2nd year uni (starting 2018)

[HSMMaCM]

The old thread seems to have filled up!

It's a funny thing about driving, isn't it? I learnt to drive as soon as I could because I wanted to be independent. Ds1 was 24 when he passed his test, having put off learning for as long as possible. We live in an area with decent public transport so there was no real incentive for him. It's the same with Ds2 but his brother now keeps encouraging him to learn as he now realises that he should have got on with it sooner.

Hope things settle down for your son, Eve. Ds2 was put off from applying to York Uni because the course involved a lot of collaborative work.

A taxi and takeaway sounds like good compensation for your DD, Brizzle . 😊

Cross post, Brizzle, so train, then local taxi & takeaway will probably suffice.

Ah in 16 years of having children over 18 I have never once collected them from an airport. It sounds like the brizzle daughter won't mind so that' all okay.

I am hoping my twins' driving licences are not their most useful qualification........ At least they drive themselves now to university which saves me a bit of driving time.

Scottishmum, DS struggled (economics again).

Applications were hugely time consuming and he got nowhere with the banks. He started looking for placements for the end of year one and took a Masters, so we had three years of it.

1. Look further afield. Major banks will have back room operations elsewhere: Bournemouth, Halifax etc.

1. Think about parallel employers: Government (almost everyone employs economists and internships in some out-of-London departments are less popular than others), FCA, research bodies, treasury departments in Councils or large firms/charities. Local accountancy firms. etc. His University careers department might be able to help.

1. Sign up with a London temp agency in the City for the summer. (Get someone to put a card up on various London University websites, as students there have to sign up for 12 months so may be delighted to sub-let when they are away.) Though work may not be that relevent, with an economics background you could be placed somewhere relevent, you get through the doors. Big banks outsource a lot, so have an army of near permanent temp staff. For example one friend does communications work in this way, editing powerpoints to ensure they are readable and fit house style, which would be an interesting introduction to bank business. Or perhaps work for a city conference organiser.

1. DS found that there was quite a lot of research assistantship work available at his University, and picked up some after his second and a full summer after his third year. One academic, who was runnning a private summer school in Oxford, allowed him a free place "scholarship" during his first summer. He picked up a bit of experience by responding to adverts on the University noticeboard and being guinea pig for firms formulating recruitment programmes (which he then failed to get through.) He got an internship in an obscure Government department for his second summer. He also volunteered for a SU organised teaching programme "quants for quals" which had economists and mathematicians delivering a series of lectures on things like statistics for those studying other social sciences, so had to prepare, and then actually teach. Plus he got involved in department stuff as student rep, and in his subject society. He found academic staff were good at providing help, ideas, and contacts.

In short enough to cover the fact that he was unable to land an internship, and the variety did no harm once he decided to carry on with academia.

Also use the University careers for help with applications and interviews. DS kept failing at the Skype interview and so we got him four sessions with a trainer, who got him to pratice talking to a blank wall, presentation stuff for assessment days and things like that.

It was tough. There were lots of disappointments. The big one was him failing to get an internship with a big international bank out of London, and then us hearing that someone DD knew had got on it...whilst still at school. The dad just happened to be...

DD went back yesterday and by the evening was ensconsed in Wetherspoons. I have now downloaded the app so next time I can send her a plate of onion rings.

All sorted re DD and us being away; she's staying with her DP and the cats are booked into a friendly farm based cattery that they are used to so she can come and go as she pleases. Bless her, she's offered to pay for the cats to stay there but I've said no to that.

DD safely back with her cello and I was home before it got dark, even if it was nearly 8 hours of driving. I helped her unpack her locked cupboard where she stashed things she didn't need over Christmas. She went out with some friends to do a big supermarket shop on foot. Snow is forecast in Cambridge for the end of the week...!

Regarding driving lessons, because we live in a rural area with no public transport or pavements, both DDs learned at 17. Indulgent grandfather bought them a car, so they are more independent. However, DD1 is not allowed to drive a car within something like 5 miles of her college during term time without the express permission of someone very important, so the car stays here (DD2 is delighted as she has now passed her test). This time last year DD1 was very worried about whether or not she would remember how to drive, so stuck the P plates back on for the first journey. However, she was fine and it doesn't seem to have been an issue since then.

Bother, I forgot something. DD has sorted out an internship at the local university. She was interviewed on Wednesday and will be working there for 6-8 weeks over the summer.

Lots of these types of experiences seem to rely on parental or other connections. Both DDs' school work experience did, as did DD1's job last summer. For the school ones, we asked friends/other parents for ideas. For the summer job, DH was approached by someone who plays in the same amateur orchestra as him, who knew DD1 a bit too as their intern had let them down at the last minute. Definitely ask the uni for help too.

DD was very fortunate with getting an internship last year - she'd got an IET scholarship and it turned out to give a preferential route to a placement with its sponsors. That company isn't sponsoring anyone this year.

That takes the pressure off this year, as she's done enough already for her course requirement and as it's a 4 year course there's the summer after too. She's waiting to hear from a couple of firms but also is set to have a Skype call with an academic at a local-ish uni whose research is in an area she thinks she may be interested in. Not sure if it would pay anything but if she can live at home that would be ok. She's also planning to spend a week or two (probably more if a placement doesn't materialise) doing some sort of STEM schools outreach stuff - a bunch of physics and engineering students do a camping tour of the country. Hopefully she'll actually have some proper holiday this year!

