Starting year 13 2016

Ds has just sent is UCAS form in to college too. He seems quite happy at college at the moment and has been really organised so far this term.
Concerned that he may be unwell as he has always been comletely disorganised in the past!
I think doing university open days in the summer term really inspired him.

dd has sent her UCAS application to the school so her bit is now done. Hurrah. Hopefully the references will go on in the next few days.

What a relief.

Errol YANBU She might not hear anything until after Christmas!

DD did her UCAS application on monday and now shes twitching every time she gets an email. Just acknowledgements and general guff of course. AIBU to tell her to chill?

All sounds great - character building!

Have just got back from Boots having bought everything they had for blisters! Thanks for the suggestions, hopefully they may help and DD could even share around with friends as needed

I just noticed on another thread there seems to be some synchronisation issue with posts done on the app if you are viewing on a browser.

DDs was totally 'wild' - I think one night they cooked in an old bothy. I believe that the group was required to use a trowel, and instructed to burn the loo roll. That probably didn't work too well after she had (aptly but unfortunately) dropped hers in a bog.

Juggling, DS used Compeed stick, I think it is silicone that you rub onto the foot to prevent blisters. It worked like a charm and he came back blister free. Last time he had horrendous blisters. Buy some Compeed blister plasters too, the bigger the better, just in case.

DS took pre-packed camping food from Go Outdoors (all day breakfast, chicken tikka etc plus chocolate puddings), wraps and those sachets of tuna for lunch, chocolate filled pancakes, cranberries, nuts, protein bars for snacks. Their camping was more or less 'wild' as the campsites had no facilities (in the best one there was a 'toilet' in a shack ). But he really enjoyed it and said he reckoned he could've walked for another day.

Oh, they've all re-appeared now making me look like an idiot!

Zinc oxide tape? OK, adds to list for first-aid kit.

She's doing an after school shop to make sure she has adequate supplies of cereal bars and chocolate And whatever else they're planning to survive on.

Errol your post seems to have entered a strange in-between world (where it's come up multiple times on "threads I'm on" but not at all on the actual thread) Very strange!
Anyway I gather there was much traipsing up and down of hills resulting in some blisters!
Am planning to pop out and get DD some plasters etc. before she sets off tomorrow

Sorry, I should know its lying when it says its failed to post.

My DD had blisters from trudging up and down the hills on Bristol open day the week before hers. She used a lot of zinc oxide tape. I believe the idea is put it on places which are likely to rub beforehand.

Juggling, if she's off tomorrow hasn't she had to buy vast quantities of junk food (plus actual food)? The food planning seemed like quite an important element of the thing.

My DD had blisters from trudging up and down the hills on Bristol open day the week before hers. She used a lot of zinc oxide tape. I believe the idea is put it on places which are likely to rub beforehand.

Juggling, if she's off tomorrow hasn't she had to buy vast quantities of junk food (plus actual food)? The food planning seemed like quite an important element of the thing.

My DD had blisters from trudging up and down the hills on Bristol open day the week before hers. She used a lot of zinc oxide tape. I believe the idea is put it on places which are likely to rub beforehand.

Juggling, if she's off tomorrow hasn't she had to buy vast quantities of junk food (plus actual food)? The food planning seemed like quite an important element of the thing.

Yes, I'm sure that in many ways good enough is good enough for the personal statement Little. Anyway DD is hoping to get hers in around half-term so feels like we're nearly there now!

ds got blisters for his walk. He managed to avoid them on subsequent walks by getting some better socks, applying plasters before the walk and during any rests.

dd is heartily sick of her Personal Statement. She has finished it but keeps getting comments like 'needs to be more dynamic' without saying anything specific. She is logical and needs specifics. Also one teacher says take something out, then another teacher contradicts that and says put it back in. It is driving her nuts. Her friends are finding the same thing too. I think there are too many people commenting on the blasted things and they all have different ideas.

Rant over.

DD really enjoyed her practice expedition last weekend, especially the first night evening meal in the local pub. She's off on the real one tomorrow - I think they have to cook for themselves this time! Hopefully a few days at home has been enough for her blisters to heal - got a couple of small ones on the practice.
Any advice - extra socks? A blister pack from the chemists?
DS is hoping to do his bronze this year, and just needs to get his application in to school, including having a think what he might do for each section.
DD wants to add a few things to her PS, hopefully including an exciting trip she did in the summer, and some reference to bits she's done for DofE. It's all about the subject ATM so I feel we do have to work on the balance a bit with that. It is meant to be a personal statement after all!

I used to work out of an office in york uni (for a company but my boss was an academic) , loved the place and I'm sure she would have too except for the small detail that it doesn't offer EEE. The others on her list are in cities but maybe in different sorts of area. Each to their own - various of her friends are dead set on manchester, and I rather like the vibe of the 'curry mile' that lies between the uni and the halls.

BTM, the Hacienda is now an apartment block and Affleck's is still there. I spend quite a bit of time in Manchester for work and have never felt unsafe. The student accommodation at Owen's Park is a bus ride away which might not appeal to those who like to roll out of bed for lectures. It isn't particularly nice but those who live there love it. I've walked round there at night and there are usually lots of people about. I'd always advise students to go out in pairs anywhere.

Would she feel happier at an out-of-town campus uni? Or maybe a smaller city, like York or Lancaster?

Safety (manc is our nearest big city, we know it tolerably well). Same applies to some other places of course. She's really not a city girl.

Do you mean you're worried about safety or don't know where they are? One of my besties from school went to Manchester and I spent quite a bit of time there. Plus it's only an hour or so from where I grew up - many happy memores of fhe Hacienda and Afflecks Palace amongst other stuff.

Oh good, glad to hear that ono! Cookery course sounds like a great idea too. Looks like your DD has been luckier with the weather, Juggling.

DD was impressed by the dept. at Manchester but not sure about the area where most student digs are after the first year.

DS made it back in one piece, no chafing! He said the expedition was easier than the practice one despite it being in the Brecon Beacons and tipping down with rain every day and he actually enjoyed it. Just the week long cookery course at half term to go now and DofE is all done. Then EPQ, personal statement, UCAS application, coursework for History and English, mock exams....this year is going to fly past.

Good luck to your DD Juggling! At least the weather looks good.

DD is doing her DofE expeditions this week and next, a practice one this weekend and the longer real thing next week, in the Brecon Beacons - where I also did mine 30 odd years ago!

No nipple piercings though as far as I'm aware

I'm glad she's taking the opportunity to do something a bit different from the normal school routine, and hopefully they might get some autumn sunshine?

!!!

@ nipple piercing!

A couple of DD's mates got theirs done the other day. One has slightly inverted nipples apparently. The piercer had to rub her nipple until it went hard in order to pierce it. It took a long time. And it bled for hours after, but at least girls wear bras!