Thread 38 Covid Cohort, After Results Day

[CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee]

ALL our children are heroes of their own stories, they have thrived through a once in a century catastrophe and they will succeed

This is a support thread for our young adults post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting, and their results (life updates for those who went into work or have had results earlier). 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. It's all relative!

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 continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed) We have decided for anyone interested they will find a thread within the Further Ed board.Possibly a move to Parent of Adult Children Board in future? Post Sept?

Previous thread

www.mumsnet.com/talk/further_education/4613457-thread-37-covid-cohort-2020-results-thread-heroes-of-their-own-stories

Wow - we were out watching cricket yesterday and it's taken me ages to catch up!

So pleased @Zebracat and@cheninblanc have resolved their problems positively and can finally move ahead. Well done for persevering.

I had the A level/GCSE combo in 2020 - that was fun! Good luck to all waiting for results tomorrow.

I got a soctopus for DS 2 years ago for washing/drying facemasks, and now a second for DD for handwashing undies etc that she doesn't want to put through the uni machines.

Our IKEA is literally a 10 min drive away and is one of DDs favourite activities. It is used as a social event by local youngster with the display rooms (especially the living rooms) being used by groups as though they were at home. Last time we went there were about 12 lads all sat on the sofas and chairs having a great time!

Strangely we don't have a Home Bargains/Wilko's/B&M anywhere near so it's IKEA or supermarkets.

DD joined FB to connect and through that has be added to WhatsApp groups for her accommodation and for all the female Freshers. That led to a group chat for her new flatmates too. She's bought some tickets for Fresher's events, because she feels she should go rather than wanting too. I keep pushing the idea of joining societies. She has always been a keen dancer, so is looking to join some of that type.

DS has most of the things he needs I think. Because he's been a boarder he has bedding etc. He's also very minimalist & needs very little. I'll buy him some new towels in black & a rug & blanket I think. Plus a cheap pan set & a coloured China set & a couple of glass lidded food containers. He's stocked up on clothes, due to thrift shopping in Canada with his sisters. The baggy look appears to be in again for teens. It's going to be Dunelm for me as IKEA is over an hour away.

Dd said she’s not buying any freshers tickets til she gets there and sees what new friends want to do. She also mentioned hand washing clothes to save money -I guess she was thinking of underwear so maybe I should get that socktopus!

As for drying things on an airer @Piggywaspushed - I’ve never used a tumble dryer so I’m probably just used to the smell 😂 but a heated airer with a sheet over the top works well.

@crazycrofter
And others -
The Nottingham (Rutland) moving in days are Thursday 22nd to Saturday 24th. (Would normally be sunday, but they've bought it forward one day, to the thursday becuase theres a marathon on the sunday). You should be fine for the saturday Crazy.
have seen nothing released, no e-mails, no info on how to book this, As YET.

(ie you do not need to worry, nothing can be done/needs doing, YET).

Ooh where did you see that, Oblomov? I wonder if Broadgate will be the same, trying to get DS to coordinate with his friends before we actually have to book.

Thanks @Oblomov22 . I guess we could do Thur or Fri evenings if they allow evening drop offs? We’re only about an hour away.

@Heifer I (not DS) have watched a lot of Youtube for Nottingham freshers week and some of them emphasize that you dont need to go hard at it and top tips - has she watched some of those sorts of videos?

Where did I see which bit Singing?

We must all assure our kids that there is nothing to be afraid / anxious about. They will find their tribe. If you wanna party and go to every freshers event, like Avicii rock on. Quieter ones no doubt will go to none. All is fine.

And us as parents, we will continue to support them and eachother here, as we chat away that our dc hasn't ..... registered/attended any clubs/left their rooms yet/spoken to anyone.

@Piggywaspushed which is the partaay halls? PM me.

Hello everyone! it seems everyone's sorting out accommodation. DS has been allocated accommodation yet which is stalling shopping for some of his beddings.

Hasn’t @Shimy ? Neither has DD. I’ve reserved some private accommodation thanks to a PM from a MN user. Has a cooli mg off period but needed to know as on holiday next week and don’t want to miss anything while away.

