Year 13 -2025/26 - Support, discussion and looking after each other (new thread from y12)

@temperedolive gosh it will be different for you with both your girls going at once. Your celebrations sound amazing though and they will return as adults more than you think! I can vouch for that as I have a DD in her 30s who I didn't see as much whilst at uni but she now lives near me, is settled and I see her a lot which is a joy for me.

@ComingInByAnsible my DD2 is our last one at home and like your DS is a chatter box so it will be very quiet without her. I am just looking forward to having a bit more certainty with her actually going to uni as these past months have been full of uncertainty and waiting and what ifs 😂.

DD has an OHD on Saturday at Leeds which will be a welcome positive step for her making things a bit more real. She is still waiting on her other 3 interview outcomes so this will be a distraction and I am hoping will help her visualise being at med school and how she will cope with it.

A levels are creeping up quickly now!

@temperedoliveboth your DDs going at once is tough, but they will always come back to a loving family 🥰
DS is an only so we will be empty nesters, but he was a late baby so we had a long time as a couple too.
We will miss him but I'm looking forward to holidays and time as a twosome again as well.

We have been skiing this week, which was lovely and I hope he will come on holiday with us going forward but not every time 🙊

@ComingInByAnsible We've been told that if it's a subject with another subject then the with subject (in your case econ) is normally about a 1/4 of the degree. If it's an 'and' instead of a 'with' then it's more like 50%. So I can see why they've capped it.

We have also found that in open days etc you only ever really hear from the main subject departments. Though Loughborough did tell us they have taken new steps to ensure you have a tutor in both areas that talk to each other.

But it's helpful to know that it's not one he wants to firm - helps in narrowing these decisions.

@wonderstuff, 💐 to you. TBH I am worried about the changing dynamics too when DS leaves home. He is a chatterbox, funny, and really lights up the room; he is such enjoyable and entertaining company. DH and DD are lovely but much quieter; DS is often the catalyst of weird and wonderful family debates and conversations. We all really notice when he isn’t there for whatever reason. So while I am excited about his next life chapter on his behalf, I know we’ll all miss him like hell.

Talking of the next chapter, we went to Bath OHD yesterday which was helpful. DS has an offer there for politics with economics with professional placement year, and it’s his lowest offer (AAA or A star AB). We thought the politics department (which hosted the OHD and hosts the degree) was brilliant, clearly great teaching, structure and support. The placement also obviously is a real strength. But the economics part felt like an add-on that no one really cared much about. There were no student ambassadors nor staff with experience or knowledge of the econ side, and the proportion of econ that you are allowed to take as part of the degree is capped at 35%. DS is still not that keen on Bath campus, although the Sports village is very impressive (no climbing wall for him however), and the Bath city itself is lovely. So overall, he feels neutral about going there, and it’s now only in insurance category.

@temperedolive i hope you have an amazing feast! I have just had our first family holiday without DD 🙁we had a nice time and the weather was great, I’m super lucky to be able to go (we had 5 nights in Tenerife) but I really missed her! DS and DH bicker constantly and Im really not looking forward to being the only girl in the house! I’m so excited for her to be off, but I will miss her.

Thank you @ComingInByAnsible @JessyCarr and @Ventress - I much appreciate the kind words! I've had my wallow and a little blub and now I'm looking forward and planning to make this a proper feast that they'll remember! And truly, I'm entirely lucky to have had these two brilliant young women living under my roof for as long as I have!

Thanks @Ventress, apparently Warwick PPE is just slow as they wait for the three individual departments to make decisions. In recent years the biggest wave of home non-contextual offers came in March, with further batches in April and May. So there might still be quite a bit of a wait, which is frustrating because if the offer is made we might be past the OHDs.

