First Year exams ( continued from prep for uni and starting uni 2015)

[voilets]

Dear all,

I have really enjoyed these threads. So if anyone else wants to keep up posts on DC travelling through trials and tribulations of uni life - do post here.

Have your DC been revising at all for instance? Do you now stand back?

You are right NiceCardigan, thanks. He has to find his own path.

Sorry to hear your news Horsemad. If your DS does have to repeat the year, then this is a good opportunity for him to think about whether the course/subject/university are right for him. Your DS is allowed a 'mistake' year in terms of funding. He could reapply for something different if he wanted to. He could even take a year out and get a job/travel etc to think about what is best. Hope you are ok . As you know I have been through similar with my DD and things often turn out okay.

Thank you hells. I hope this might actually kick start him into thinking hard about what he really wants from life. We shall see.

We're also waiting for first year results. Our DS doesn't always put the best effort in and I completely understand where you're coming from.

I have a friend who has gone through this and she made her son get a job and take responsibility for himself during the resit year. He has now passed and hopefully realises that it's not a three year holiday. They will resume supporting him in September when he starts second year. Things will work out, there is always a way.

Thanks Emptynestx2 (love the name btw!)

Yes, this is his journey, whichever direction he goes.
It is hard to watch someone with all that potential wasting their opportunities. That's what I struggle with.

Horsemad I feel for you, I really do, this is not the end of the line though. I was kicked out of university after my first year, and while I don't have a degree I have always worked in some interesting jobs and was self employed for 10 years. I have had a good life, a degree is not always needed. It might feel like that now but there are other ways to succeed.

for you

Horsemad So sorry to hear your news. Hope he figures out a good plan of action for next year.

Just catching up.
Hope your DD's OK Quietly and has a good bunch to share with next year.

Your DS's finances are very impressive, Nice.

Horsemad hope your DS gets the info/advice he needs and makes the right decision for next year. Must be so difficult.

DD been home just over a week now. had a good year on the whole, results better than expected in the end. Very proud of her for overcoming her hurdles after disappointing A level results. Slowly becoming more independent, caught up with home friends, back there next week to move stuff into house. Have a feeling she will be back and forth all summer, as working the open days.
Needs to get the hang of planning travel times for cheaper tickets if she's not going to run out of money. No other paid work planned.

Hi Horsemad
Is he actually interested in the subject? (I seem to recall it was a late change on results day)
Maybe he should consider another subject? If he wasn't interested enough to work the first time round, a repeat year might be worse.

Maybe he should go back but leave the gaming PC at home?

Hello everyone,

-Regarding accommodation, do tell uni he has AS - they'll understand and find him something I'm sure.

Dear horsemad - so frustrating for you. But from what you say, he is really sociable and out there in the world - that is a real positive for a young lad. He also wants to return - so he needs to know how much it costs and be given another chance. I think If he will reevaluate - he could really check it is the right course for him. So many boys, just drift along - my DS does and all we can do is nudge them in the right direction until they take responsibility.

As you all know, I've been a bag of nerves about my DS - exam results were fine. Phew! I honestly thought in December it was all too hard and he would fail! He says he wants a higher grade next year, he didn't work hard enough. For me, he did great. What I want is for him to be confIdent to grab more social opportunities. Down here at home, he is out all the time, earning no money, but having a good time. Last night, his 6th form friends back from uni sat up all night in my lounge watching EU results and they are trying to organise a holiday - so some hope for him. Just his shyness with new folk drives me mad as it holds him back.

But we can't have it all. so to all mums on here - they do their best and we do our best to bring the best out in them. Horsemad I bet he'll sort it out!

off to open day this weekend with DD!

Off to Liverpool Open Day with DS2 now. It never stops, does it?!

I shall be a shadow of my former self when this is all finished...

home again after picking DS up. it will just be takeaway and an early night for him as he looks like he needs some sleep!

Oh bugger Horse sorry to hear that. I agree that all you can do is detach and be ready to listen if he wants to talk about it

Dd got her results on Thursday and she got 66% which she tells me is a 2.1 but none of it counts towards her degree so she has to just keep doing what she's doing. But at least it seems that she knows what she's doing and can handle it. So tough if the course isn't right for you.

Thanks for all your thoughts both DH & I are away all weekend so I am thinking of my approach for when I return.

Seimum - yes, he applied for Comp Sci, didn't get the grades (lack of work in AS year) and was offered Chem which had been one of his fave subjects at one time so took it.

Leaving the gaming PC is on my list of suggestions. He won't like it, but he had his chance and blew it.

I'm still waiting for my DD to get her year results. She just can't settle until she knows. She feels she will have failed one, the uni won't tell her when she will get the result, nor which date the resit would be. It's all so frustrating.

My sympathies, Headofthehive

Still waiting for DS's results here as well - apparently they are due this week, but the results for DS's January exams were later than expected, so we could be waiting a while.
DS is quietly confident, though.

Just trying to persuade him into more active jobseeking at the moment

Why on Earth do they think it's acceptable to keep them waiting so long is beyond me. It's been weeks. For something that could alter her future so much I think the result should have been a bit quicker.

She starts her summer job next week, thus leaving very little time to revise.

No results here yet, either, and DD doesn't seem to know when to expect them.

She seemed very startled at my suggestion that she could get a summer job - working in the holidays seems to be quite a new idea to her. I think I have rocked her world.

No results here either and I think they will play a BIG part in her decision to continue with Uni although until we need to pay her rent then I'm guessing she can always change her mind. My DD has picked up a few shifts at work but is currently (12.35pm) still in bed asleep!! She needs to get up - the dishwasher needs emptying!!

Ds is waiting on results too. When I asked him how he'd find out he looked surprised and admitted he had no idea. It hadn't crossed his mind to log in to his uni account to actually check ...

Changing the subject, for those of you with students sharing houses next year, have they sorted how they'll be paying utility bills etc? DS is sharing with 8 others in a party house and despite taking on the rent from tomorrow, they have done nothing about signing up to utilities. Does anyone know about those split the bill companies?

Like www.splitthebills.co.uk

Halfdonga, I know I have handed over my card details to a company called Huddle but don't know much more. They were the company the letting agency suggested/insisted on.

Dd has already had her results (and passed) but she only had a couple of end of year papers. She has got a summer job but won't get her first pay till the end of July so hopefully she will save a little bit.

Sorry to hear about your ds Horsemad. When will he know for sure?

One of dd's housemates has put the utility bills in her name. Very brave of her and I'm just glad it's not dd taking it all on. She's got to seriously pick up shifts this summer when she gets back from China or won't have much spending money next year.

Thanks. Just had a chat with ds and he's reluctant even to suggest anything about paying bills to his housemates in case he's the one ending up sorting it all out. Apparently the girls do all that.

My DS's house share is rented via the agency run by his student union. The rent includes utility bills, so thankfully don't have this problem

My DD chose student style halls run through a private company so all bills include (at £235 a week I should hope so!) that's if and when she decides she is going back!