About Rutland moving in days being Thurs - Sat @Oblomov22

Anyone know how private halls are about students dropping out ?

@Piggywaspushed we have been recommended the following laptops as standard laptops from the DSA supplier - www.amazon.co.uk/HP-245-G8-5-5500U-Windows/dp/B09ZBJC6WL/ or www.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/lenovo/v-series/Lenovo-V15-Gen-2-15%E2%80%9D-AMD/p/XXYTXVNA500

The spec is usually pretty standard, basic needs type laptops.
Hope that helps!

My DD is very quiet and not into partying at all - she tells me that she has found a few others on the halls whatsapp group that are similar and they have plans to spend freshers week party nights in the junior common room watching films with popcorn!

Oh dear Singing. I thought that was You, that told me!!
I'll go and search. Wasn't it You that first mentioned that the marathn was on sunday. I've seen that someone else in the last few days on the Nottingham site, but now can't remember where. I'll go search.

Thanks for all the support. I feel bad for banging on about it all. Done now!
I worry about freshers week and party halls etc. Ours is quiet, she’s never been to a pub or club, and she gets quite upset by people getting drunk or being rowdy. I’m worried she will say no to everything and get isolated. I do think that she would enjoy socialising if she gave it a chance. She was diagnosed with social anxiety before she came to us, but she doesn’t think she has it, she just had secrets to keep and a lot on her mind. She is actually quietly confident. I just want her to grab every opportunity in both hands and have a blast. Not look back and regret the hours she spent in her room going down weird internet rabbit holes. Or drop out because she’s adrift and on the outside looking in.

OK, usually depending on how far down line they are with payments. Different when they are in a shared house.

Thanks for laptop recommendations. In a fact that will surprise no one, DS1 has broken multiple laptops - Lenovo, HP, Acer....

The bank issue is v specific crazy. DS has a savings account which was opened when he was about 5. There was very little in it and it was all in my name. Then their GF died and they both got money which was put into those accounts. Now he is 18, I can't access it. But neither can he for reasons I do not understand (I think because it's a child account). All we want to do is open a proper savings account and move the money but it is very complicated. So it's another trip to the branch. Sigh. And each time, it has to be me because the book is in my name , so DH can't do it. At least the money hasn't disappeared! I have seen it is there! Their GF was a bit of a Delboy and had money under mattresses, Swiss Bank accounts, premium bonds, strange property speculations so probate was not fun. There is still some money that lawyers are looking for 10 years later...it's in Azerbaijian...

I've just had a chat with Nottingham Accommodation Agent.

They said:
Induction email will be sent around 6th September. It will contain all info for booking moving in slot.

Moving in IS: 22nd -24th.

That's fab, thanks @Oblomov22 . I can forget about it until we've moved then.

Their GF sounds like a character @Piggywaspushed 😂Hope you can sort out access to the savings.

Thank you for all of your nice comments about my MSc place. I'm really looking forward to it, actually I can't believe I'm saying it but I'm even looking forward to writing assignments. It just feel like I'll have more time to dedicate to it now than when I did my degree, which was very demanding and dd was so young. I might need reminding of this in the future.

We're still impatiently waiting for accommodation allocation, actually I'm the inpatient one, dd is pretty laid back - this seems to be a theme among our young people!

We probably don't need a trip to Ikea which is about and hour away, we have lots of shops close by. We might still end up going at some point though, we both quite enjoy an Ikea outing. And I can buy some more houseplants to slowly kill.

Dd is another one who has never been to a nightclub. Although she hopes to go at least to a pub with some friends before uni. She has quite a few friends who aren't 18 yet, and also a lot of them aren't really party people - which suits dd great most of the time but she is definitely ready to branch out a bit in her socialising as well. I don't know what she'll make of nightclubs and really lively drunken parties, it'll be a strong reaction one way or the other though I'm sure.

In truth, he was a horrible bully but, hey, at least he speculated and accumulated. We literally had to go through drawers and drawers of paperwork to hunt down records of his shenanigans.