Thread 38 Covid Cohort, After Results Day

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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

Forgot to say, she went to Boardmasters last year and said it was much more chilled than Reading.
Lots more hard drugs at Reading, people with knives, tents being slashed, just generally more edgy.
Her friend fainted during Arctic Monkeys because the male part of the crowd was so pumped up and threatening.

@HarrietDVane my DD is off to Durham and everything crossed as no room number yet so nothing certain - she’s provisionally in a college called John Snow but two types of room en-suite flats and town house with a bathroom shared between 2. Bed sizes slightly different. Hoping to know by Friday as off to John Lewis, dunelm, sainsburys and Ikea.

im sure lots of info coming out this week …loving the videos of their shopping finds on her friends socials. So much stuff they will never fit in the kitchen space.

We have tesco highball glasses !

My DD plans to switch GPs to the on-campus surgery immediately after getting her next repeat prescription for some medication. This gives her a month to sort out any problems, she hopes. Fingers crossed.

Accommodation booking seems to be so different everywhere! At Anglia Ruskin, booking opened back in February for anyone who had "firmed" their offer, and it was first-come first-served from the list of available rooms. This is more fair in some ways, and less in others, then "wait until results day" at other places. It meant that she knows exactly which room she'll have, and the cost, very early on. She went for a small room in a uni-owned shared house next to campus, which was advertised as being for those who might find halls a bit noisy/overwhelming. She's in touch with a couple of her housemates.

As it happens she's down in Cambridge right now for a few days with my DW (who is at a conference there) and is scouting useful shops etc. As well as sketching architectural features, and visiting galleries/museums. Well, she is an art student!

Dd logged onto student finance earlier as I thought she needed to update it, following comments on here. But it appears that there is nothing to do?

DS2 been to Reading a couple of times and Leeds once this weekend. Thought Leeds marginally better. He says last year at Reading was unpleasant in places. Hence moving to Leeds festival this year. Plenty of drugs at Board masters and Latitude but more chilled vibe said the DCs.

@Alsoplayspiccolo I told dd to make sure she was with/near boys she knew for every performance because she was quite scared of the mosh pits last year. Fortunately she actually listened to me 😂 I’ll encourage Boardmasters instead next year maybe, depending on the line up. I definitely would not want ds going to Reading - he’d be so hyped up by all the antics 😬

Dd hasn’t had any emails from Nottingham. Maybe it’s because our surname is near the end of the alphabet?

Very sad to read of the 16 year old who died at Leeds this weekend.

DS much preferred Boardmasters over Reading, still lots of drugs being taken (offered them several times a day!) but said the vibe was much more happy and relaxed - Reading last year was pretty scary in patches. One of his mates ended up in hiding from a group of thugs who mistook him for someone else

Felt so sad reading about that young lad at Leeds

@EwwSprouts So so sad - drugs are such a big issue - my middle one is the most adventurous but also has allergies so avoids drugs as he’s so likely to react badly. I grew up and was a teen when someone we knew died on a night out at a club. A very well known case but a friend from my Saturday job was with her in the hospital and her description of what happened and her distress put me off for life.

So sorry you lost a friend so early.
I don't think DS has tried anything so far but it petrifies me. There is some family history of mental health issues and I fear if genetics have been unkind a lifelong condition could be triggered.

So sorry you lost your friend @Fruitygal . It is just such a risk to take.

Long time ago now but very sad and makes you nervous of these things with your kids. Fell so sorry for his parents.

DD out and about with friend today so been ticking off a few things from the list this morning!

still can’t decide on an optional module…. @EwwSprouts has your DS decided on one yet? She’s got geography ones but they look like they clash ? Or language or economics ones ….. did you say there was reading for the course? Can see an intro induction mentioned but nothing else?

shopping happening on Friday …..

Fruitygal sorry that happened to your friend, drugs are such an awful worry!

So my dd starts at the fashion retail academy tomorrow, on her years level 4 btec. She'll officially be a commuter to London and is sooo excited! I'm excited too ☺️

@cheninblanc This is such a lovely end to the story of your DD's awful experience with Falmouth, all power to her, I hope she enjoys every second.

@ChristopherTracy and other Nottingham people, I may have posted it already but this is a useful source of info if you haven't already seen it

www.nottingham.ac.uk/studentservices/welcome/index.aspx

This ^. So pleased for you both chenin

@crazycrofter, ds still insists he's had no emails from Nottingham at all recently. No induction, no booking accommodation date drop off/ moving in. Nothing.

I'm finding this bit, the waiting for moving in date, literally the most frustrating part of the process that we've had over the last couple of years, much worse than waiting for A'level results. I feel like phoning Nottingham and screaming at them to just hurry up.

@Oblomov22 DS has done his Broadgate induction and requested a date, now waiting for the 'early September' email around Nottingham hub login so that he can pay his deposit and do his IT admin. I think thats where we are.

Hmmm Omni. I keep telling ds he's missed something, but he says no. And when I rang accommodation last week they insisted emails may not come out for booking Rutland till the 6th. So I then didn't have any ammunition / evidence to argue with ds, iyswim.

I can't stand all this last minute dot com nonsense. I'm a planner, very organised. My mums and mine flights to Tallinn were booked months ago. Hotel, airport parking. Then an excursion - to visit the KGB museum. Restaurants for evening meals booked.

I can do last minute. I don't get stressed if things change at the last minute. I can adapt. They don't bother me.

But. Waiting when it's unnecessary, when I suspect it's based on archaic systems, or peoples incompetence, really gets my goat!

My DD had considered Falmouth and I'm very glad that she didn't after this.
Good luck to you and to your DD, @cheninblanc! So exciting!

Same, DS has lots of stuff still to do but can't do any of it until the email containing his student ID arrives.

The arrival slot is a pain though, especially if you need to plan other things around it.

I’m in organising hell here.
DS starts school on Thursday, so I’m having to nag him to get all the clothes he wants to take so that I can put names in them - everything has to be name taped, including duvets, covers, towels, ties, socks etc.
Then there’s all his sheet music to sort, any personal belongings, books, laptop, music tech stuff etc.
Im trying to sort washing and packing it all, in between trying to get DD to unpack and sort her Reading rucksack, sort her DSA equipment, and both DCs are trying to deal with possible requests for review of marking of A level/GCSE results.

My poor peri meno brain can’t cope!

DS's bank accounts are at least sorted.

Also, do yours have their own music stands? Are desktop ones any good or are they too low?

@Oblomov22 the whole accommodation thing is frustrating. I am hoping for something by Friday for Durham as that is our big shop day and I want to know en suite or sharing bathroom to plan storage for bathroom or caddy.

As for moving in I have guessed possible dates for the Airbnb as we have to stay over due to the distance but luckily my Friday's are more flexible work wise than the rest of the week so if they spring a Friday drop I am ok.

I thank lucky stars that we aren't where we were with DS1 which was no accommodation despite insurance choice plus promise and driving 2.5 hrs each way to look for private stuff. That was a nightmare.

So many children without accomodation this year...

Manchester sounds like a nightmare - friend has DD who firmed manchester still no accommodation offered at all !!?! ....so no move in date and they are saying they will know by the 15th September!?!?!