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 am sure it's colder in the kitchen than in the fridge! I've put some of the fridge stuff in the garage, it's colder in there. Not sure about outside. It might be colder. It's raining hard now, just to add to everything else. Im not going to open the freezer. It'll be ok for a bit longer. Ds has gone to the football. Trains are running. So at least that's him kept busy. I promised him my old phone when his room has been tidied up. Of course he didn't bother to do his room, I've let him have the phone as it's fully charged, I don't like the idea of him out without a phone. I know we all managed in our day. The electric came on a couple of hours ago, we all got excited, then it went off about 2 mins later.

On a total tangent - does anyone know someone working in film and tv in make up or prosthetics? It’s for DDs friend

Ooh, both of those look gorgeous @Fruitygal, but yeah probably nicer than we will be looking for!!

@Isthisjustnormal they are fab but as I said when we’ve eaten in York recently it’s been when we’ve had a couples weekend and not with the kids. When we did the open day we did there and back in a day.

@Fruitygal: mental notes made of both in case Ds ends up at York abs Dh and I are coming up for weekends: some lovely menus there!!

@Isthisjustnormal just been told by a friend in York it’s ❄️ ⛄️ today!

@Isthisjustnormal Had some good food here www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186346-d1316855-Reviews-Mamma_Mia-York_North_Yorkshire_England.html which is round the corner from the Minster or for a chain there is Loch Fyne which is on the street opp the end of The Shambles.

@Wheresthebeach dd is exactly the same.

@Isthisjustnormal to keep milk cold camping when we can't freeze ice blocks we get a bag of ice from the supermarket, put water and ice in our cold box and keep the milk bottles in that, at this time of year a bucket of iced water would stay cold in a garage or outdoors for quite some time.

We've just go back from a very wet Winchester, we didn't stay long as it was our 4th open day there. Just went for the history lecture really and one more look around. I tell you what, with regards to the architecture, the old building is nice but its completely hemmed in with modern buildings of various designs and ages which don't flatter it.

We are planning to go to the Birmingham offer holders day on Wednesday. It’s half term here. I hope we get to look inside some accommodation but I am not sure we will as it’s described as a self guided tour.

Thanks @EwwSprouts: lock fyne is a good shout and that Italian looks absolutely great- thank you!

Just compared Birmingham and York accommodation prices. Birmingham is £££ if you want en suite or don't want to walk many miles...

@Piggywaspushed York isn’t cheap and neither is Birmingham - having seen a lot of unis accommodation in the past 6 years I’d expect to pay £150-200 per week for self catering sharing 2-4 per bathroom to en-suite. Be careful and check out number of weeks contract, do they need to vacate in holidays etc;

We checked on Google maps Re walking distances for Sheffield, York and Durham. Looking at town, bio buildings and accommodation. DD loved Sheffield but felt accommodation was a little far away from bio buildings. When we checked York had the largest distance from favoured self catering accommodation on east Campus to bio building on west. She was stunned as it felt more compact at York.

Sheffield is £6150 42 weeks en-suite which I thought was very very reasonable - only Bradford from previous years was cheaper. Son last year was in townhouse at uni in the south of England 12 rooms - 2 share per bathroom with large kitchen and lounge with sofas for £161 for 44 weeks this year that is now £166.

@BlueMarigold we wandered round Birmingham accommodation village on outside but didn’t get inside in the summer - often they have videos you can watch.

I think the thing at York us a new college en suite for 6160. Nowhere at Birmingham comes close to that!

All these different combinations are certainly sent to confound us..

Mason and Chamberlain were the ones my DD liked at Birmingham @Piggywaspushed think between £170-£180 at the time we looked. Think the new accommodation at York looked super cheap compared to the slightly older stuff like langwith . Not sure why they had done that. Wondered if it was to fill it - we have looked at options and looked like £161- £184 dependent on the option you get. York is priciest between York, Sheffield and Durham for self catering.

Also you don’t always get top choice or even any of your top three choices so always difficult

Great info on accommodation. I’ve just checked for DD (Cardiff) there is one option of £132 per week self catered, en-suite, 3/4 bed, flat of six for 43 weeks so £5676. That seems reasonable (in comparison) and means no need to move everything back during Christmas and Easter hols which is a big benefit as we’re so far away.

Birmingham let you pick 6 choices in no particular order and you might get one of your 6. It’s randomly allocated on results day!

As well as looking at the cost of halls, try to check the cost of private rentals for 2nd year onwards. I knew Bath was going to be more expensive but it was approx £200 per month more than Dd was paying in Leeds. And not as nice.

@Decorhate that’s so true! Some places are super expensive

@Decorhate We found big differences in quality and price

@Fruitygal

Also you don’t always get top choice or even any of your top three choices so always difficult

Yeah, that's my concern!!

Don't suppose anyone happened to visit any Southampton accommodation today? ...curious to know if Glen Eyre is up a hill away from.campus Dd thinks it was but not sure

@PaddingtonPaddington that’s sounds like a fab deal