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

Oh @OrangeCinnamonCocktail: your poor dd. It is such a horribly stressful time for them. I wonder: would a potential route be for her to email about it and cc you (so she is still in control) and you then to send a follow up email to say ‘understand the official line is 15 days - given the constraints around x and y, and the implication z, is there any way you can prioritise getting dds form out. Just a bit of support from you might ‘encourage’ things along? But very impressive that dd is trying to handle it. Ds would put his head under the pillow I think….!

I never had any communication with school throughout the whole of primary, except for a couple of bullying incidents with ds and I didn’t contact secondary school for dd until year 11 I think. Ds’ behaviour at secondary forced quite a lot of involuntary contact, but this last two years I feel like I’m on the phone/sending emails to both schools constantly - about dropping subjects, mental health issues, SEN issues, extra time in exams etc etc… They must be fed up of me! But on the plus side, I’ve realised that if you don’t ask you don’t get! I think it’s good to be a bit pushy.

So @OrangeCinnamonCocktail maybe your dd needs your back up with the school? It does sound like she’s got way too much all at once.

Wow! I’ve had a couple of days offline and come back to amazing news in all directions! Exciting times!

Commiserations, mummyinbeds. DD has Birmingham as her favourite (without visiting!), so fingers crossed for them both.

Congrats Oblomov on both counts and congrats on all the offers coming in.
Sorry to hear about Oxford Mummy, crossing fingers for his other choices 🤞

Congrats on DS passing driving test Popcorn that's awesome.

Orange would an email to the school be out of place asking if your DD's application could go with the first bunch sent citing anxiety issues and the need to plan mocks and interviews? Bet they aren't sent out in one lot.
It's amazing how mentioning parents can sometimes have the desired affect. DD was being made to do a after school club she really didn't want to do and they were adamant but as soon as she said "My parents say I can't as it's too much" they backed right off and conceded defeat. Literally said oh okay then. Your DD could mention that you'd really like her form sent off then if you email too then they may back down knowing you won't let this go. Really not something you both need at the moment with what you've been dealing with lately. Sorry they've been so crap.

@OrangeCinnamonCocktail It was me not Ds who was anxious about his UCAS application going off a few weeks ago (other stuff was going on so it was displacement anxiety I’m sure) It was waiting on the reference which in my school would have been ready to attach as soon as the students did their part. I emailed the head of 6th form & he intervened & got it sent off the same day.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn driving test congratulations 🎉

@icanbewhatiwant and@DoggerelBank DS isn't actually too bad on the disorganised procrastinator front, he does really try and be organised but its a bit of an uphill battle with his dyspraxia. I procrastinate a bit, but my name is misleading and I am pretty organised, I've had to be over the years to cope with all the family's SN stuff and all the DCs hobbies plus my own and work. As for the shortness - I come from a mixed family, everyone is either pretty tall or fairly short (I'm short). DH's family are all short, every single one, so I guess it was inevitable that our DC would be. DD (2 years younger) was several inches taller than DS when they were about 10 and 12, he has overtaken her now but is still only about 5'4". He used to get pissed off at school in as teachers would mistake him as being from a younger year, at least now he's in 6th form and no uniform that doesn't happen. On the whole he doesn't mind being short though, we seem to know a lot of short men even if most his age are a fair bit taller.

@OrangeCinnamonCocktail I’d intervene with school on Friday if DDhasn’t got a positive response and then they should get it off early part of next week. They move quickly once you use the anxiety and MH chat with SLT ..but also from a practical perspective getting interviews fitted in will be more difficult the longer it goes on.

Are school aware of the bereavement and the added stress you are dealing with? This is important too. Hope it’s resolved soon x

Congratulations to your boy JustHere!

Orange, so much for you to deal with right now. As everyone has said, you have more than enough valid reasons to have the button pressed earlier than the school batch. Yes our DC do like to deal with things themselves, but sometimes are too fogged up to see escalation support is needed too. I would step in now.

@ExcessiveIyDisorganised It's nice to hear about other short boys on here, on some threads all the boys seem to be giants! to me anyway. Also from a family of shorties and DS is 5ft 5. He is only starting to be more conscious of it when he goes to parties or when he wants to talk to girls as they all seem to make a bee line for the 6 footers...oh well.. they'll learn! taller doesn't necessarily mean better). He is the shortest in his yr. Wish our boys could meet up so he knows he is not the only short 17yr old.

Orange You are dealing with so much in such a short space of time. Hope you are taking time out for yourself too? although easier said than done. Mumsnetty hugs to you. For what it's worth, I don't think sending forms to UCAS in December is too late, it will be fine and receive equal attention but I know it must be disconcerting with people getting offers left right and centre. I remember ds1's school did exactly the same, sent them all off in a batch a week before they broke up for Xmas but he had all 5 offers by Xmas.

Wow, lots of congratulations due on offers and driving tests. And some commiserations too, there are bound to be disappointments for all our kids at some stage in this all but doesn’t make it easier for the individual concerned at the time.

You lot need to slow down a bit, I am struggling to keep up!!

@ExcessiveIyDisorganised. @Shimy as they say....great things come in small packages. Yes...would be great to meet other smaller lads. As I said earlier, all his mates are 6' apart from one who is about 5'7"

I asked ds why he doesn't tell me what he is doing at school. Ds3 tells me almost every lesson in great detail, which I must admit I do find a bit annoying. But ds2 doesn't tell me anything. He told me I don't need to know. But he did admit he's just given his first draft of his PS in. He told me he hadn't started it a few days ago. I told him it will come back several times for editing as that is what happened to ds1. But he says no it won't. We'll see. I know I won't get to read it.

