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

We are on our way home from Cornwall back to Suffolk. Should be home lunchtime. I'm just marking this thread. I'll catch up with reading it later.

Ds is waiting to discuss what to do next. The more I think about it, the more I think he should just go to Sussex.

Came on to previous thread and it's full and this one is 2 pages in! Congratulations @Benjispruce4 NTU is a very, very good university. A family friend just graduated from there, she also missed her grades and got in through Clearing, not sure what to expect at first as it was last minute, but she has had a fab 3 years there. Lots of extracurriculars to get involved in - work experience on campus etc to pad the CV nicely, loads of support from the careers department infact on graduation day they had loads of notices re: help finding work, including a desk to discuss work opportunities, etc I was quite impressed. Last but not least it's a lovely campus. Relative walked straight into a job with one of the largest media outlets, so good luck to your DD.

@DontCallMeBaby Wow! She will fly for sure. Manchester - idiots.

@Piggywaspushed my DD has started telling people that she is doing 'an arts degree ' as she can't face explaining liberal arts again! 😆

@Piggywaspushed Phew re DS's uni mark!

Hoping now dust settling, DS will start making a a list and sorting it all. He tends to be last minute..where as I am early planner!

Just spent half an hour on phone with my student who is still in a pickle. Managed to find a place through clearing while awaiting the result of a Review of Marking, which I hope arrives quickly.

In much cheerier news, did some shopping with my DD. My hint for one-stop shopping: Wilko! Google informs us that there is a branch 10 minutes walk from her accommodation, so we mainly bought things to survive first couple of days, and she can kit her room out when she's there and seen it.

Happy to be added to the list if you want as this is such a nice group! My DD will be going to ARU to study illustration on a sandwich course.

Haha that's so true. I still can't explain what liberal arts is

@OublietteBravo . She’s at Streatham, although no idea about anything else yet.
Deep sighs of recognition to shortening course titles. Flexible Combined Honours can be almost anything. Ours tells people History.

It's the original university degree! All you could study as an undergrad for about 500 years, although the selection of modules was a bit different. 😀

Dd also has a friend (girl) who missed her 3 x A offer to do computer science at Manchester! She got 3 x A and an A and is off to Southampton instead.

@Zebracat ’s girl reminds me of one of DD’s friends who’s been in care since about year 8 I think. She was 18 in the autumn and had to move into a shared flat. She found the adjustment quite hard - cooking, shopping,managing money etc, as well as dealing with ongoing mental health issues, and she thought she’d bombed her exams. She got 4 x A!

@OublietteBravo well done to your dd! @DontCallMeBaby what a shame that all achievements aren’t recognised 😢 but well done to your dd on improving so much since mocks.

Glad your ds1 has passed @Piggywaspushed . My dh and one of my brothers were a bit like this up to uni (and beyond!). Dh didn’t finish his dissertation in time so inserted an essay he’d already done in the middle, and had it capped at a pass because the essay had been assessed already 😩 He also failed to submit his PGCE work in time and had to wait til Dec to qualify. He’s got better at organising himself since then….

@PhotoDad Sorry to hear the pickle is ongoing - and you also have your DD to think about. I did not go on the academic call back Clearing rota this year with DS's results day...would have been hard! Illustration: wow - she must be very talented! And she can enjoy the riverside! Thanks for tip re Wilko!

@singingstones can you add my boy to the list please? RNCM BMus music performance. Thank you.

UCAS has confirmed DD at NTU. Just waiting’s for accommodation link. Worried as have heard it’s tricky but one step at a time. DD still struggles with NTU rep and can’t see herself there. She likes to go out, nightclubs , enjoys a drink but not party mad. She is friendly and sociable but not outgoing. She seems to have heard NTU is drug/std/ chav central . Can anyone reassure me that you don’t have to be a party animal to go there, please!!!

I'm afraid my built up Mattress Topper Review is now as deflated as a thin standard University mattress.
In order to return to Dunelm, opening is forbidden.

I bought
1)Costco topper - £74.98
2)Costco protector - £16.99
3)Dunelm Supersoft Heavy Fill -£25
4)Dunelm Rebound -£35
5)Dunelm Cooler Memory Foam -£60

The Costco quality is superb as ever.
The 3 Dunelm ones, depending on your budget look perfectly fine.
The Dunelm cooler one £60 (pp mentioned rooms being very hot) looks good. Is very lightweight compared to the Costco one which is very heavy.

Sorry that review is so basic.

I’m doing non personal shopping for him today- storage bags, measuring jug etc. Anything with an element of choice we’ll get together but I work all week and he works weekends.

Wilko had nearly everything on her list!

Many art schools give unconditional offers if they really like your portfolio, and luckily my DD got a couple (!!) so the exam stress was off. She had a really tough year at school but she soldiered on, took her A levels anyway, and did better than we had expected. She is delighted that art/design courses have no timed exams, everything is coursework, so that's it for essay-writing with a ticking clock.

She is quite shy but has already made some friends through the uni's freshers/offer-holders facebook page so knows four people on art/design courses in her accommodation already. Highly recommended, if other unis do similar.

@singingstones please would you be able to add my dd? Interior design at University of South Wales.

We’ve made good progress on Admin List, Supermarket List & Dunelm/ Ikea List

DP is making DS a handwritten book of his favourite recipes… I’m already emotional!!

DS’s best requests yet are for a egg brush in case in wants to bake & wine recommendations with each recipe in his book 😳

NTU is known as a party uni but not heard anything about drugs especially. Loads of kids from my school go there of all types.

Dunelm Mattress Toppers - previous picture wasn't clear.
£25
£35
£60

@PhotoDad grand stuff! DS had loads of missed time at school and was over the moon he held it together in the exams.Essay writing with a ticking clock is totally rubbish indeed!

Thanks @Piggywaspushed and congratulations to DS1. What a relief!

@Piggywaspushed Great news about DS1!

@Northumberlandlass DH did a handwritten recipe book for DD’s brother and is starting hers today. He is also doing 3 student cooking sessions for DD and 2 friends - The All Purpose Bolognaise, What To Roast In A Pan With Chicken Thighs and Stir Frying Leftovers.

Any hockey players out there? DD has just received invite for a pre-season week before freshers week! Not sure if that’s going to make life too complicated…

Thanks for all the update info, I will repost the list mid thread (probably in about half an hour the rate we're going 😂)

Welcome everyone, lovely to have so many to share the next few weeks with - I am another slightly manic organiser and my family find it a bit annoying I think 😬 But I can fuss on here to my heart's content.

Fingers crossed that all accommodation gets sorted quickly and that they are all happy with it 🤞

Mondays interior design sounds great - which campus will your DD be studying at? I did a postgrad at Treforest when it was called the University of Glamorgan - only picked it because it was the cheapest law conversion course in the country in those days, but lived in Cardiff, had a great time and never left.