Thread 27 Covid Cohort Snow or Like Spring? Let's Do This Thing!

[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 found here

@Piggywaspushed the application was sent back in December. All the unis made an offer and she has accepted her firm and insurance choice.

When we logged in the other day we saw a box that says see who did your reference. We clicked on it thinking it would give the school name and maybe teachers name but it says “no reference provided”.

I know my DD was lucky to get this far but I heard that in the case of a dropped grade on results day, the unis look at references and PS to make a decision. Should I worry about this?

Also I heard that references were mandatory so I don’t know if a school could send the form off without references by mistake.

That's weird. I think maybe it is the difference between being able to see it at your end and not.

Might be one to query with the school UCAS bod tomorrow.

We have had nothing but problems with HP laptops too, DS had one from John Lewis which was fixed once under warranty but failed again within another year. I had one for work that was very slow and clunky, that was about 5 years ago though, but more recently a colleague had an HP that was incredibly slow too. In my other job I had a Dell that lasted 8 years, another Dell for two years with no problems but now have a Samsung touch screen one which is gorgeous but v.expensive. DS currently uses an ipad with smart keyboard and the school subscription to office365 but it doesn't have the functionality a proper laptop version of Office would have.

Holidays-wise we are looking at 10th Julyish and thinking France/Germany/Austria possibly by train from city to city, interrail-style. DH is the only person who likes beaches, Greece, Turkey, Med etc are all too hot in summer for me and DS. We really struggle to find a holiday we'll all like and often end up with a cottage in the UK which does suit everyone. We have done a couple of cruises in the past but DS isn't keen to do that again now, he likes the sightseeing and visiting lots of places aspect but not all the time hanging around the ship on sea days.

Thanks @Piggywaspushed I will ask DD to do that.

18th birthday pressies - DSs got expensive watch from in laws and had money for trips etc with friends, drone and driving fast car days. A few things for each not all for one.

DD birthday in spring - in laws taking her to get a watch but probably less expensive plus necklace. Not sure what we will get ….show tickets for west end?

Party at home 10-20 ? Or something else hasn’t decided

DSs had gaming computers as their hobby so no need for uni. But DS1 got a laptop via DSA with a small contribution from us. DD has my old Apple laptop which is slow but she will probably get one through DSA too. Need to go and look.

York have sent through details of the offer day - free hot breakfast baps and free lunch - love the offer days - will they try and seal the deal with M&S food platters at lunch? 🤣😂🤣

@Piggywaspushed what an awful situation. I lost a friend from school just after starting uni - still makes me sad more than 30 years later. One of my DSs lost a college friend in 2021 and he’s still not over it. Hideous situation. Sending a hug

@Heifer thanks for the fab whiteboard DD loved it ! Especially as it has the Krebs cycle too xxx - Buying one today !!

I am shopping for white boards too, whilst looking after the new member of our family - we have a kitten! 😻

@Hattifatteners That’s brilliant - how exciting!

We are right in the middle of interviews here - one last week, two this week, one the week after. All different formats, just to make things even easier!

We are finally (fingers crossed) going on our 2020 Croatia holiday!!!

Best of luck to her Kingscote, but all sounds very positive at this stage!

@BlueMarigold your DD can phone UCAS (0371 468 0 468, Mon to Fri) and ask them to email a copy of her reference to her - they don't question you, just send it as it is a data protection law right. I think it is ridiculous that you can't see reference and predictions when you log in to UCAS as it is your data and you have the right to see it anyway!

Re laptops, DS1 has a MS Surface Pro which could be used as a tablet in lectures - lots of courses allow you to download lecture slides and you can then anotate using the touch screen, but also works as a true laptop. As it turned out, with lectures all on line he watches them on the laptop, so can't use that function. DS2 is much more tech savvy, he built his own gaming PC (although DS1 is the gamer, DS2 just wanted to build it!). DS2 is eying up something similar to Surface Pro which is coming out any time now, but had been very well reviewed as a budget version with all the functionality that counts - Asus Vivabook 13 slate which should be around £600 including the pencil.

A kitten! Awwww...

She's a cutie 😻

Oh, that's adorable!

Kittens and puppies really are the definition of cute! Beautiful little thing, hope she doesn't destroy too much in the next few months - our dog was awful for earbuds, is it mainly scratching with kittens?

@singingstones love the kitten. Was it this group I posted pics of our pup? Seems weird as she was 2 at Christmas. Doesn't seem almost 2 years that we've had her.

@singingstones

She's a cutie 😻

She is !

Gorgeous kitty!

Actually I'd forgotten, DD (y11) has an MS Surface Pro too and it has seen her through the long spells of remote schooling in the last couple of years, they use them heavily in her school (even pre-Covid). She says it's limping a bit now but when I check sometimes she has dozens of browser windows open which puts a strain on the memory. Small, light, touch screen, I'm impressed with it.

Oh she is gorgeous! I'd love a kitten/cat, but we live on a pretty busy road and have a railway line at the end of the garden so it really wouldn't be safe. I can't face the thought of an indoor cat and never being able to have doors or windows open in the summer.

Going back to 18ths, I am making a 0-18 photobook for DS. I was browsing old threads for ideas last night and am also thinking about something like this.

With watches I wondered if teens wear any watches other than smart ones these days? Neither of mine has ever worn one routinely, they don't wear jewellery either, DD has a few bits but only wears inexpensive beads on leather cord type things, no proper stuff.

Another vote for surface pro here. DS has had one since covid started (coincidence) and it has done him very well for the past 2 years. Particularly compared to the poor quality of others he has had over the years (I would never buy HP or Lenovo again)
They all get a Mac for uni though. D d 1’s Mac is just coming to its last legs and I bought it for her in 2016. 6 years, no problems.

Are the Mac versions of office better these days? We switched to a Mac at home about 12 years ago and had Office on it and the functionality was very poor compared to the Windows versions I was used to. We still have a Mac desktop but I mainly use it for photos, web browsing etc and don't have office on it. I use office for windows constantly for work and really struggle with Pages and Notes on the Mac (and avoid wherever possible).

Or is it just the case that they use the school / uni licence versions and they work on any machine. Again I've noticed a big difference in functionality between proper Office for Windows and the browser versions where you log into Office 365 online, similarly with google docs/sheets which I use for the swimming club, they are very basic versions.

We're another family that goes big on the 'this is your life' type photo album for 18th. No idea what else we'll do for DS, though. Think my dad is keen on getting him some kind of signet ring, and I think it would go down quite well - but it's probably too fashion-related to be a 'forever' type of present.
@ExtremelyDetermined, I've used Office on a Mac for more than 20 years without any problems (never bother with Pages, Numbers, etc), but as I struggle with PCs due to unfamiliarity, I can't tell you for sure if I'm missing out on anything. I've never had issues swapping files with PC people though.

@singingstones Wrap up your sofas in cotton wool! Our kitten, lovely though she was, completely wrecked our sofa.

Very cute kitten @singingstones!