ds1 decided to go on a road trip across Europe and missing results day!

[eatyourveg]

4 of them have been planning it for months - as soon as the exams finished they were off in an old mini following the route of some Audrey Hepburn movie ending up in Switzerland. It now transpires they are leaving the sunday before results and will be gone for 3 weeks

So cross I can't even talk to him about it. I just threw the letter from school at him which has in bold "Students are strongly advised to be available in person to handle whatever situation may arise"

We are away on holiday until the Tuesday so I won't be here to stop him going - not that I can actually do anything although last night I had visions of going on holiday with his passport

His uni need conformation that he is accepting the place asap as it is only then that they start allocating the accommodation, its first come first serve and if he does nothing he'll end up with his 11th choice of accommodation which is a bunk room in a welsh medium hall and he can't speak welsh!

The other 3 on the trip aren't going to uni - they have jobs/apprentiships lined up so have no issue about being there to collect what ds says is "just a piece of paper". One is already working and can only take leave at a specified time which seems to be why they have picked to go then.

Don't feel able to make a decision should he miss a grade and be offered an alternative course. Why the hell is he being so irresponsible! So here is the dilemma

Option A -let him go he's 18 and if he forfeits his place at uni it is a lesson learned and he can apply again next year

Option B - let him go I collect his results and hope he gets the grades and make sure he gives me access to his emails so I can reply to any offer

Option C Don't let him go (consider again the idea of confiscating the passport) but get him a flight or a train ticket so he can catch them up on the Thursday eve or Friday

Don't know the film thisnameisalreadyinuse sorry but I know they end up in Switzerland and a big part of the whole thing is also to pay homage to her grave at some place on the shores of Lake Geneva. There was a suggestion of coming home via Rome too! They seem to all be besotted with Audrey Hepburn.

I did buy the sunday times book "the good university guide" which gives you info about the unis so you can use that as well to get some info on courses . There can be some good courses on extra, but it is best to put in the leg work before clearing so you know which ones are good . Good luck with the results.

makes me wish I was young again

Option B.

This is probably going to be the only time in his life when he has this free time/opportunity to do something like this. After uni he may well be concentrating on getting a job to help pay off debts so not have the chance again. It sounds great!

He'll probably get his first choice or insurance place anyway.

I haven't searched for a follow-on thread so please excuse my laziness if there is one. How did your ds get on eatyourveg? I hope everything worked out okay in the end.

anti modern materialism, hand writes his essays which he says is good practice for exams and uses an old remington typewriter for other stuff
he sounds great, let him go and leave him to it, it's his future...

The update on this is that he got into his first choice uni but at 2AM the night before the results came out decided he wanted to take a gap year! The uni were fine and sent him an email to say congratulations see you next year

The road trip got cancelled as the driver got a job with Coutts and they wanted him to start more or less straightaway. ds went off to New York to pay homage to his favourite American writers Kerouac and Ginsberg staying away from the tourist trail (save ground zero) to sit in bars where they wrote and go to places that inspired them. Loved it almost too much and it seems to be why he decided on a year out. He's hoping to work til the spring and then off to New York to volunteer with the Poetry Project followed by a stint in Paris at Shakespeare & Co.

If anyone works in the literary field - publishing co or literary agent and wants an intern or just someone for some work experience please shout, he's sent off hundreds of CVs and no-one seems to reply as they are all just speculative enquiries. If nothing turns up by next month he's going to enrol on a journalism course

Slight off-topic but your DS sounds lovely. Not many 18yos are fans of Hepburn movies and prefer to type their essays on Remington typewriters.

Thanks

Which uni is your ds going to and is he studying English? my dd is mad on kerouac and is planning to study English at Manchester with study in US, due to her love of American literature and particularyly Kourac.