Class of 18. No need for new school shoes

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Old thread:www.mumsnet.com/Talk/further_education/3478916-Class-of-18-now-in-2019-blimey

A thread for those of us whose kids left school/sixth form/college a year ago. Friendly chat :)

Have you got the Premium Bond App on your phone Knitaknitter? I love it.

I detest Xmas Shopping. I love shops but then I cannot make decisions.
I used to love making Christmas presents - I think when the time to do so disappeared, so did my love for the "preparations" which seemed to be a nightmare of juggling priorities.
I'm building up again...little fun parts of Christmas prep to make my heart sing rather than lists of anxious making "to dos"..

Ursula I have an elderly phone that is full of tat and struggling to cope with the sole reason for its existence (Pokemon Go) so that's a no to any surplus apps. I rather like the one that makes my phone double as a tv remote, that one can stay.

Christmas and everything associated with it went down the toilet when my husband died. At some point it will come back but this year it's still on the "meh" list. I've told my inlaws not to bother except for the under 18s (not that they usually do bother but that's another story) so at least I don't have that to think about this year. I have started going to a couple of local groups so have multiple Christmas dinners to look forward to, none of which I have to cook or wash up after.

What? An app that lets your phone act as a tv remote? Off to search...

knot I wouldn't think it gets any easier We are missing two important people this Christmas (although they were elderly)in memory of one we are doing absolutely everything the same, in memory of the other I think it is too much to even try and do the same things or even be in the same house. I think my cousins are all going to try and organise something completely different. The groups sound good.

Knotaknitter, my condolences. xx

ursula I hope you have heat again and that your dh is continuing to recover.

Dd's application to study part-time has been approved. As the only course she is continuing this term is assessed on assignments only this means that she has no exams this December and is coming home on the 3rd.
She will then have a nice long break to hopefully get some energy and headspace back.

Going part-time means a heap of admin but I can help her with that once she is home.

So good nohaudin. Sensible uni .

That's great news NoHaudin :)

If anyone's dc hasn't registered to vote they need to do so by Monday.

Oh that's very good news @NoHaudinMaWheest, hopefully getting that confirmation will help her to start to feel better.
DD has been campaigning in and around the university, encouraging students to register to vote. She's been amazed at the number who haven't, and the excuse is usually "they just hadn't got around to it yet"
So DD and the other campaigners get them to register there and then! It seems to be a successful strategy so far - just have to hope they all get around to actually voting!
Poor DD2 (17) is furious to be missing out by just a few weeks.

Oh yes, think my DD missed out a few years ago. Funny though, DD doesn't talk about voting eventhough she's usually so interested. Know she's signed up though.

Did you see TV debates. Very interesting. They really want people to believe services will be better and Brexit is not such a big shout it seems to me. Slight digression here!

Must add, my DD will vote. Just she's so wrapped up in uni world, it's not what she talks about to me.

DD has arranged a postal vote for home and has helped some local school friends to the same. The vote for our home constituency will be much more important than their uni ones.

DD3 is mid mocks and spent yesterday morning moving the furniture around in her bedroom. Such a major displacement activity! She saw the funny side though and promises to get back to work today!

That's bloody brilliant of her Lobster Well done to her.

dd voted by return of post. I'm very pleased with her. It's an odd system though isn't it, if there were a major scandal with the candidate she voted for between now and Polling day, it's not something you can withdraw.

An update that after a year working in retail dd has decided that she misses studying and we have attended a college open evening as she is considering applying for an HND course in September. So we are likely to be starting the whole UCAS process soon.

A new adventure for her cat :)

Strikes start this week. There's a lot of SU and peer pressure not to attend lectures at dds uni. At one point they were even telling people not to attend welfare appointments unless it was an emergency.

How's it being handled at other universities?

DD said today that coincidentally all her lectures and labs are finished before exams start, leaving theoretically only tutorials. No news on what will happen to those. Exams start in about 10 days I think!

DD says it is all quite quiet on the strike front for her. I know they have completed most lectures for this semester, so that won't leave much anyway. She is coming home in a few days for her birthday. Twenty seems properly grown up. I wonder how many years it will take to get used to having adult children? It hadn't really occurred to me before, but I think I expected a sudden switch at some point, and her not being a teenager any more could be it. It feels more like a very gradual thing though I hope.

Nohaudin that is great news about your DD.

DD hasn't been told very much about how the strikes will affect them, except that they know they might happen.

Day one of strikes was fine, some lectures went ahead and others didn't.

DD is worried about a lecture tomorrow.
She has been to classes today in college as usual (one lecture was cancelled) and it's been no problem.
Tomorrow though she has a lecture in one of the main university buildings and will have to cross a physical picket line to get to it.
It's the only teaching on this subject she'll have before her exams in March.
She asked her main tutor and he was reluctant to advise either way but said the lecture would not be rescheduled or recorded so basically if she misses it then that's it.
She supports the strike and wants to show solidarity but at the same time, she wants to pass her exams!
I don't know what to tell her -wwyd?!

My DD has all teaching cancelled except supervisions next week. My DS didn't have that with his subject.
A difficult dilemma for your DD lobster!
Hardwick- I've only just felt the empty nest feeling! My DC suddenly don't need me much. And I'm feeling a wee bit bereft. My DD was 20 in September. She feels quite grown up. In fact, I need to give her space as she's doing really well by herself. My DD got really stressed post gcses. She seems to have thing in proportion now without my help. It's gradual but they grow up and it has just hit me!

NoHaudin
I'm glad to hear that the university have agreed to that. Hope the break helps with her recovery.

DS's health is still good. He is finding second year academically more challenging, but is trying his best and is managing to complete assignments on time so far.