2nd year uni (starting 2018)

[HSMMaCM]

The old thread seems to have filled up!

At least he's applying. I have told mine to get on with it but do not think much has been done. (I made 139 applications over a long period at university and found it very disheartening at the time - it's not easy for some kinds of jobs). Good luck to Eve's son.

He's probably ahead of the curve on applying, so he should treat this as experience. DD was a bit discouraged by some rejections last year, including some who didn't bother responding- that seems like a good way to put young people off a company as an employer.

She realised belatedly that leaving applications till the Xmas vac meant that early birds had snapped up some of the juicier worms. But she ended up with a good placement (albeit longer than we'd have liked!). I'm not sure if she's started applying again yet for next summer - but she's got a couple of possible fallbacks from contacts made last year.

I guess some subjects it matters more than others - it's a requirement of her course to do a certain number of weeks placement before they can start year 3.

Some of the deadlines for next summer of 15 Dec. I have had a request for first bit of university sky holiday money... at least he has his priorities right... not.

Had to tell DD that one of her GCSE anti stress Guinea pigs died last night. She cried 😢.

She's still managed to go out tonight though 🤣.

Awww, poor piggy:( we have two anti-stress piggies.

Ah reminds me of a family holiday in winter when I put the heating off to save money and the hamster died - I suppose I must have killed it by accident with the cold house. Luckily that pet was when they were a bit older so although the stiff body was a bit of a shock, no one was too upset and thankfully we are pet free now.

Hamsters seem to die at the drop of a hat.
I have been known to put the heating on to keep the pig duo warm

Our dog is 12; our last one which was the same breed died at just under 11 so probably the most we can hope is that he shuffles off peacefully well away from exam season. Though he seems perfectly well apart from deafness (I think real not feigned) so maybe he'll last 3 more years till she's graduated.

The last one expired unexpectedly, shortly before DD was due to present a talk she'd put a lot of work into for elocution ... subject 'My Dog'. Fortunately we found dog 2 quickly so she was able to do her talk and manage the following Q&A, which inevitably started with a classmate asking 'isn't he dead?' without bursting into tears.

My daughter's horse died just before AS exams, a few days before) and she was more upset than if a parent died. No one would believe that of course who reads it here but it was true. Anyway she did okay so it didn't matter but I will always remember how upset she was.

I'd believe it - I think DH and I were more viscerally upset when our dog died than any of our parents (though they all lived to ripe old ages and went either at the stage they'd want to or, less fortunately, later). The animal is your dependent, and they're such a physical presence.

I think people underestimate how big a part our pets play in our lives.
I remember when DS1 who was besotted with our elderly cat was approaching his 11+, I was praying the cat didn't die!!
Anyway she kept going and it got to GCSEs and I was praying again... She did die that year but in the Sept as he started 6th form.

Posted too soon!

He was devastated so I can appreciate how your daughter felt Xenia; I've felt the same when I've lost pets.

Absolutely - am dreading the day our elderly and much loved cat shuffles off. We had a bad moment during the summer when he went awol overnight - I was sure he had gone off to die somewhere. I was hugging a sobbing dd when we heard the catflap go and there he was stuffing his face - tears of joy !

We were devastated when my DD's horses died, it was truly an awful time. When our previous two stress relief piggies died I stayed up all night with them and they lay on my chest being stroked until they died. They knew, I'm sure - I had to put one down briefly so I could sneeze and he was lifting his head a little trying to find me.

Sorry for the pet losses.

We're also facing the realisation that our very very much loved stinky and disobedient old dog is not going to be around for much longer (she's 13 with kidney disease). Yes, she's a pet but she is also a kind of family glue. She grew up with our young dcs as her playmates. Through the teen years at times when everyone else was being horrible to each other the dog was the one constant who everyone could show (and receive) love. When the dcs left home, the dog was what they missed (and still do).

For the dcs she represents 'home'. For me, she represents our dcs' childhood and family life. There can be no replacement.

Sorry to read about the loss of pets. We are pet free here as we have experienced so many difficulties and losses of family since the DC were born that I couldn't face adding another potential loss in to the mix. I'll think about a dog once I reach retirement, which feels like it's getting ever closer!
Just at quick update on DS. He has found another house and moved in. He's so much happier although not yet the cheery lad I know he should be. They're a house of like-minded lads and all work hard but have fun too. I'm so relieved but very much emptier of pocket. We'll end up having to pay double rent his year so that's a blow but I'm so grateful we could afford to do it for him. He knows how lucky he is too. As he's settled we probably won't see him until Christmas now but if he's happy I don't mind that.

Phizzog its excellent he's found somewhere else. Hopefully someone will take his old room and save you some money.

Phizzdog. I've just been reading through your posts. A similar thing has happened to dd, we are off to move her into halls tonight. The final straw was when she came out if the shower early this morning in a towel, to find flat mates boyfriend outside her room ( who now seems to have moved in)

We will still need to pay the rent until they find someone, if they do.

Hope it goes well Dingit. DH went and moved DS last weekend, a 400+ mile round trip! The issue was non-stop
noise, partying, mess and other anti-social behaviour. He wasn't keen on going back in to Halls so thankfully he found an alternative house and seems happy despite not being with people he knows really well. I hope the move goes well and your DD is happy. They're under enough pressure from work so they need to be comfortable when they get 'home' and sleep and relax.

Thank you phizzdog. Like your ds, the noise was a real issue, dd is doing engineering which has loads of contact hours and labs.
She has a great room on campus and really central which is great as she has mobility and health issues. We are trying to forget the extra £3k its cost us.

Sorry, phizzog

Don't worry Dingit, Phizzdog has a nice ring to it
DS doing a STEM subject too with lots of contact hours, labs, early starts and late finishes and a heavy workload out of lectures. Wishing them both plain sailIng from now on.

Glad they've found more suitable accommodation, phizzog and dingit but a shame it's so expensive.

Meanwhile, we've been having new carpet fitted in DDs bedroom and one of the others, which necessitated clearing everything out. She'd done a good tidy up when she was home in preparation but... her heap of soft toys (mostly underneath, on and around a chair) was intact. I did a rough headcount as I replaced them - over 150, of which a third are dogs. Some are tiny but there's quite a few big ones. She's agreed to have a cull of those with less sentimental value when she's home.

Sorry to hear about DC having to move houses - I guess that's partly a result of the push on finding accommodation at Christmastime in the first year. How do you know if you really want to live with people after the fist term?
I also think that it might be better to try to put quieter students with other quieter ones in halls initially, and to broker swaps so that more students can be happier with similarly- minded others.

Hopefully the moves will all work out. I think the second and third year can be quite different and more study-focused than the first, and may involve more relationships - hence extras staying over, etc.