@icanbewhatiwant Number of drafts probably depends on when they got started. My DS is unlikely to do any official second drafts because the final draft has to be in this Friday and he's nowhere near ready with a first draft yet! I'm hoping he might persuade his biology teacher to run her eyes over it for the science terminology, but when I'm not quite sure. His school have an enrichment day arranged for today, one day before deadline. Two hours travelling in and out of school for a couple of hours of debating with people who don't like debating (the more debate-y subject groups have proper trips to go on). Don't want to be unsupportive of the school, but with PS and EPQ pressure piling up, it feels like skiving might be the sensible option. Unless that will affect references ...?

I’m kind of hoping I don’t get asked to read DD’s now. I read her first draft of the mental health nursing version and there was loads I would have changed! But when I tried to raise a couple of things she said she’d already sent it to the careers advisor. As she’s got a bit of a tight deadline to get this new one in, I’d rather not see it at all my than see it but have no time to change anything!

@icanbewhatiwant neither of mine tells me much about what happens at school, they never have done, just the occasional funny anecdote. DS talks over his BTEC courseworks a lot with me and I help proofread them. DD asks for specific help with homework when she needs it but otherwise pushes away any suggestions about revision planning, finding resources, methods to help etc, I might as well not bother trying.

Congratulations to Popcorn on driving test and double congratulations to Oblomov. Apologies if I have missed anyone.

OrangeCinnamon I would email Friday if DD doesn’t get anywhere with it . With everything you’ve all been through it needs to go in ASAP. I had to email a couple of times this term for about DS and he was a bit cross but I think he’s now glad I did as the things I agreed with college on health grounds are small but have had a big positive effect.

@DoggerelBank ds1 must've been given his PS back at least 3 times and told to change it. School aren't sending off until Jan. I wish they'd get on and do it.

I was talking to someone in the village with a year 13 (there are only 3 yr 13's in the village) her dd wants to be a vet. Apparently school missed the deadline for RVS. So application was rejected. I'd be annoyed. She has had 2 interviews and 2 to go. So obviously got the other choices in.

@icanbewhatiwant that’s terrible! The poor child!

My DD sent her form last night. I hope the school don’t hang onto it for too long.

@OrangeCinnamonCocktail would it be worth her while having a chat with the music teacher about wanting to get the application in so that she gets to pick audition dates and they could advocate for her? Music staff are often very engaged with supporting applications as music often needs auditions. We are almost into December now anyway, so might not make much difference. As the deadline in January, it is likely that auditions will be going on into Feb and March and, although you and she want to know what is happening, really it might be better to have the auditions when the stress of mocks is out of the way. You/she could check with the places she is interested in when the auditions are. I expect Piccolo knows some of the staff in the Cardiff music dept, but I have lots of friends who did music at Bristol and it has a very nurturing style, which I think is more normal in music than other departments. The old professor of music and his wife made it feel like a big family.

@DoggerelBank I would not be wearing time on enrichment activities he doesn't want to do right now, although I wish my DSs had been interested in debating as it is a very useful skill.

@icanbewhatiwant you can only apply for 4 vet med courses, so if she has 4 interviews there might be something different that went wrong. When schools make mistakes it is heart breaking to see plans scuppered. There are a few on TSR where the school entered the wrong predictions or didn't enter them, but I think as long as the application went in, the medical schools will sort those sorts of things out.

@Monkey2001 Agreed. Sadly, DS was quite interested in the idea of debating, but Covid and lack of friends who shared the interest meant he didn't do anything about it. For today, it's more that it's the wrong group of people, because the students doing English, history, economics etc are away for the day.

I'm having a bit of a sad nostalgic moment. Everything personal that DS might put in his PS is from years ago. 'When I was 10, I ...' He can probably make some of it work with the vagueness of the present perfect tense, but where did that curious, try-anything boy go? For the last 3 or 4 years, he's really not done any ex-curriculars, so it's not just a Covid thing. Hopefully university will give him his oomph back.

Lovely news for lots of you, and not so good for others, so commiserations and congratulations.
I think the girls application is going in today or tomorrow. I can’t ask now as it will bring an irritated response. But having talked through the need for an insurance the two likely choices for that were then jettisoned, I’m really worried that we have nothing less than AAA offers(except for Cambridge foundation which is a massive long shot anyway, not an insurance!) Her predictions are for AAB, but she is eligible for contextual offers and has an A in EPQ. We were thinking that, if she did less well than expected she would get a place on a foundation year, or a straight place through clearing, but there are so many unknowns this year. Is this just a panic? What happens if someone gets no offers at all? I feel really sick to think of her facing rejection, she needs to know where she will be. Why oh why did I not insist that she keep a lower typical offer in. Have we just got carried away? I tried to talk to her last night but what she heard was that I don’t think she’s good enough, not at all right. I think she’s fantastic. This is hard.

@Zebracat contextual offers can be either one or two grades lower depending on the uni, or even 3 with the good EPQ grade. I looked at Exeter a while ago and they said ABC for psychology, which is usually AAA I think. So she may end up with 5 more realistic offers and none at AAA.

Dd is also thinking of just applying to AAA places /maybe one AAB but is eligible for contextual offers at most places so I think it’s ok.