End of Year 13: Results, Summer and plans for September and onwards

[Rollergirl11]

Noticed the current thread is almost full so thought I better start a new one for discussing results day and our DC’s plans for uni/gap years or anything else!

Which hall did you DS get @QueenMabby? My DS got Cartmel. You are right though, it all feels so real now...😬

Lonsdale. It's a Sunday move in so I may need to take the Monday off to recover...

I'm just checking in for tips for the future because my DC deferred and is gapping this year.

Hi @MyOtherProfile 👋

Well this is a first for me - two going off within a week of each other. It feels like an IKEA version of The Birds here - each time you turn around there are more of the blue bags everywhere. And we don’t even have DSs stuff down from the loft yet!

I’ve been OK about the empty nest up until IKEA yesterday - walking through the children’s section seeing things like the egg chair and realising I no longer have any children. Well of course I do - but they are both adults now. No more egg chairs for us 😫 (of course that’s been the case for years, but still).

Hemming and hawing about whether to drop DD and run for the hills so she can make friends or stick around and cramp her style and take her out for supper. May have to play it by ear, see what she wants at the time. I’m sure it’ll depend on what others are doing.

I am currently in IKEA queuing to pay with DD and DH. DD got overwhelmed and very snappy, loudly telling DH about me: “she knew I wouldn’t like her suggesting that, it’s like she wants me to be in my own personal hell”.

I replied “yes darling, that is my aim in life”.

Sigh

@Ladycustard @QueenMabby amazing news your DC got the accommodation they wanted. DD1 was in Grizedale townhouse 2020, and she loved her first year there. Move in day I remember they gave us a time slot. It was covid restrictions, but we still stayed a little bit longer of course lol. We shopped at Sainsburys for a food shop, and ate at Sultans afterwards.

@MyOtherProfile DD2 is about to start uni after taking a gap year. She was so glad to have done it now as she did have reservations at the start. Shes had a couple of jobs and the second one they are letting her stay since its part time and her uni will be local. She has gained more confidence in herself and shes enjoyed having a break.
@SooperOuting It is hard juggling the two moving in days so close together. Ive done it the once; last September, moving DD1 out of one accommodation and into another; and following week DD2 went to uni (then week later she got homesick and wanted to come home). Definitely play it by ear. DD1 wanted us out for move in day but when the day came she wanted us to do her shopping and stick around for lunch. The food shop is a good idea. Its in your budget, not theirs so they like that, and you get to stay a little longer so its a win/win lol.
@WriterOfWrongs aww the snappy snaps from the DD. I think we can all relate to that🤗. Its like that one last burst of teenage-ness before they go off to adulthood. Its just the transition and the not knowing, as all they have to go off is what uni life is like on the internet, and previous student talks on an open day, so naturally they will be worried how its going to go. But, they do figure it out, and all will be well :)

DC's comment when we moved them in last week 'Now I can choose my own squirty soap". Glad I now know what the GCSEs and A levels were for!

🤣🤣🤣 For my daughter it was the sudden realisation that will be able to make herself bacon sandwiches. DH is Jewish and we don't have pork products at home, so the novelty value is high!

Who has first start for a first year?

Our second year has gone off on holiday and will go straight back to uni so we've moved her already, and our newly graduated has been moved out of her place to sofa surf for 3 weeks till her new place is ready (might go move her in the weekend before dd3 leaves!).

DD3 moves week beginning 23rd Sep so we now finally have some headspace/time to get her organised after a week of serious sporting for her and us, punctuated by a 500 mile dash to fetch dd2's mis-moved passport hours before she left (even though the question was asked in a timely fashion about where it was). DD3 has now turned 18 so we can sort out her student bank account etc.

DD has freshers' week starting 9th September so taking her down on 8th September.

(then another trip down to Bristol on 14th September when her actual accommodation is ready....with actual classes starting 16th September).

Gosh that's early @MirandaWest. DS's move in date is not until 29th sept with classes not starting until w/c 7th October.

Bristol are a week earlier this year so they can have exams before Christmas and don’t have to revise over the Christmas holidays but yes it does feel early!

Plus this means I will be travelling to Bristol and back on my birthday!

@sammyjoanne DD is catered so there isn’t much food to buy. Perhaps some milk and teabags. But we will hang around and see if she wants to go out for supper - depending on what time we are at of course. Hope she’s not too wibbly. 😬

DS (Y3) could have gone back but he’s had an operation so is immobile and hopefully will be ok by 13/14 Sep for us to get him back with all his stuff. Third floor flat with mates 🙄😬 who have kindly said they’d help lug his stuff up the stairs. No lift.

DD will be going 20/21 Sep. Most of their friends are 14-15 or 21-22 Sep.

I am just mostly relieved they aren’t the same weekend tbh as that actually wouldn’t be doable - we need a whole weekend to do Scotland plus we wouldn’t fit them and all their stuff in the car on one trip!

DD is moving in on Saturday with freshers starting on the 9th and classes on the 16th. Scotland so early!

We've got a busy couple of weekends coming up. We're taking DS1 back this coming weekend - he's going into his third year and is in the East Midlands- then we have DS2 to drop off in Scotland the week after. It is going to be very quiet at home after that. I had hoped DS1 might stay at home a bit longer as teaching doesn't actually start for him until Sept 30th but he wants to get a head start on his final year projects Fortunately DS1 is staying I the same house as last year so he didn't bring all his stuff home but packing the car for DS2 is going to be a challenge - his sport kit alone fills half the car!

DS is going to drive himself back for 2nd year. He’s being vague about when he’ll go back but some point after the 11th and before the 23rd…

Ooh Bristol was 8th October back in 1986....

When I started at York in 1994 it was around 8th October but they are weekend of 14/15 September now. Not sure when it got earlier.

I think most Universities seem to have 2 long semesters rather than 3 shorter terms now. Both my DS's only get 2 weeks off at Christmas and less at Easter whereas I am pretty sure that when I was at University in the mid 80s we got about a month's holiday at both. And we definitely didn't start until October. However, the Summer term didn't finish until July, whereas nowadays it seems common for lectures to finish bu the end of May. So there are probably the same number of weeks but the distribution is different. I'm not sure why - I wonder if it's more cost effective in some way?

@MrsAvocet - I think that's right. Lancaster still has three terms though. DS doesn't finish til the end of June but has 3 weeks at Christmas and I think a month at Easter. That suits us as obviously we still have dd at school. They break up on the same day still for the Christmas holidays!

@MrsAvocet I think it is to do with the way they teach modules. Rather than running courses across a three term year there seems to be a move to teaching them more intensively over a single semester. Edinburgh is on the semester system and DD will complete her first 3 modules with exams before Christmas, then start 3 new modules in January.

DC went last week to start their Foundation year. Feels very quiet here ...

14th here, semesters so go through til xmas and assessment afterwards. Finally getting some kitchen stuff together! Ds is so ready to go.

We did our last bit of shopping yesterday and I'm already to deliver DS1 on 7th and DS2 on 15th. I felt a bit sad seeing all the "back to school" photos on social media this morning as it's the first time in 22 years that I don't have a school child. Obviously it has to happen at some point and I'm glad my DC are all making their way in the world, but I still feel a bit melancholy...and old. Not to mention poor. With both DSs at University on minimum loan and my DD getting married, 2025 is looking like an expensive year!