Thread 23 Covid Cohort Stepping Into Christmas, Tests, Mocks & 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

@20newnames/ DS / Engineering
@Alsoplayspiccolo/ DD / English + Film
@AnneofCleavage/ DD / gap year? Primary Education
@BlueMarigold/ DD / Biology
@cariadambyth/ DD / History / Southampton, Bath Spa, Warwick, RHUL
@collywobble/ DS / PPE, Economics / Lancaster (AAB)
@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), Warwick (AAB)
@EwwSprouts/ DS / Biology
@Fiddlersgreen/ DS / Journalism / Bournemouth (104 pts), Brighton (BCC), Cardiff (ABB)
@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
@Knickerthief1/ DD / Child nursing / York
@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), Kent (BBB), Nottingham (AAA)
@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 / Southampton, Portsmouth
@whoamitojudge/ DD / RyanAir cabin crew training
@Zebracat/ DD / Liberal Arts or Anthropology
@ZittiEBuoni/ DD / tbc applying next year

Just had a sneaky look at what DS has submitted as he saved the password on my laptop and the only weirdness is my occupation for which he has put something completely batshit. hey ho.

At least I'm not the only one who hadn't seen the actual form yet!

I think I may ask for his login and trawl through myself later.

I’ve never seen the form either.

Me neither😂

Oh no @Crazycrofter. Mine tried to talk about changing to education and I was very clear that she could do that postgrad if she wanted.. a friends dc always wanted to do nursing but chose a psychology degree instead. She ended up working 10 years as an HCA , and doing a nursing qualification part time on top. She’s exhausted and so wishes she had done the vocational degree. And all that debt.

Fab news @ealingwestmum and @estherfrewen - lovely to have offers coming in.

For anyone wondering about the work experience on a UCAS form I found the answer.

Employment
If you have worked in any paid jobs during or before your A-level studies, then you should add this information in the Employment section of the form. If you have work experience, this should only be mentioned in your UCAS personal statement.

As per the link below
www.whatuni.com/advice/ucas-application-guide/ucas-form-advice/54517/

Well done to your DD @ealingwestmum and fingers crossed for her interview!
@estherfrewen Fabulous news as that’s the ‘4 in’ and fingers crossed too!
I haven’t seen DDs UCAS application or the reference from her school.

Quick update! First day went well although lots of nerves too. Lots of form filling and uniform trying on but ended the day at a restaurant with some new friends.
Thank you all for your lovely comments, it’s so lovely to read.
Just snuggling with one of my dogs and going to FaceTime DD
You are all so kind thank you

@whoamitojudge, that’s brilliant news. I’m so pleased for her. My sister in law flew with BA amongst other for years and had the most incredible experiences and absolutely loved it. I hope your dd has a lovely meal with her new friends.

So glad it went well for her @whoamitojudge

Glad it went well @whoamitojudge

Thanks everyone- he's happy he's got Lancaster and is starting to feel better. Not sure mocks will go well after all the appendix excitement though!

@crazycrofter I had a wobble from DD four days before the form went in - she loves her geography teachers and their banter - had same ones for gcse and a level so great rapport. Suddenly DD said I think I want to have a geography courses on the form and biology. So I just spent a couple of hours that day when she was at school looking at the unis she already liked and was interested in and came up with 7/11 that had good Geography courses and summarised the grades needed and the modules/ field trips etc; She came home and picked her favourite two and then looked at her biology shortlist and decided Sheffield had some geography types modules in the biology degree so discounted all the geography ones I’d worked on - it was worth it to put her mind at rest - so perhaps look at universities or towns/ cities you’ve already been to.

Remind us about the predicted grades and where you’ve been already and she liked and we maybe able to help.

@20NewNames sorry I assumed when you said work experience earlier you meant jobs rather than unpaid stuff. Never attempt to read mums net threads on the tube 🚇

@ProggyMat references are never meant to be shared with the students or parents by the schools - hence the reason why you submit to centre fir then to add them at the end and also why you can’t see them on ucas form once submitted.

Can I ask if a lot of the DCs get to see them?

DDs school is very strict about this and no one sees them and the DSs college in the past never shared them but was n’t sure if sharing is the new norm.

