Thread 28 - Corona Cohort Awaiting Offers, Advance Notice, Gap Years and New Jobs

[OrangeCinnamonCroissant]

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 27 Here

I know he is too old really but well done Piglet :-)

Never too old!

Long time lurker here..
@ decorhate DS received a rejection from Manchester on Friday too, as did one of his friends who has applied to the same course (Economics & Politics). The standard offer for the course is AAA and his predictions are AAA , with an A EPQ already achieved. He’s not too bothered either, but I am as that’s where I went!
DS only submitted his UCAS form in January & thinks this might be a factor.
Anyway onwards & upwards!

Blimey I blink and the last thread has ended and this one is half way through!

No real news here. DS's head is still comfortable in the hole in the ground that he's found, I'm hoping a visit to Reading on the 26th will inspire him..

Well done to @Piggy’s DS!

@decorhate - I was catching up on this thread & wrote the post above as soon as I saw your post re the Manchester rejection. Reading on now I see that it was for the same course that DS had applied to!! (he has since pointed out to me that his EPQ was an A, not an A).
We have an offer from York, and are waiting to hear from Bristol, Leeds and Nottingham. Bristol is Ds’s favourite (this appears to be based purely on its party reputation).

Someone mentioned becoming friends with people they met on mums et. I did back in the day via the elevenplus threads. We are still in touch and our DD’s are at the same school and friends. ( I think I remember Seeline, Ealing mum & wheresthebeach from those threads).

A*

Well done to @Piggywaspushed junior!
DS has lost his photos so still not even sent in the application. He was bounced from using his passport photo and is officially so far out of the loop his application fee was refunded!

Sorry so many of the DC are struggling. It's a horrible time of the year in a generally horrible year.

We also watched a film together last night. If you don't mind a bit of mindless candyfloss This Means War had DS laughing.

@scabby1 Ds applied in November so I think it’s just a question of lots of the places already allocated to people who had deferred. I looked up past statistics on UCAS & prior to this 68% of applicants starting the course had AAB or lower.

I saw something mentioned elsewhere that applicants for joint degrees don’t get considered until those doing single degrees have been dealt with.

Lucky that both our dc were not bothered by the rejection. I feel for anyone who had their heart set on it to find the goalposts had moved.

*@Decorhate, good to know that Ds’s tardiness isn’t the reason behind the rejection!
Are you only waiting for Bristol? It seems that all the youngsters around our neck of the woods (London) have their heart set on going there.

I grew up in NorthYorkshire & my parents are still there, so would love DS to end up in York or Leeds.

@Piggywaspushed

Never too old!

I meant to be referred to as Piglet - not too old to congratulate :-)

Not too old for that either!

@scabby1 Yes just waiting for Bristol now but I think Ds is going to firm Leeds regardless. Bristol would be better for us parents in some ways as his brother is already at Bath. But Leeds is actually quicker to get to by train from here, even though it’s further away!

Welcome to the thread btw!

@decorhate thank you! Nice to be here.

Welcome Scabby - you will find a friendly bunch in here :-)

@Piggywaspushed - fair shout - I do like the word Piglet it's so cute

Those with DC already there (or anyone really), how much money do they live on per week if self-catered? Just looking at halls costs and trying to figure out what each option would leave DS with per week.

Thanks Heifer.

@singingstones DS gets the minimum loan so he lives off that. We pay his rent. His private house this year was more expensive than halls last year (UWE). He managed well last year due to lockdown. This year he seems to be going through it a bit quicker - he has just got himself a couple of jobs 😉

Well done on driving tests and decision making. Yr12 DD is currently practicing for her theory test and her app tells her she's getting the 'attitude' questions wrong 🤣

Whilst DS is sending me pictures of beer from his day out in London, I've booked him on the Nottingham offer holders day on Saturday. Might see some of you there - I'll be the one dragging a reluctant, miserable DS around telling him to at least look at stuff instead of his phone 🙃

@singingstones ds1 was given almost the maximum loan. He said it was plenty to live on. But second and third year rent is less in Norwich compared to where Ds2 wants to go. We have both had a little more income this year...so I thought Ds2 will get less of a loan and we will make it up to the maximum loan amount. But I suddenly realised earlier, if ds1 comes home to live and gets a job then I am sure his income has to be included on ds2's student loan forms. That's a bit unfair as he's hardly going to put money in towards ds2's education.

@singingstones DD1 found self catering to be much better value, as she took in a packed lunch every day. Plus most catered halls don't do a Sunday dinner so you're forced to eat out or get a takeaway. It's good to have a friend with a car to share Aldi/Lidl trips with. I think DD1 got by on ~ £25.00 -£30.00 a week initially , but that was 4 years ago. I've no idea what she's spending now. I think the cost of food has shot up so much recently, even in the Chinese supermarkets. DD still eats a lot of noodles/rice/chicken curry and she batch cooks.
DS1 lifts weights & eats masses of protein/eggs so I'm expecting his food bill to be much bigger, but then his clothes bill will counterbalance that hopefully.

Thanks Seeline, so min loan is £4400 so /39 weeks would give him about £112pw including Christmas and Easter hols but not summer? That seems like a good amount to aim for. Accommodation costs vary so much!

Congratulations piglet ;-) and welcome @scabby1!

Thanks Fferny and icanbe

Yes he definitely wants self-catering for the flexibility. I had imagined about £30-40 pw on food, £20-30 on alcohol socialising, £30 or so on laundry, travel including coming home🤞, books / stationery, gym. And £20 on clothes. But those are very ballpark guesstimates, I haven't a clue really. It will be a big learning curve for him, that's for sure!

@singingstones, if people can afford it, the approach of parents pay for accommodation and minimum loan covers everything else is very popular.