@temperedolive, your Lunar new year traditions sound amazing! Like Ventress I wish I were in your house! Change is hard but I am sure they will cherish these memories and will flock back home to relive them. Before you know it, they’ll be bringing back partners and then children, and your nest will be fuller than it is now 💐

Oh @temperedolive- I didn’t know about all those lovely traditions, but I totally get where you’re coming from. Sending a handhold and wishing you the happiest of celebrations with all the family. The coming years may look different, but your girls will carry the warm glow of their loving home wherever they go - and they will be back to share many more special occasions around your family table.

Also meant to ask about Warwick ppe @ComingInByAnsible- have you heard anything yet? Perhaps give them a call if you haven’t heard and others have? I wonder if it’s just ppe. Other facilities seem to have offers. DS’ friend has still only heard from one university though.

Doing well here @ComingInByAnsible! Good luck with the mocks for your son and @AuntyBulgaria’s . I’m sure they will both be fine - they are very bright boys 😊

We have first OHD next month. How was Bath? Hopefully it offered some alternatives to the open day. Has DS fixed on his choices?

Good luck with the driving practice @ComingInByAnsible!

Ah @temperedolive- have a hug 🤗 I wish I were at your house. I heard earlier this week the the terrible weather is due to cleansing for the year of the horse. I’m not sure I agree but it’s an interesting theory. Perhaps you could all go to Oxford to experience Luna new year next year? DS did mandarin for GCSE and loves going to china town in London to try and experience LYN as much as possible. I swear that’s one of the reasons he wants to firm UCL! They are growing up - I guess there isn’t much we can do about that. But they are amazing young people and will make you proud in different ways as they get older. A flying visit is better than nothing.

Can I request a bit of a handhold?

This weekend is the end of Lunar New Year, and because of scheduling we're doing our big feast now. So I've ordered in the chicken and the fish and I'm making Buddha jumps over the wall and all the veggies. I was just going over my list to see if I need anything and then it hit me that this is likely to be my last LNY with my girls at home. DC1 will be on her gap year in France and even if she makes it home for the weekend it'll just be a flying visit. And DC2 will be either at Oxford if she gets the grades or some other uni if she doesn't. No more big breakfasts all week and hiding red envelopes somewhere different every day. No more burning lucky money or making up stories about the Nyan monster in the evenings. I'll keep it going for DC3, of course, but he's going to miss the girls awfully this time of year.

Nothing else for it - children grow up. But I'll miss having them here terribly!

@AuntyBulgaria your DS must be naturally very bright and confident! DS is convinced that he’s going to do badly in his mocks and that he doesn’t have enough time to revise properly, so I think his revision is at least partially panic-driven!

Interesting that your OHD was so similar to the open day. DS is still undecided about his options and the open days were such a long time ago now that he needs another set of visits to remind himself what the places feel like.

We've been to an offer holder day - but I don't think they say anything that was not said at the main open day especially if you made it to a subject talk. So I would only think they're necessary if you haven't visited before applying.

@ComingInByAnsible my DS also has mocks after half term, with two exams on Monday and is doing the opposite of lots of revision! He never seems to do a great deal of revision and does well so I presume he is doing something right.

Hope she enjoys the Leeds OHD, @bluefineliner! How are everyone else’s OHDs going? We are off this Saturday to our first one at Bath.

@Ventress, hope the English NEA part 2 went in without a hitch and history is progressing well. Sounds like your DS is being super organised with revision.

DS has his mocks after the half term so is revising a lot. And he needs to ramp up his driving practice too as his test is coming up at the end of March.

That’s great news about Leeds OHD @bluefineliner

I have a tracker app too! I haven’t really used it though 😊 DS is enjoying driving on his own. DH is going to take him for a session on the dual carriageway/motorway.

DS does seem to be doing a lot with his half term. He’s done a lot of history and is going to spend the afternoon and evening doing economics with his friend. This is good news as economics is his weakest subject.

@Ventress congratulations on DS passing his test! another life hurdle under his belt! I must admit I have a tracking app for DD which I never really used until she went out driving on her own. I am more relaxed now a couple of months down the line but do still check she's arrived if it is bad weather.

