Thread 29 - Covid Cohort - Whirlwinds and Waiting

[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 28

@BlueMarigold If in halls they can't do much bulk cooking due to limited freezer space - often just half a drawer, never more than one. There is limited storage space too in the kitchen, usually a cupboard for all utensils, pans, crockery and dry food. Not much space in their room either - sometimes there is space under the bed for storage boxes but not always.

Even in private houses there is usually only a fridge freezer. My DS managed to find a free chest freezer which he and his housemates put in the garage if their shared house this year, but I don't think there is anywhere to put one in next year's house.

We pay rent and then DS pays rest. But that is why DH and I always fall out over accommodation selections and cost!

Stupid finance question - I know someone said on here that it’s fine to apply for finance before making a decision. Ds is still waiting for offers from what would probably be hos first choices (Bath or possibly Warwick). Do we go ahead and apply despite the lack of offer??

Yes, you can easily change the name of the uni at anytime.

The application sets the assessment going - the amount of loan qualified for won't change for a different uni. Ultimately it is the registration at the university which triggers the actual payment.

@Seeline yes Ds1 only had half a freezer drawer and one fridge shelf in halls. He'd get cross when someone would fill all his freezer drawer up and refuse to move it. There were no spaces in other drawers. He's been fine in his private rental though.

I imagine that DS will eat quite a lot of frozen stuff as it's so quick and easy, and might even get as far as batch cooking. You can get mini freezers, 30x30x30cm so big enough for some frozen beige food, oven chips and a couple of tupperwares. More expensive than I thought though. Will ponder that one.

Most halls won't allow mini freezers or fridges unless for medical reasons.

Well, dd should have been in school for her RS mock this morning...and got the times mixed up so she's still in bed....

Honestly, it seems impossible at times. My cunning plan to call up and ask for the mock timetable on the day before half term was thwarted by Storm Eunice, so I had no idea when they were. 6th form office has just called me with the requested info, but too late. At least I know when the other 2 are.

DS's current choices (Nottingham and Exeter) seem to be ok with mini fridges / freezers, they're not on the prohibited items list anyway. So could be helpful if there isn't much shared freezer space.

@singingstones keep an eye on Freecycle for things like a small freezer. DMIL has one which is branded by one of the companies supplying frozen meals, can't remember which one. It is more like 60x60x60 though

Ooh that's a good tip thanks Monkey

Hmmm...a mini freezer would be a good investment.

We're off to Portsmouth tomorrow. Really hope DD likes it.

Freecycle is great, and facebook marketplace often has good freebies too. Another tip for uni kit is to look out for charity shop uni offers. Sometimes they put student packs together (set of plates, mugs, bowls, cutlery, pans, etc). And our local one had an 'anything you can get into a shopping basket for a tenner' or similar in the weeks before start of uni. They have so much stuff that can be hard to shift during the year, so this is a great way to get money to good causes and reduce landfill. So much of the stuff DCs take in first year gets lost/broken thanks to parties and accommodation moves that there's no point going overboard on expensive stuff.

I need to re-set myself up on Apple Pay as I had a new bank card recently. My kids do seem a little reliant on the fact that I can instantly transfer them money when needed, although I don’t get many requests now I’ve upped their allowances.

Ds did once text me to transfer 1p to him He was buying a KFC for himself and his mate and was in the queue when he realised his bank balance was 1p short!

UCAS seems to be down with a different error message. Mind you we have all but given up on Warwick now.

@crazycrofter

I need to re-set myself up on Apple Pay as I had a new bank card recently. My kids do seem a little reliant on the fact that I can instantly transfer them money when needed, although I don’t get many requests now I’ve upped their allowances.

Ds did once text me to transfer 1p to him He was buying a KFC for himself and his mate and was in the queue when he realised his bank balance was 1p short!

DS sometimes asks me to transfer an odd amount to him, such as 27p so that then it means he has a round number in his bank account

I assumed there would be a lower limit on how much you can transfer but apparently not.

@22Newnames 'Means he has a round number in his bank account', really made me laugh. It's just funny how they think, isn't it?

@ChristopherTracy Wouldn't it be interesting to know to what algorithm these slow universities are using to process applications? we heard from Warwick back in November but still waiting on Bath, meanwhile, some heard back from Bath 3 weeks after applying, same course. Hang in there though, there's a reason why they applied there and they will certainly all be getting back by the deadline, no doubt about that.

Don't forget a lot of the bigger Unis have been on strike/ action short of strike. Admissions is usually an academic decision.

Southampton interview/applicant day was OK yesterday. I say just OK as Dd didn't actually get any info until Friday which basically told her the start time and nothing else. She wasn't impressed. Plus side for her was journey time by dad cabs was about half hour. She still says Soton the vest but in the same breath mumbles about creating a spreadsheet to compare .

I'll try not to get involved with that ..I'll just try to complicate matters by adding conditional formatting and fancy charts

Funny how no one seems to be over the moon about Southampton. DD really expected to be.

Swansea has just emailed about open days, so that's April 2nd DD is booking.

We will firm up after that I hope!

@ProggyMat Hello! Is your DD going to an offer holder day at Oxford? DS just got his invitation and will be going. He still hasn't firmed because he still hasn't heard from Durham.

@Horace123 DDs college has sent her invites to several ‘online offer holder events’ which has made us think that they’re not holding ‘in person days’
One is ‘meet your tutors in a less formal and more relaxed way than your interview’
DD said: ‘I’m not so sure I want to see them again’
Lots of DDs Classics friends,including her boyfriend, are still waiting on Durham- no news of any offers as yet.

@Wheresthebeach

Funny how no one seems to be over the moon about Southampton. DD really expected to be.

Swansea has just emailed about open days, so that's April 2nd DD is booking.

We will firm up after that I hope!

It will be raining tomorrow ...if you can fit in a trip to Gunwharf Quays will be nice though !

Oh thanks @OrangeCinnamonCroissant. Will keep an eye out.

Wrap up warm if you go to Gunwharf, it's something of a wind tunnel!