Thread 24 Covid Cohort - Oh Come, Oh Come offers from Emmanuel - and all other universities aswell!

[OrangeCinnamonCocktail]

I tried to sing the title... It kind of works...

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 posts 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 goodwill continues.

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

Sorry not been on much recently as work so busy. DS still on with mocks and Cambridge interview tomorrow - two interviews an hour apart. Doing them at home and then going into school. I will be going into town so I can’t overhear! He is very very laidback - just happy he got the interview. Well done to all the offers

@Alsoplayspiccolo

The ever-changing Covid situation is starting to worry me. DD is miffed because she was meant to be seeing The Stereophonics and Tom Jones in Cardiff next week, but it's just been postponed because of Omicron...and rearranged for right in the middle of A levels. On the other hand, DH is flying out to Dubai tomorrow for 12 days and someone in the work party who flew out a few days ago has already tested positive out there; I'm praying DH gets there and home again without any issues.

I was meant to be going to that and spending a lovely weekend in Cardiff too. Even more sad after reading your post (I think it was yours?) about how lovely Cardiff is looking this time of year

I was meant to be seeing Stereophonics, Last Monday but just can't do fun stuff at the moment.

I'm having to stop myself blurting out to Dd that Cardiff, as a city, is miles better than Southampton as that is really not helpful! I adored it when we visited.

Universities are mostly exempt from work at home directive /Plan B so still all hands on deck at work. Luckily full closure over Christmas /New Year as a rest is most definitely needed.

Well done offer holders, we are creeping closer to everyone getting their applications in I think, hopefully everyone will have an offer by Christmas, that would be lovely.

@ealingwestmum that sounds horrendous, I hope it was all for the good in the long run!

@AnneOfCleavage back in the day I also applied to Newcastle and was offered an interview. In the bumf they sent through it suggested staying overnight as it's a long journey. It put me off completely and so I turned the interview down!! Do they still advise that?

@estherfrewen good luck for DS's Cambridge interview tomorrow.

Thank you JustHere. Value in practicing interviews and managing stress at the very least

So it seems to be @Piggywaspushed @ealingwestmum & @estherfrewen @KingscoteStaff with DC in the middle of interviews? Good luck to all and hopefully those unwell are viewed with some leniency.

@OrangeCinnamonCocktail Completely understandable

Proggy and Horace’s DC too Eww

Oh, that’s such rotten luck, ealing. I hope she’s done well, in spite of all the set backs in the run-up - she’s a trooper to have gone through with the interview at all.

Good luck for tomorrow, esther - sending lots of positive vibes.

Yes, Fiddlers, it was me that posted that Cardiff is looking gorgeous. Such a shame about the gig, but better safe than sorry, I guess.

Ooh and Monkey’s doing medical, not forgetting the musical audition ones . So many different entry requirements!

Good luck for interviews 🍀

Sandy’s DD too. I feel like Bruce’s conveyer belt , where’s the cuddly toy?

I’m impressed Ealing, my menopausal brain isn’t coping trying to do individual ones at the moment!

Sorry @ProggyMat & @Horace123 & those with potential medics. Doh!
I shall leave lists to those with functioning synapses.

& the musicians & SandyB

@ealingwestmum it's the tray of 20 items!

@ealingwestmum

Sandy’s DD too. I feel like Bruce’s conveyer belt , where’s the cuddly toy?

🤣🤣

And some of you crazy lot do multiple threads of 3 plus, I’m struggling with 2 Ed ones! But this is my favourite…

@EwwSprouts - thanks and no worries! It is hard to keep track. I always check what is going on but often don't mention specific posters as bound to forget some and then remember them sporadically which would lead to multiple drip feed posts making me sound demented. I really do like hearing everyone's news and either celebrate or commisserate with them - feel quite vested in everyone's DCs. Hope that isn't weird.

DS said his interviews were "fine". So who knows?? I'm slightly obsessing about whether or not he'll get interviews from other colleges and can't make up my mind if its bad or good if he doesn't. Even though I know it is pointless.

Thanks to ealing I had multiple devices on hand just in case, had checked that our broadband provider had no works planned in our area and (I'm slightly embarrassed to admit this) had scheduled a work call with our IT dpt at the time the interview was due to start just in case I needed some expert help ... Not losing the plot at all.

Eww*, I was just showing off. My memory is also like a sieve right now.

Horace, whether you hear anything further tomorrow on more interviews or not, fine is a good sign that he felt they were just that! Roll on 11th and 25th Jan…

ealing your poor DD. She's done amazing to even go through with her interview after her bad night. Is she feeling better now?

crazycrofter and BlueMarigold 3 of her interviews are online which is a relief in some ways cos of the travelling hassle but I hope they capture her passion and personality through a screen. They are approx 4 hours long as she has to do tests as well as presentations and interview solo and as a group activity task. One is early Jan and one late Jan and the other three are online in between so we may hear they've moved online. Won't book a B&B yet just in case.
Popcorn no mention in the bumf about staying over the night before so guess it's up to individuals.

ealing and Monkey thank you for that. Yes I guess she could have been trying to motivate them to give a last revision push for the last paper but she's never one to give carrots, always sticks. She was a great GCSE teacher but sadly lacking for A Level. We have a tutor for DD now and he says she is a harsh marker as he would have given her more marks (this was practice questions that she gave to both her teacher and tutor to mark to see how they differ). He is actually an exam marker in Scotland so I trust him not to give false hope.

Good luck tomorrow esther - two interviews in one day is insane. My hair would be grey. It's going to be greying with 5 in a month but two in a day 😲

@AnneOfCleavage on an earlier thread you said your dd might be taking a gap year, is that still on the cards? Good luck to all the Oxbridge candidates with interviews/waiting on results. I’m so impressed that they’ve taken all that on in addition to A Levels etc.

crazycrofter yes, she's pretty sure she wants a gap year. She's applying this year though as her school don't help outside of school years so she'll see what she's offered and then request 2023 September start if she still wants to have the year off to get more experience, earn some money, pass her driving test etc. Of course she could change her mind of course and go in 2022.

Oh lord! Last of 18 years of parents' evenings was tonight. It was online. It didn't work. We sat for 15 minutes, looking at a blank screen and chatting and worrying that we were doing something wrong. Finally tried on a different browser and that worked for the last couple of meetings. Then we saw the emails from the teachers we missed. They could all hear and see us, although we couldn't hear or see them. So all our chatting was heard. Me asking if all the girls fancied the young male teacher, and when asked if I fancied him, saying no because he looked about 12 so was too young for me. I think that was the worst thing we said, but what about what we MIGHT have said? If it wasn't polite DS with all lovely teachers in that situation, but very forthright DD who knew EXACTLY what she thought of some teachers' ability to teach? Could be such a disaster for student-teacher relations. Feeling a bit traumatised about the whole thing.

Oh @DoggerelBank that is funny...I'm sorry
At least, as you say, it is the last one.