Well done to your DS on his geography NEA @ComingInByAnsible a welcome comfort knowing he has done so well ahead of his exam.

DD finally got her invite to Leeds OHD so has booked in for the end of Feb. She can go there on her own too as it is our nearest uni so it will be a good test for her to find her way around. I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes as I'm not sure she took everything in on the open day as it all felt a bit surreal with the uncertainty of the application process. Now she can try and actually visualise being a student there!

That’s great news on the geography nea @ComingInByAnsible ! DS has English and history still to do. Although his deadline for English part 2 is today but he’s quite happy with it (fingers crossed!) It is in two parts and part one has already been done last year.

Lovely that your DS has booked his post A level holiday. Malaga is lovely!

A minor on puddles seems fairly inevitable doesn’t it? I’m so pleased he has passed. Makes life so much easier 😊 we have just insured him on our insurance for the time being (upgraded from the learner insurance) We will worry about black boxes and his own insurance when it renews in the autumn. Well done to your dc on passing theirs too!

I hope the OHDs go well @Fabfabfabwe shall have to compare notes 😊 Spain sounds lovely too, great time of year to go.

That’s brilliant news, @Ventress, congratulations! Can’t believe driving through a puddle is penalised, how are you meant to avoid puddles in this weather?

Lovely to read about everyone’s holiday plans. DS and his friends have booked their post A level trip, they’ve changed the destination and are now going to Malaga.

In other news, DS got his gigantic geography NEA back, he got very close to full marks so is pretty pleased. It can still get externally moderated down but should still take some pressure off the exams, which is helpful.

That's great @Ventress! So much water on the roads so the minor seems a bit unavoidable! The next step is sorting out the incredibly high insurance. We've done that recently and DC started driving last month which was a bit scary as a parent (he seemed pretty confident though!). He has a black box and his score is almost perfect so hoping the insurance will come down if he continues like this.

Well done everyone who is booking holidays! Aside from OHD trips to Durham and Warwick (not really a holiday - especially with the Durham rail replacement service!!) I'm planning a long weekend break away with DH over the Easter break (maybe to Spain) but no definite plans for the summer yet. DC is planning a trip away with friends, and a separate one with his girlfriend, and then needs to find a job for the rest of the summer.

Fantastic news @Ventress one minor is very impressive!

DS passed his test - hooray 🙌. He got a minor for driving through a puddle (hard to avoid at the moment!)

I’m very relieved. Means he can get himself to his job and DH and I can get on our weekends away 😊

I am loving to hear of all your holiday plans! They sound fantastic.

Tenerife sounds dreamy @wonderstuff. Have a great time. I’m sure your daughter will firm up her plans. DS seems unwilling to discuss anything apart from A level plans at the moment. I’m just leaving him to it.

We spent a lot of time at the place in MK too @JessyCarrwhen DS was learning to ski in year 9/10. It is excellent there. I hope your DS can master those tricks 😊

We are going away on Saturday but DD is staying home, im gutted, will miss her! Tenerife sunshine should cheer me up a little though. Shes just ticking along, she’s decided against Zante with her friend group, they are wanting to party every night and that’s not really DD bag, she’s talking about a solo trip to Spain, but no firm plans.

Still hasn’t rebooked her driving test. I’m trying hard not to nag her about it. She’s got a car in the driveway!

DS has booked a holiday with friends after A Levels he’s a bit worried as he will still be 17 - August birthday. He did pass his driving test on Monday which was good to get out of the way. Hope your DS also got on well today @Ventress

Well done to your DS @Tebheag - it's a worry I have - the stamina to continue performing. They could so easily flag and just when it really matters.

DS is coming with us for our post exam holiday. Off to Croatia - I've never been but the coast line looks lovely.

DS got his final mock results BCC fingers crossed he can stay at them results at least.
Love hearing about the holidays our kids picked halloween horror at universal so got a while to wait for this year's holiday. DH and I booked our first holiday just us, since having kids for 2027a cruise been on DH list for years.