Thread 22 Covid Cohort - Creeping towards the Future - Personal Statements and Interviews

[OrangeCinnamonCocktail]

This is a thread for supporting all young people post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting. It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, please don't within this thread. Please also be sensitive when responding to threads about grades.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue.

Our DS/DD may go down various paths (such as employment, apprenticeships, higher ed) We have decided for anyone interested they will most likely find us within the Further Ed board.

Previous thread
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/further_education/4370509-Thread-21-Corona-Cohort-Nervous-waiting-so-frustrating
Role Call below
@20newnames / DS / Engineering
@Alsoplayspiccolo / DD / English + Film
@AnneofCleavage / DD / gap year? Primary Education
@BlueMarigold / DD / Biology
@crazycrofter / DD / Child (?) + Mental Health Nursing
@Decorhate / DS / Economics + Politics
@Delphigirl / DS / Oceanography
@DoggerelBank / DS / tbc sciencey
@ealingwestmum / DD / Middle Eastern and European Studies
@EerilyDisembodied / DS / History or Environmental Management
@estherfrewen / DS / History
@EwwSprouts / DS / Biology
@Fiddlersgreen / DS / Journalism
@Fruitygal / DD / Biology
@Hattifatteners / DD / Vet Med
@Heifer / DD / Biology
@Hopeful201 / DS / Medicine
@Horace123 / DS / Classics
@icanbewhatiwant / DS / History + Philosophy
@Isthisjustnormal / DS / Comp Sci
@KingscoteStaff / DD / Medicine
@mummabear74 / DD / Environmental Science
@mummyinbeds / DS / Law + French Law
@Nard75 / DS / Maths
@NCTDN / DD / Liberal Arts
@Oblomov21 / DS / Accountancy
@OrangeCinnamonCocktail / DD / Music (uni)
@PaddingtonPaddington / DD / Music (cons)
@Piggywaspushed / DS / Social sciences combo
@ProggyMat / DD / Classics
@SandyBayley / DD / Medicine
@Seeline / DD / Liberal Arts
@singingstones / DS / Neuroscience
@Wheresthebeach / DD / gap year? Marine Biology
@whoamitojudge / DD / Cabin crew training
@Zebracat / DD / Liberal Arts or Anthropology
@ZittiEBuoni / DD / applying next year

@Volterra yes, there were problems with BMAT last year, I know the school where DS did his GCSEs was affected. I believe that Cambridge applicants had to take the Nat Sci admissions test at a later date, I don't know what happened elsewhere. Oxford have a major issue as they shortlist on GCSEs and BMAT, both of which are compromised for this lot. The fairest thing works be to increase the number of interviews, but with more applicants than ever that will be tricky too.

Wow @Delphigirl, you move in impressive circles!

@Piggywaspushed the school knows, she tried to avoid teaching his class, but as her daughter is in one of the other maths classes and she is one of the main A level teachers, it was too difficult. He just has to make sure he treats the GF very well!

Thank you all for your sympathy. DH and DCat set off for the vet a little while ago. Pic attached of happier times
At least it has taken my mind off the bloody UCAS form for a couple of days.

Indeed monkey!

What a lovely cat . I had a cat put to sleep once. It's tough

Lovely photo singingstones

So sorry singing.

Oh singing stones I’m so sorry. She looks lovely and snuggly.

Beautiful cat. 😡💐

Sorry, didn't mean angry face. 😢

@singingstones run free little kitty

DD has an offer from Edinburgh.

@singingstones sad news. But kitty will be out of pain. It's sad when we have to make that decision about a pet.

It's great to see so many offers etc. Ds still says he's not going to start on his PS as it is being sent of Jan. there's nothing I can do to persuade him. It's his birthday next weekend...once that's out the way I'll start nagging him again.

Beautiful picture Singingstones, she looks lovely. I am so sorry.

Monkey that makes the problems this year even worse, really feel for them all. I know one day this will all feel like a distant memory for them and for us too but it really hasn’t been great if you think about it. I find it best not to most of the time.

Proggy congratulations to Proglet again, good week on the offer front for her, that’s great !

Ahhh, @singingstones - that is a gorgeous cat that looks like it lived a long and happy life. Hope you are coping OK and thinking of you. What’s his/her name, if you’re happy to share?

Beautiful cat, singing.
Run free, little one 💔❤️

@Volterra thanks!
Fingers crossed the Maths offers start rolling out!

