Thread 18 - Corona Cohort Enrolling to Year 13 2021, Invasive Infections & Uni Uncertainty

[Orangecinnamon21]

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History for DS. Neither DH nor I went to Uni but i did OU degree about 10 years ago which I loved. Born in Harrogate and still here 54 years later. DS thinking either law conversion or armed forces post Uni.

Another regular Kingston shopper here . I grew up in another country, so only lived in greater London here. Hopefully moving somewhere quieter and cheaper once DD has started uni.
DD wants to be a vet and most likely will be applying to Bristol, Liverpool, Nottingham and Edinburgh.

esther Harrogate is lovely - no wonder you never left

Thanks @Zandathepanda - love it here!

@estherfrewen Harrogate is on my list for a weekend visit, especially to Betty's! I loved my OU degree too.

@singingstones I know two Music lecturers who have branched out to Psychology. I suspect there are many transferable skills within the degree.

@OrangeCinnamonCocktail- had birthday tea in Bettys this month - lovely!

Ha, ha: another Kingston/'home of the Derby' shopper here - although we are incomers having grown up elsewhere: @icanbewhatiwant @Alsoplayspiccolo: you sound especially local to us: I recognise some of those haunts!!

So, we stopped off at Bath on the way back from our Devon hols: @Piggywaspushed: I took a load of reasonably dull photos! I'll pm you a selection, but let me know if there's anything you'd especially like to see. I had a vague feeling your ds might be looking at something political/social science-ish, so took a photo of the dept of social and policy sciences!!

DS is planning to do Comp Sci - Warwick currently first choice I think...

[quote OrangeCinnamonCocktail]@estherfrewen Harrogate is on my list for a weekend visit, especially to Betty's! I loved my OU degree too.

@singingstones I know two Music lecturers who have branched out to Psychology. I suspect there are many transferable skills within the degree.[/quote]
Thank you Orange, I am keeping that up my sleeve for my next 'what was I thinking, I am never gonna be able to do this' moment.

Had a blocked nose yesterday (think countryside related as lots of haymaking /wild meadows round here) which I mentioned on the Zoe app someone told me about on here. No other symptoms. I have now had an email to get a test pcr so I clicked on that link and followed it through and now getting 2 antibody tests at some point as well! Slightly worrying it said something about testing you for antibodies before and after you’ve had covid! Do they know something I don’t?!

Ah the follow up email makes more sense….
‘If you agreed to do antibody testing, you will receive your first antibody test kit in the post 2 to 3 days after you get a positive PCR test result. Your 2nd antibody test kit will arrive 3 weeks after the first one.’

Glad all Reading returners are asleep and ok. Hacked me off that ds didn't want to go and I thus had to sell his ticket, with early bird, locker, and shower (that I'd fought so hard to buy) on eBay.

Ds like others has done bugger all work all summer, but assures me he has a tiny bit of homework still to do. But has done EPQ, PS and Uni choices.
He doesn't go back till 9th, but Surrey schools were very late breaking up.

Today ds announces his choices are Durham, Southampton, Bath, Royal Holloway (London that he could still live at home and commute from Surrey) and finally Surrey as his back up BBC.

The shock was up till now it's all been Southampton, which remember I'm going alone to open day on 13th.

Now he suddenly introduces bloomin Durham? As fave. Now the idea of a 5+ hour drive up to just below Newcastle, when I was hoping he'd choose places close to home, isn't filling me with Joie-de-Vivre.

Plus I did point out that Durham will NOT take kindly to being Back up. Many unis are snooty if you don't choose them as firm. Plus isn't accommodating only offered on firm, not back up rarely?

I missed out on those antibody tests. As you can imagine, I am desperate to know if I have antibodies.

Hope you are clear zanda.

Btw this is all for Accountancy. I've encouraged him not to, because all Accountants say don't do it. Ie do the subject you love, but he doesnt have such an interest. Encouraged him to add in Economics? But he's hard work convincing.

Foff , how lovely of yiu! Thanks! Any pics will do. Yes, DS is social sciences. I live this thread! It's such a nice corner of MN.

