Thread 31 Covid Cohort - Hopping through Easter and Revision

[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 30

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

Re York. Years since I went there, obviously, but Derwent seems still to have public school boy, almost braying reputation which goes hand in hand with a drinking and party culture. I think the other s/c college (James?) might be similar.

My impression is that Constantine is full of very well off types (it's v expensive) but all the others are fine.

My DS chose David Kato (new, so won't attract types) and Alcuin which is tucked behind the library and definitely less 'party hard'. None of them are colleges in the way they were back in my day, though, which makes me a bit sad.

Apparently , the police were thumping on all the doors at the Vale in Birmingham at 9am over the last week or so, trying to track down witnesses to a murder suspect caught on CCTV walking across the site. They were aggressive and rude to the students. This has made me a bit anxious...

Where did you hear about that @Piggywaspushed ? I guess police aren’t always known for their people skills and students aren’t known for their responsiveness at 9am 😂 😬 I’m sure it’s not a regular occurrence though! The Vale doesn’t border any dodgy areas.

Dd has very covid-like symptoms but a negative lateral flow. Doesn’t feel well enough to revise though, unfortunately.

It was on WIWIKAU Facebook crazy.

We were out in central Birmingham last night (felt like a right country bumpkin TBH). There was a real buzz in the air even though it was fairly early (we left at about 10). DS didn’t like it though, he was really twitchy walking down the street, it wouldn’t be the right place for him, but I think it’s a great city with so much happening, my colleague graduated from there about three years ago and loved it.

I too have got a cold too but did 3x LFT on Thur/Fri/Sat all negative. Just annoying, hoping the DCs don’t catch it just before their exams. @crazycrofter hope DS stays negative and recovers quickly.

Thanks @EspeciallyDistracted . Good that your son knew he wasn’t a city person and applied to places that would suit him.

I didn’t see that @Piggywaspushed but I do think people on WIWIKAU can be a little …. over dramatic maybe? It attracts more of a certain type of parent. I wouldn’t worry too much about regular police visits.

Apologies- it was a Birmingham Uni Facebook page.

Ah, so was it students feeling a bit freaked out? Did your ds opt for the Vale as first choice?

Thanks for the info @Piggywaspushed : and yes I can see the Brum situation is a little unsettling, but hopefully a one-off in a serious murder investigation - perhaps a mismatch between police and students' bodyclocks? That said, I must say the experiences and stories we've heard over recent years makes me more likely to believe students side of the story over the police, sadly ...

He did, yes. I am sure it will all be resolved before September !

He’ll be fine on the Vale, I don’t think murder suspects often roam the grounds! There’s probably more trouble in Selly Oak by comparison, but I wouldn’t worry too much. There’s crime everywhere - have you ever looked at the numbers of reported crimes in your area per month? It’s quite fascinating - and surprising!

Dd just told me that she hasn’t got time to make notes for British history (she has very extensive colour coded notes for the American bit) but a boy in her class has good notes and is selling them for £10 a set. She’s been offered a £5 discount because she sits next to him 😂

Very late birthday wishes to your DS @shimy 🎉🎁🎂🍾🥂

Belta! 🤣🤣

That’s entrepreneurial 😄@crazycrofter

Thank you all for all the lovely well wishes for yesterday. Inspite of illness, DS had a lovely 18th celebration at home. Family rallied round with food, setting up some decs, DS1 sorted out music and all just enjoyed themselves livening up the house and although DS2 didn't have any friends round (he had cousins round) he declared it'd been a lovely day for him. I didn't have to do anything other than wave and smile and eat. I've made a very good and quick recovery it seems.

Is lots of panting a side effect of covid, because everytime I do a task now I can't stop panting like I've just climbed a hill, is this normal?

@crazycrofter DS2 would like to meet that boy!

Glad your DS had a good 18th @Shimy . Breathlessness was very much a symptom of my covid and lasted for several weeks after the main infection. Still not good if going upstairs or out for a walk 2.5 months on! Pleased you weren't too ill with it.

Belated birthday wishes Shimy.

And sadly yes, Covid symptoms seem to last for bloody ever. It takes a long time to get completely clear for some of us.

@Seeline That's good to know (not 'good, good but you know what I mean )
I know difficulty breathing is a symptom for severe covid, but sort of missed the breathlessness. Even talking mid-sentence I have to pause now but considering I've only had it for about a week I think I've got off lightly.

@Wheresthebeach Aw thank you. Wishing you a full recovery.

Sounds like you managed a decent birthday in the end!

I couldn't get up a flight of stairs without resting for at least 2 months even though breathlessness was not a major symptom in the actual acute phase. Please make sure you rest!

Glad your DS had a good birthday @Shimy , also glad you're on the mend. I was breathless for months after and I wasn't even ill with Covid. I've had worse colds since. Not the fittest at the best of times tbh, but even the easiest of tasks had me panting for quite a while.

All quiet here. DD has been revisiging along with clubbing, pubbing , gyming and hockeying. Her bedroom wall is covered with mind maps and she seems to be in an ok mood. I'll take that ...

Haven't been on for a bit, this thread flies by!

Has anyone started collecting bits up for Uni? Kitchen equipment etc?

Hi I haven’t been on for a while. What’s happened at Birmingham @Piggywaspushed? I didn’t see the message on Facebook….

Hope you feel fully better soon @Shimy

@Piggywaspushed A decent day it was, and now he's just asked if he can still have a party after exams , so it seems we're not quite off the hook yet. I hope you and @heifer have made a full recovery now? it's an awful illness.

@sofakingcool I asked that question a while back now and I think a few of us had started. I've been buying some item every month for the last 7mths and have a small collection. I needed to avoid the repeat of what we did with ds1 where we I tried to ram everything into 1 week. It was so exhausting traipsing around shops. ds2's have largely;ly been done online but because I've started early I've had the time to wait for orders, return items I don't like etc.

I'm reluctant to start buying until after results, but am always a bit superstitious like that. DD has said she would like to start after exams so will probably have to bite the bullet.
A word of warning if you are planning to leave it - places like IKEA and Dunelm etc look like a plague of locusts have been through the day after results day, so if you are really keen on something it is worth getting it in advance. I only know as DS started in 2020 and his uni delayed moving in day for a month to trial learning on line, so we had an extra month. It took a week or two for shops to get re-stocked.

In other news DD has decided a party will involve too much work for her 18th (at the end of July) so would like to go into London with some mates for drinks... God knows what that involves - she has very little experience of anything like that, and 1 of her friends won't be 18 so not sure she will be allowed in anywhere other than a restaurant or basic pub. If anyone has any ideas for something a bit different I'd love to hear them