Thanks, her name was Nelly, @Isthisjustnormal
She was DD's cat really, she just decided that DD was going to be her person and that was it. She must have had 100% attendance for online school, curled up on DD's lap. They sometimes had to be careful when the mics were on because of the purring, pets weren't really allowed. She was just so sweet and a lovely friend. It was the right time and I'm glad she's not suffering, it was the least we could do really.

I have been wallowing like a weirdo distracting myself today by looking for things you can do with a pet's ashes. Some of them are actually quite nice and understated, but some of them, oh my word...

So sorry about DCat singing.

DS has an offer from Edinburgh for classics which we are thrilled about.

I have to say everyone's offers are cheering me up a bit, congrats all round!

Great news on the Edinburgh offers!

So sorry about lovely Nelly cat, @singingstones.
How exciting to have Edinburgh offers coming in. It may be my DS's top choice, if he ever gets his act together. I wonder if this will stick the much-needed rocket up his backside.
I've put together a list of modules and subject areas within all the subjects he's thinking about, in the hope that he'll give them a score for how interesting they are and we'll end up with a clear decision on a choice of degree subject. DH and I are now laying bets on whether he'll even open the document...

@singingstones so sorry to read your news

Oh dear Doggerel, I did a spreadsheet for DS that has never been viewed as far as I know. But it definitely helped me, partly to create a nice illusion that there was something I could do, but it also meant I had a lot of knowledge about courses at my fingertips by the time DS started making decisions. It sped things up a bit and encouraged him to chat I think.

It's confusing how some places are desperate to get all the applications in and some are leaving it until January. I don't know whether I'm supposed to be worrying that DS's form isn't in yet.

Thank you to everyone for your messages today, it has been an awful day, but helped by all of you being such lovely people.

@singingstones so sorry to hear about your cat - we are cat people here too and DD has become very close to our cat since the DS2 moved away to uni 3 years ago. She would go to pieces if anything happened to her. Sending hugs

Just heard yesterday from DD (third hand) that school - who have had DD's form for 3 weeks now (she submitted early) and counting may keep hold of it and not send for another 2 weeks?!? As lots of friends are Oxbridge and Medics she is the only one in the friendship group who has submitted to school and not been sent (others are still looking around and struggling to do PS etc) . DD says it is not equitable and says she should have added Oxbridge in and then after submission removed it and swapped to her preferred uni just to ensure it was sent early.

Emailed school - just enquiring as to where we are in the process.......let's see if that's enough of a nudge ....otherwise a call on Monday (Admin were emailing DD for small exam title corrections over half term so looked like it was imminently being sent and now nothing. teachers had told them their references were written in the summer and would just be tweaked once UCAS and unis/courses had been confirmed)

So sorry to hear about your cat @singingstones, gorgeous photo..

Reading about other people making spreadsheet and documents makes me know I'm with my people :-) I went out last night for dinner with friends of DDs parents. Women I've known since DD started school at 3. They made me feel a bit weird as they both said they didn't get involved in the UCAS process at all, in fact one didn't know anything about the process, timescales or anything as her DD hasn't yet decided what she wants to do (school deadline is now end of Nov). She hasnt spoken to her DD about it at all apart from saying that if she doesn't want to go to uni that is fine , she is sure she will find something for her and will do well.. The other mum was more involved but not massively. They both said it was unusual for DD to speak to their Mums likes DD does with me (not all the time, just when she wants to discuss stuff). Their girls only ever talk to them when they need something kind of thing (yes DD does that too).

But I ask, I look into things myself, DD doesn't exactly ask for my help (actually never asked) but I've always done it and sort of left it there for her to look at (she always looks at some point but not straight away often). I didn't tell them about the spreadsheets I've created or the documents I done for DD so she can easily see the modules etc, they would have thought I was bat crazy :-)

Each to their own I guess, I know I've helped DD. Without Mumsnet I don't believe I would have known to read up myself, thinking the school would do it all (they don't). I know that without Mumsnet it's quite likely that DD wouldn't have taken the correct subjects to get the right grades for her to do the degree she wants. I am sure school would have just accepted her taking Chemistry even though it was very unlikely she would get a A or B needed - when psychology is good enough and she is getting A*.

Congrats on the offers @ProggyMat, @estherfrewen and @Horace123 and anyone else I've missed off.

I am going to "try" to get DD to finish her PS this weekend so she can get hers sent off asap.

@Delphigirl - you had me at dinner party - it's been far too long since I held one or attended one - I long for those days.