Getting an internship is very competitive - DS has applied for about 40, hes done a lot of video interviews and aptitude tests.

Very annoying , there are 2 assessment centre invites he’s had 2 turn down for next week as right in the middle of exams!

You would think companies recruiting interns could avoid exam season!

Not all students have exams at this time of year...dd1 and Ds had their exams before Christmas
Dd2 applied for many internships before she finally secured one...in the June at end of 2nd year ! ( started first week of August) ....even then it doesn't always ensure your success in future job hunting...dd2 is now trying to secure a graduate scheme , which is proving elusive at the moment she may apply for a BUNAC scheme abroad if no luck

I know not all have exams now, but plenty do, so holding assessment centres and interview days in next 2 weeks is a bit unfair on those still doing exams.

Thank you for advice about internships, especially Needmoresleep . Will process and pass on.. x

I'm going to print off the advice from Needmoresleep and send it to DS2 as I think he would find it really useful. Thank you for taking the trouble to go into detail.

Getting onto internships or grad scheme at banks and the accounancy firms seems tough. Tougher than in my day when they seemed to be looking for you. There is a balance between enjoying being a student and enjoying student holidays, and building up some sort of cv. There is a lifetime of working ahead.

We were very pleased with the four coaching sessions. By the time we organised them, DS had got very frustrated by his lack of progress. It was basic communications stuff, but new to him. I dont know if university careers departments offer this.

In some ways it is easier for medics. However DD is interested in a very sought after intercalation. She does not apply for a year, so could spend the summer volunteering in the right area, to get an edge. But its her last student summer and the one before some non medic friends go off on placements, so she wants to travel. Luckily there is a very different option which she is also interested in and who were very encouraging when she met them at open day last week.

And in my earlier post I meant noticeboard not website. When DS did his internship outside London he was sharing a flat with overseas students. So they were paying a fortune on rent for an empty flat. We once had an intern stay with us for a term. Most of her colleagues used AirBnB or rent a room websites.

The company I work for does a lot of intern placements , I have 3 working in my team at the moment form a variety of degrees ( computer science, IT and zoology)

Have a look for consultancy or IT consultancy placements such as PWC, E&Y, DXC, Accenture, Atos etc.

Good websites are target jobs, indeed, gradcracker, glassdoor, linked in

Hello everyone, well the house is tidy, the fridge is full and the dog is sitting on my feet which can mean only one thing....DS has gone again . The holiday seemed to go so fast as he had three assignments due in the first week (bit mean giving deadlines after the end of term), then he went skiing and then he spent last week working on another assignment. Still, it is only 5 weeks until he is back for reading week and it will be his birthday so we are taking him away for a few days in Morocco.

On a positive note, he did eat all the Christmas cake, mince pies, chocolates etc so I am able to get on with trying to lose some weight.

I have mentioned internships but he isn't really sure what he wants to do so he is finding it difficult to motivate himself to write a CV and cover letter for jobs that he knows nothing about.

DD found it difficult to motivate herself to apply for internships even though she knows what she wants to do. Eventually, I sat down with her and talked her through updating her CV.

She wants to do something because she knows it's important for employability, but doesn't want it to take up the whole summer so she still has time for holidays and general lazing around. If it doesn't work out, she could always go back to the casual catering work she did last summer.

A lot of the internships she was interested in specify a student in their penultimate year of an engineering degree. She is doing a 4 year integrated masters, so will have to wait.

My dd said the same about internships for Physics. She is snowed under with work anyway. Still enjoying it.

My DD is getting fed up with me talking about relevant work experience.

She's a bit upset today, because she had a bad asthma attack this morning and she hasn't had much trouble with it recently. I think she thought it was getting better. These are the times I'd like to give her a big hug and I can't.

my dds asthma seems worse with stress too ( exams)

I did wonder if she's stressing too much about exams. I've just told her to work hard and do her best and that's all she can do.

Mine has had his first exam and another to come and says he is in the library 8am to 8pm (I am not sure 12 hours is very sensible but he seems to think it is working and got a very good mark on his essay yesterday). Other twins has no exam sat this time of year although always has a lot more work and lectures (BSc) than his twin (BA).

Sorry about the asthma and stress. I always think it might be good if a bit of stress could be passed over to my sometimes overly laid back children so we could even it out between people.

FF I agree with your daughter which is why I like law vacation schemes which are paid - just a week or sometimes 2 weeks and the you have your 3 months off to relax, go abroad or just do what you like at home.

A week or two sounds fine if the aim is just to 'shadow' someone to see the reality of their job, but I'd guess it's not long enough to really do any work themselves so it depends what sort of experience they're after.

DD had her mock - just one paper with a question on each of 6 fields, had a nice witter with her on Wednesday after that and before term started. (For some arcane reason Cambridge weeks start on Thursdays). She was looking forward to lectures and labs rather than revision!

That;'s true and it depends on the work (and lawyers are bit different as solicitors after post grad have 2 years training on the job as a trainee solicitor before they qualify so that is kind of a 2 year paid internship anyway)