Thread 30 Covid Cohort, Mad March Hareing Towards Exams

[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 29

I've made this one a little bit earlier as things are so busy, at home and on thread, so please feel free to use up previous thread first

Hi everyone - sorry for Durham disappointments for some, yay to pressing buttons for others, and good luck with final decision making for yet others!
I just was sent this by DS’s school - 10 ways parents can help their child revise - seems quite good and evidence based. Every % counts in my DS case so I shall try to implement it all while crossing fingers etc etc! blog.innerdrive.co.uk/10-ways-parents-can-help-their-child-revise

@Oblomov22 sorry but am going to ask - why Swindon? ;-) I am originally from there - only moved away 15 years ago.... Yes I know it's an awful place so don't worry you don't have to be nice about it :-)

@Heifer DH was once sent off the M4 at Swindon (must have been an accident) and drove round and round in circles. He got so cross that he ripped out all the pages showing Swindon out of our map book!

Thank goodness for sat navs!

[quote Monkey2001]@Heifer DH was once sent off the M4 at Swindon (must have been an accident) and drove round and round in circles. He got so cross that he ripped out all the pages showing Swindon out of our map book!

Thank goodness for sat navs![/quote]
@Monkey2001 - love it, just 1 of many good reasons to rip out all the Swindon pages

We have never had a satnav send us the right way in Swindon....

🤣
Last weekend I was going to meet my best friend, from uni, who lives in Devon, to stay overnight in a hotel near Marlborough, Swindon. As I said m25 junction onto m4 closed, had to take m40, past Oxford, trying to turn back to get south below Oxford to get back to Swindon. Nightmare. Sat nav failed me and was directing me more northwards, so I ignored it. She phoned and I joked that I was practically on my way to Birmingham.

Laughing at all your other Dh's ripping Swindon maps to shreds.

@Piggywaspushed

We have never had a satnav send us the right way in Swindon....

I didn't know Swindon was such a popular destination!

re Satnav, I'm guessing it's because Swindon has grown so quickly. It's so different to when we left (at it had grown considerably back then) but so sprawled out now. As anywhere there are nice parts (where I grew up and later lived).

In fact - we are back for the dayon Sunday for a family do - luckily we know where we are going so no Satnav is needed

@Oblomov22 - to be fair Malborough is nice. No one who lives there or near there would want to describe themselves as living in Swindon ;-) There are some lovely villages around Swindon, and some lovely places to visit near Swindon, (Bath, Cotswolds etc) it's just Swindon that isn't so lovely these days..

I blame the Magic Roundabout.

The mere mention of the Magic Roundabout gives me flashbacks...

ED hurrah another button pushed!

I hope more offers come in before the end of term so that stress is done with for the holidays.

Let's hope I don't end up anywhere near Swindon then 😂

Ah the Magic Roundabout is harmless enough. Confession, I've never actually passed my driving test (don't ask) ... But even as a learner driver when I lived there I found it easy to navigate. Once the instructor pointed out just take each one at a time and don't think of it as a massive 5 roundabout puzzle.

Heifer - yes, I used to live near Hemel Hempstead which also has a magic roundabout and once I had worked that out it was straightforward, so long as you remembered which one you wanted to turn off at.

So sorry to hear that 22Names but I'm crossing both fingers and toes for Bath 🤞🤞

Eek at that roundabout 😲

Last week DD applied to defer to her two top choice unis and they both said yes and have now updated her UCAS to reflect a 2023 start date. She has now pressed the button and firmed Chichester and Oxford Brookes as insurance - yay!!!

Parents eve tonight. Last one ever I believe and online. DD is pretty happy with her grades even though on paper they haven't changed from the last set of mocks but she got higher on the mark scheme so with 6 weeks left to go she feels she can pull them up. She got BCD and needs BBC.
She has her A level dance practical exams next week so once that's done she can concentrate on her History coursework of which her teacher said she should get high marks as her draft is looking good.

One more week left of school - cannot wait.

So many people making final decisions now - DD did the same yesterday and pushed the button to firm Winchester with Glos as her insurance. It's all becoming very real but now to get the grades!!!

Fingers crossed for those who are still waiting for offers from their preferred universities. Hope you don't have to wait much longer - it's nerve wracking!

@EventuallyDelighted I’m also familiar with the HH one!

Ds announced tonight that he had pressed the button! - Leeds/Sheffield which he has been fairly certain of all along. Hope he doesn’t change his mind after visiting next week

The Hemel Hempstead magic roundabout has an insane road sign!

Well done on all those pushing the button!
I also learnt to drive, and passed my test, in a town with the magic roundabout of 5 roundabouts in one. As long as you treat them individually they are fine!!

We are off to Nottingham. Blimey it's cold.

@Oblomov22 Ooh big day! Hope he loves it.

@Oblomov22 have a great day, we are going next Wednesday! Let us know what you both think!

Hope you have a good day, Oblomov.

DD is off to Birmingham tomorrow - anyone else going?

Loving Nottingham majorly. The drive up is so easy and took no time. Started off at Jubilee for the business school. Ds liked how compact it was. Bus hopper to main. He checked out the sports facilities. Huge. Campus really nice. I've never been to such a campus Uni. Bus to town. Food market. Burritos for lunch. We are going home now. Seen enough to know we both really like it, massively.

Ds has pressed the button. Firmed PwC Nottingham. Insurance PwC Reading.

He says it won't let him set up an accommodation account yet. I thought he would be able to set it up now? Then do you need to wait for firmed to be confirmed, before you can access the accommodation account and actually choose? Please could someone advise?