My DS is dithering between history and countryside/environment. We are thinking a personal statement along the lines of these were his overwhelming favourites subjects at GCSE/L2 and again at A/L3, there is an overlap between history and the environment, heritage management etc.

I have a degree in chemistry and half an OU degree in biological and social sciences (which I stopped 5 years ago, I only really enrolled to do a couple of modules and carried on for a few more, I really enjoyed it but it was time consuming). I am starting to realise that my experience of a science degree at a polytechnic in the 1980s bears no resemblance to a humanities degree at a uni in the 2020s (apart from accommodation/social life). It's interesting.

@Piggywaspushed: no worries at all :-) I can’t currently see any way to send photos on pms?! Any ideas?! Hope you are feeling better btw…

Oh yes, probably not. I'll pm you my email later? If that's OK. If not no worries!

I have been absolutely boringly nowhere this summer, except Jesmond 3 weeks ago so I will be fine. The cats are using the haystacks next to us as a free foodhall so I have various body parts to clear up and grass seeds to brush out of them. Blocked nose wasn’t even on the list, I put it in the ‘other’ box.
Piggy have you installed the Zoe App? I got a link through the other day about antibody tests too. Easiest way to get one. I think it’s only a finger prick one though. The more comprehensive ones I think are about £65 for adults and Bupa do them (you don’t have to be a member). I had one of those a while back but it was negative. I know all this because I was desperate to know if DD’s encephalitis was caused by covid, but it’s too late now and she’s been exposed to school since.
Oblomov the beauty of Durham is that it is on the Lner Trainline. I know this line very well! Lots of trains a day and very quick.

@Piggywaspushed No worries: pm me your email and I’ll send a selection of the campus, SU etc and some of the accommodation. The only thing I didn’t take photos of (which I know are great!) was the sports complex as that’s not ds’ thing!

@Oblomov21

Glad all Reading returners are asleep and ok. Hacked me off that ds didn't want to go and I thus had to sell his ticket, with early bird, locker, and shower (that I'd fought so hard to buy) on eBay.

Ds like others has done bugger all work all summer, but assures me he has a tiny bit of homework still to do. But has done EPQ, PS and Uni choices.
He doesn't go back till 9th, but Surrey schools were very late breaking up.

Today ds announces his choices are Durham, Southampton, Bath, Royal Holloway (London that he could still live at home and commute from Surrey) and finally Surrey as his back up BBC.

The shock was up till now it's all been Southampton, which remember I'm going alone to open day on 13th.

Now he suddenly introduces bloomin Durham? As fave. Now the idea of a 5+ hour drive up to just below Newcastle, when I was hoping he'd choose places close to home, isn't filling me with Joie-de-Vivre.

Plus I did point out that Durham will NOT take kindly to being Back up. Many unis are snooty if you don't choose them as firm. Plus isn't accommodating only offered on firm, not back up rarely?

Durham isn’t ‘snooty’- They took the ‘likes of me’ 😂 If Durham is ‘his fave’ then it’s his fave- is it not? If not his ‘fave’ then he should still have a punt, regardless?

Yes, I have Zoe but they have never offered me the test. I think I am on a gov.uk list...

@SandyBayley I grew up in Worcestershire too! Which end? Now living in Birmingham.

Dd is going for Occupational Therapy, so far she has Southampton and Plymouth on her list, we’re hoping to visit Liverpool on our way back from holiday on Saturday.

DD is another Medicine. Bristol, Newcastle, Exeter and either Birmingham, Southampton or Cardiff. Then her fifth will be Chemistry at Edinburgh. At the moment, that is…

@20newnames Warwick is the last one on our list to visit.
@Seeline liberal arts here too.

Anyone's DC looking at applying straight for 4 year masters? DS was oblivious until accidently clicked on one when looking for modules breakdown. He did an online session where they said after 2 years about a third swop across to masters but there are codes to apply now at a number of universities. Masters all seem to include industrial placement or spell abroad. Seems like it might be a good idea to get some sector experience?