushed for DD to include RH in her top 5. They offered her ABB for a course that requires AAB, which means she can still go with ABC; if she doesn’t make ABC, they’ll let her take the foundation course, so it’s a win-win situation IF she firms it.

Sorry to hear Cambridge didn’t go well, but maybe how she feels it went isn’t actually how it went? Fingers crossed.

@OrangeCinnamonCroissant sounds like a lovely weekend, glad you got the chance to see you sister and let loose.

Our mocks start tomorrow too although DSs first one is on Tuesday.

That’s really helpful to know, thanks, Orange.
Glad you had a lovely weekend - it’s sounds just what you needed.

DD has phoned me from the M4 on the way home from RHUL. She sounds really excited about the course and the uni (almost as excited as DH, who is in raptures about the liberal arts lecture they attended!), but said the compromise is still the location.
I think the grade drop guarantee is a big plus for her, and London isn’t far to find some nightlife.

That sounds great @OrangeCinnamonCroissant. I’ll be checking it out because I live quite close, and outdoor heated pools are heaven to me.. I didn’t know there was an offer holders day for R.H.U. Just realised I may have encouraged a silly choice actually. She has applied for History at RH and if the typical offer is BBB and she gets contextual offers, her offer would be 1 or 2 grades lower, and they guarantee a place even if you drop a grade, so a place at BBC or even CCC, which is the same as the offer for the foundation year course I encouraged her to apply for as an achievable fallback.Don’t think I’ll confess, she did her Cambridge assessment today and she doesn’t think it went well. Que sera. We did give her the face off dhs Colin the Caterpillar cake. There is no greater love.

@OrangeCinnamonCroissant, thank you, that’s incredibly helpful to know. Teenage email checking is not the most reliable is it!! I hope he got it all sorted in the end.
It sounds like you’ve had a lovely time with your sisters, I bet your mum would be delighted.

I worked by Castle Donnington/E Mids airport for a couple of years too @ealingwestmum! It was a secondment from our Birmingham office and the vibe was quite different, more laid back. I’ll be going that way a lot in future if dd goes to Nottingham!

How lovely Orange, I bet your heavenly mum was smiling at you all being together again. And you got to bop!

Fond memories of E Mids. I used to commute to Castle Donnington and offices behind the airport a long time ago for one of my favourite past employers. Still miss the banter of my local colleagues.

The dc's have grown up not being able to get anywhere where we live. I can't imagine them getting about by themselves like I did as a child. They have always needed lifts as no transport. I can see it being a definite plus though. That's why they have been so keen to learn to drive as soon as they get to 17.

Thanks for the birthday wishes for yesterday. Ds2 didn't even get me a card. He has a car to go out and get one plus dh gave him one too. Never mind. I think it's a boy thing.

It’s great that your DS is on board Crazy, hope it all goes ahead as smoothly as possible

You know my argument well Eww !

I think once we know where DD is actually going to be, I may start the debate in earnest again. You are right Eww, is is very doubtful that even in semester breaks, UK is the place she heads back to each time.

@ealingwestmum Your DD has broad horizons with Dublin & Canada. In your shoes I'm not sure how much weight I would give to the likelihood of her ever living full-time back at home. Hard to think about that though.

Happy birthday for yesterday @icanbewhatiwant! 🥂🍾. Glad you had an argument free day!

This is the tricky thing @ealingwestmum. Dd is such a city girl. She’s used to jumping on the train with her travel pass and we live close enough to the city centre here for an Uber to be reasonable. But we have to move for dh’s work so that’s that. Ds really likes the idea of a country town but he also likes going out with friends. Im hoping he makes some new ones! In your shoes I’m not sure what I’d do!

Ah Crazy: that’s the dilemma that keeps DH and I up at night! I’ve been wanting to move away from London for a while now having been here since mid 90s. But, the DD on the other hand…

I never expected for us to stay in one home for 19 years, so I can see both sides. And she is a true Londoner, unlike us.

@Alsoplayspiccolo that’s a tricky choice! Dd thought Southampton would be too quiet and boring in comparison to Nottingham but I’m sure in reality it would have been fine. She does love parties though Is Royal Holloway the one where people tend to go home at weekends?

Dd is feeling a bit miffed that we’re moving away from the city as how will she go out with home friends in the holidays?! An Uber to our new place after a night out will be way too much. I’m sure she can just stay over at a friend’s though.

Happy Birthday ican Glad you had a nice day

Offer days certainly make a difference!

piggy How frustrating!

Happy, happy birthday weekend, icanbe! 🥳

cariad, DD was never going to be able to make Southampton yesterday, as she had no one to take her! She made a mix up with dates, looking at April 19th not March.

She liked Southampton uni very much but hated the city. I think she’ll love RH’s campus and course (liberal arts), and she’s already had a reduced offer from them, and of course they guarantee places even with a grade drop, which is a really good safety net for insurance BUT I think she’ll find life there just too quiet and suburban.

Really tricky to choose between them.