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

@singingstones, @Shimy and @Alsoplayspiccolo just had a conversation with DS and he confirms that he is well aware that he is loved and really does not need or want any more hugs thanks! Phew, feared I was giving him long term confidence issues!

Congrats on Loughborough, it is very good for management, so even if not a top choice, nice to have. Loughborough used to have a very unequal male/female split because they were so strong for Engineering and Management, which are both male dominated. Is it better now?

I don't know what the split is now, last time I checked it was around 50/40 split. I know DS would prefer somewhere with a more even split (being the good looking chap he is )

Hmmm, 6 years ago it was 2:1 male.
thetab.com/2015/11/16/revealed-the-gender-ratio-at-each-university-62167

@Shimy
Congrats on the offer. So so exciting. I missed your feedback. It was the Liberal Arts course, and we were really impressed by the passion and commitment of staff and students. We are going to Birmingham in 2 weeks, but she’s taken against it for some reason, says the course looks boring.

When DS was thinking of Liberal Arts, we thought the same, to be honest !

Oh @Monkey2001 I'm sorry if it came across that I was criticising you and your relationship with your DS - I wasn't even really criticising my parents, and they were not the best in various ways and unlike you did not make their DC feel loved. I guess we are all at the mercy of our own childhood experiences and I have no doubt that my DC, if they have children, will "correct" many of mine and DH's "mistakes"! Well, DS will anyway - DD prefers to help us with our mistakes now by pointing them out to us as we go along

@Piggywaspushed. Boring? All the Liberal Arts Courses, or Birmingham’s?
The Warwick one looks amazing. But maybe that’s me.

No, specifically Birmingham's!

@Zebracat You can tell her that's exactly why you are visiting so she must keep an open mind. I had exactly the same convo with DS who refused to visit Durham because he said the course looked 'dry'. It would've been a good option for him instead of Loughborough at AAA but he wouldn't hear of it.

I might also be a bit cynical but I find the higher up the uni the less effort they seem to make to make the course exciting/attractive to prospective students? almost as if they're saying, 'look here, we're good and you know it, now take it or leave it'.

Thought it might be nice to have a halfway through the thread update. I haven't tagged people in case it's annoying but have added people I missed originally and offers that have come in

20newnames / DS / Engineering
Alsoplayspiccolo / DD / English + Film
AnneofCleavage / DD / gap year? Primary Education
BlueMarigold / DD / Biology
cariadambyth / DD / History / Southampton, Bath Spa
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 / Birmingham ABB, Cardiff ABB-BBB
EwwSprouts / DS / Biology
Fiddlersgreen / DS / Journalism
Fruitygal / DD / Biology
Hattifatteners / DD / Vet Med
Heifer / DD / Biology
Hopeful201 / DS / Medicine
Horace123 / DS / Classics / Edinburgh 34/665
icanbewhatiwant / DS / History + Philosophy
Isthisjustnormal / DS / Comp Sci
JustHereWithMyPopcorn / DS / Law
KingscoteStaff / DD / Medicine
Monkey2001 / DS / Medicine
mummabear74 / DD / Environmental Science
mummyinbeds / DS / Law + French Law / Birmingham AAA, Kent AAB
Nard75 / DS / Maths
NCTDN / DD / Liberal Arts
Oblomov21 / DS / Accountancy / Southampton ABB
OrangeCinnamonCocktail / DD / Music (uni)
PaddingtonPaddington / DD / Music (cons)
Piggywaspushed / DS / Social sciences / Birmingham AAB-ABB, York AAB-ABB
ProggyMat / DD / Classics / Bristol BBB, Edinburgh
SandyBayley / DD / Medicine
Seeline / DD / Liberal Arts / UEA AAB
Shimy / DS / Business + Management / Birmingham AAB-ABB, Loughborough
singingstones / DS / Neuroscience
Volterra / DS / Maths
whatsnext2 / DD / English joint hons
Wheresthebeach / DD / gap year? Marine Biology
whoamitojudge / DD / RyanAir cabin crew training
Zebracat / DD / Liberal Arts or Anthropology
ZittiEBuoni / DD / tbc applying next year

Wow, that must have taken you ages!! Good job!!

Well done @singingstones that’s very impressive work!!

Mostly copied and pasted from previously so I can't take too much credit.
I love a list

Loving your work, singing!!

Monkey, of course your DC know they are loved - actions speak louder than words

Impressive @singingstones

Thanks @singingstones!

Wow, @singingstones, you are so efficient. Thank you, it’s such a useful list to help us keep track of each other. Can I update it please and say DD has now had Warwick and Royal Holloway offers?
I love hearing everyone’s good news and I am so sorry to hear of those with struggles at the moment. I find my DC take it in turns to be the ‘easy’ one! DS is causing us a bit of worry at the moment, health wise, not academically and DD is the one who is toddling along happily!

@singingstones that is very nice work!

@cariadambyth two offers in is a super update!

Fab offers, Shimy and cariad!

Thanks @singingstones no update here still waiting for DS to finish PS.

@EwwSprouts I wonder if the same thing is happening at DS's school re grades. His summer report had a 'grade projection based on current work' (or similar) which was a grade lower than his summer exam result. I've never worked out how that could be, but your explanation would fit.
On the helicopter/lawnmower/detached parent thing, the trick is to change your parenting style depends depending on which kid you're dealing with, but boy is that hard. One of ours is quite driven but always too busy - what she wanted was a PA, but she'd have managed fine without any input from us. Another was quite diffident and wanted a major hand hold with anything new, but knows her own mind when it comes to decisions. Our last is impossibly indecisive and pushes us away until it's almost too late - then at the 11th hour expects talks through the night to help him reach a decision. Our nagging/helicoptering makes him delay even more than he might otherwise, probably, so it may be completely counterproductive. If he knew we wouldn't be available, perhaps he'd just get on with it. But I don't have much faith he'd make very well-thought-out choices.

Maybe Doggerel. DS's recent grades were all one grade down from the summer. I had to question it as all the motivation grades were great and I thought it was going to drag down UCAS predictions (meaning DS would need to revise his aspirations). DS response to me was 'it's just a grade'. Definitely not a lawnmower!! Only the second questioning email I've sent into school in 6 years.

@cariadambyth Fantastic offers there. Good to hear Warwick has started giving out offers. What's his offer for?

Good job @singingstones and see I've made the list!

Hi. Can I join please! DD has had her first offer today for 2022. Very pleased for her!

@Shimy, we were surprised to get the offer as on their acknowledgement email a few weeks ago, Warwick said not to expect an offer until after the deadline date. DD applied for history and sociology there but single Hons history everywhere else.