Class of '18 nattering as they head in different directions.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Hope this works. On phone with dodgy signal.

Morning all,

I have also been reading the posts on that group and find some of them tedious and feel sorry for the kids whose parents are so overwhelmed and emotional.

Will I miss ds? Yes terribly. But my main emotions are pride and excitement. Can’t wait for him to experience everything Uni can offer and watch him change and grow.

He is ready and I am trying to follow his lead.

Shanghai - good luck to your son. The beginning of the leaving! I do wonder about culture shock as like your ds (if I remember correctly) my ds has never actually lived in the UK. He has lots to learn about how things work and will be interesting to hear what differences and similarities he notices.

Thanks for the tag kitten.
I will miss dd terribly (especially at 5.15 on weekdays - Pointless, tea and dippy biscuits won't be the same without her).

However I am really pleased that she is moving forward, going somewhere she really wants to be, studying something she is passionate about.
I will be more involved that some parents because of her additional needs and also worried of course but I still think 'support when it is needed; hands off when it isn't'.

My primary emotions regarding DS1 right now are:

Exasperation - about his difficulties with organisation, his propensity for losing things, and his forgetfulness.

Worry - about everything: whether he will remember to register with a GP, whether he will remember to meet with the mentor, how he will cope when he loses his key / phone / bankcard / ID / wherewithal.

These are secondary:

Happiness & excitement for him as he starts this new chapter.

Poignancy as I'll miss him and it feels like the end of his childhood.

You notice that I say 'when' he loses those things, not 'if'...

Ursula what sort of rubbish?
Rubbish at university? Bin in room, bin liners, empty it into communal bins which get emptied regularly.
Rubbish left at home? I don't know. A skip?

If this thread were to give out "Most likely to..." type awards to the DCs, I would be nominating DS1 for:

Most likely to lose their keys / ID / bank card / passport.
Most likely follow a band before they become famous.
Best barista skills.

Shanghai you are always the leader of our pack! You will have settled into a routine of DS bring away whilst we are all starting in the journey!

TheThird those barista skills are not to be sniffed at, he can walk into a part time job instantly.

I have been painting my new log store, it is the colour of pistachio ice cream as are my hands. DS has made my lunch which involved the boiling of an egg. He doesn't eat eggs, this is a first for him.

I have no worries about him coping with unfamiliar things as long as he has his phone and data - Google will show him all he needs to know (in this scenario that included to check whether the egg floats)

Downey
Yes, you are right ds has never lived in the UK. He is going to my mum's for three weeks for some cultural training!
Ellen
Am sure there is a lot to sort out re accommodation and people going to Warwick as their reserve, but I remain unimpressed. His second choice was Loughborough and I found the service much better - very quick to respond to emails and sent a congratulations email when he got his results. DS eventually phoned Warwick 10 days after getting his results as heard nothing from them and nothing updated on track despite meeting his offer.

That's not good. DS1 had his offer updated by 7.30am on results day.

I really want to know how all our DC get on whatever they are doing, it's all new and exciting. Also really looking forward to hearing our newly arrived in the UK's opinions of living here (and the rubbish weather!).

Having a lovely week with DS, his brothers are with their father but he's chosen to stay home so we are mooching about together. Just had a morning of ordering kitchen stuff (Matalan have some lovely pans!) and then practicing making omelettes. He is way to distract-able for quick cooking egg dishes and my house now smells lovely . (Who goes off to wash their hands half way through cooking an omelette, who?)

DrPeppersPhD I think everybody is nervous moving into student accommodation. Some people will hide it with a front of bravado. Be considerate to your flatmates. Tidy up after yourself, look after shared spaces.

During freshers week and beyond explore the opportunities to meet new people and have new experiences. There are lots of clubs and societies to explore. You will find people you enjoy spending time with. Remember that everyone is new.

DD1 didnt gel with her flatmates for many reasons. They socialised together during freshers but went in different directions once courses started. However DD1 made good friends on her course and these were the people she socialised with.

Academically you will find that you are surrounded by your peers on your course. Some people struggle with no longer being 'top of the class' and try to claim some sort of superiority. Dont be put off by these people, remember that you are all there on your merits.

I hope you enjoy it. This is a new beginning.

Fantastic advice very well put Gnome thankyou. I have copied and pasted into my notes ready to send to DD when she goes.
That's exactly what I want to say to her.

Very well put Gnome.

Now all I need is for DD2 to actually follow the tidying up after herself advice!

We've a turbulent few days. As she wouldn't accept any kind of congratulations she's missed out on all the celebrating and joy. I have been so sad for her, while constantly telling her how proud we are of her.

Anyway, she went off to Leeds on Wednesday in a more positive frame of mind, having just been offered accommodation she was happy with.

However, she goes in 2 weeks, and nothing has been done yet! Though she is up to speed with opticians, haircut and dentist.

Mu sister went to Warwick in the 80's. Back in the distant past with no internet. Warwick was also her insurance choice (missed out on St Andrew's). That year there was a postal strike so Warwick wasn't able to assign accommodation to insurance places until after the start of term! My sister ended up lodging with one of the lecturers for the first week, with no real access to transport. It wasn't a brilliant start.

raspberry that's so sad reading about your DD I do hope she feels better about it all once she gets into the swing of Uni & meeting new friends - maybe she can celebrate new starts instead

Lobster great news on DD's internship!

DD had her degree apprenticeship induction this week & had a great day. Not sure if I should still be posting here about it though, as not really relevant to most of you & don't want to hijack thread. Unfortunately there's no other threads either

Actually I was just about to ask you all about it lashings, how does it all work, is there study as well as placement or or work based? Is she doing something technical? I was going to look into it for DS1 but I worry that it would be quite competitive getting on to a course. Please stay, I've got two more children to get through school knowing all the options is fascinating!

Oh do stay. I would have loved dd to do an engineering apprenticeship but her DT teacher put her off.

Really interested, and a tiny bit jealous, to know how it goes.

lashings I'm also interested in hearing about your dd and how the degree apprenticeship works. That's one thing I love about mn, is that I learn so much outside my own bubble.

I see you guys as friends and I certainly wouldn't stop inviting friends out for a coffee just because their dc are doing something different from my dd.

I totally agree Kitten we've been through a lot together. I'm interested in apprenticeships too for my younger daughter.

Kind of thought this thread was about all options - university, apprenticeships, year out, jobs, undecided! Very interested to hear about other paths taken.

raspberry
I’m sure it will all work out! Probably just nerves
I too am interested in degree apprenticeships are they similar to what Nestlé do? Where you work and do a degree at the same time?
I do often think about how long we’ll carry this thread on for? Post grad? Babies? Imagine if a dc+dd couple up? Who knows what could happen