@whoamitojudge such an exciting time - my friend flew for 15 years for Virgin and loved it so much. Hard for you but great to see a child getting to follow a dream.

@estherfrewen great to get so many offers - can I ask when your DS put in his ucas - just trying to gauge the Lancaster offer lead times.

@Fruitygal no worries, at least it made me check!!

@Fruitygal - he was an early submission so sometime before 15 October but cant remember exactly when. We didn't see ucas reference - I did see the bit of the form where DS tried to work out what I did for a living.....!

@fruitygal thanks, maybe having a wobble is normal then, although she seems pretty certain! It sounds like the careers advisor questioned whether, with her predicted grades (A,A,A*) she’d be ‘challenged’ enough by mental health nursing and should she be aiming higher!? I’m not convinced, but she’s going to do her own research - that will be a first! She says she’s happy to stick with the four she already likes - Southampton, Nottingham,York and Leicester and then one of Leeds or Manchester after she’s visited them.

@whoamitojudge glad she’s had a good day!

Aw Whoami I'll be in the same position along with I think it was Wheresthebeach when our DD's go off too. Glad it's going well and hope you've had your FaceTime now. I'll be doing lots of that as DD and I are v close.

At long last the long awaited Drs appointment came today (phone only) re DD's skin. DH had to take it as I have no voice and would have cough hacked all through it anyway.
She was lovely apparently and has prescribed her Doxycycline 100mg tablets for a month but can roll over for up to 3 months if they suit her. Anyone have any feedback on how their DC fared on that particular tablet? Also a gel Epiduo for topical use to use at same time.
Don't know why We'd not done this sooner but thought COVID issues more pressing I guess but thank goodness we encouraged DD to set up an appointment but obv she was at school so as under 18 it was okay to talk to us as she had given us a written list of what to say.

Day 5 here and man it's horrid. Thought id do a bit of washing up and washing yesterday but it wiped me out I spent the rest of the day on sofa and in bed today. Not making that mistake again. Smell and taste went Sunday evening and it's a bizarre experience.

Well done on the Uni offers those who have recently got them and good luck to those writing PS and those sending off UCAS. Thank goodness you checked 20newnames 😲

Sorry your DD is poorly Heifer - is it definitely not Covid?

I realised recently that my DCs have no idea what I do for a living (other than in the broadest sense of what I'm professionally qualified for). DD asked DH for some help with homework and he grinned and said "ask your Mum" her face was a picture when she found out that the homework was a mix of the exact subjects I work on now and in my previous job (both are fairly niche).

I wince at the thought of my ds's putting my our jobs on ucas forms. As I just work in a shop. Dh was a farmer when ds1 applied, but is now retired. I did ask ds1 if he was embarrassed by us being uneducated when people at university ask what his parents do. I don't remember him replying.

Think a couple of my friends kids have taken that medication - very successfully @AnneOfCleavage will check with them tomorrow and come back to you

@AnneOfCleavage hope you start to feel better soon - sounds like you’ve had it like my friend did - really wiped out .

@AnneOfCleavage we’re very experienced with skin problems as a family - all four of us went through the whole range of options before finally taking the controversial drug roaccutane (ds is currently on it).

For all of us, the antibiotics (there are various ones - all ending in ‘cyclone’) had some value, reduced the number of spots but the effect didn’t last. Both ds and dd found epiduo burned their skin - but maybe they used too much? Lots of people find they only need the antibiotics.

@icanbewhatiwant -I have friends from all walks of life and I don’t think it matters what people do or what level of education they achieved - not something that comes up unless the talk is unis. The lady that alters my clothes went to Cambridge but enjoys a relaxed non stressful job. My beautician has advocated for her child with SEN better than anyone I’ve ever known and is an accomplished writer. Very few children ever want to do what their parents do in terms of a job whether that be a teacher, doctor or florist. Without farmers we’d be very stuck as a nation (Clarkson’s farm showed how complex and tough it is) and shop working takes a lot of patience dealing with difficult customers. I have close friends who work as cleaners, HCAs, professors, GPs, teachers, consultants, office admin, pet shop staff, teaching assistants, dietitians, bankers, physios, PAs, avon ladies …. Please don’t wince you should be proud of what you do x