Heading towards 4th year or post grad/jobs

[Xenia]

Continuation of the previous thread for those of us with children who are just finishing their 3rd year at university (so either "graduating" in 2020 or going into year 4 in Autumn 2020)..........

My twins' degree results will be out in late July. Good luck to everyone else waiting for finals results.

Thank you @Haffdonga It’s a fiasco of epic proportions.

DS was downgraded from A.*AB to BBB which he was gutted about. ( what a society we have as well where Bs are seen as failures!)

He got into his 1st choice at Loughborough so we are focusing on that and I got cake etc to cheer him up as he was so dismayed.

He’s at a big very well respected 6th college and all his friends were downgraded, he doesn’t know anyone who got A* which for a college that size is a disgrace. Luckily majority held onto uni places.

2 colleagues at work have been downgraded as well, 1 from aab to BBD and has lost both uni places.

The downgrading doesn’t work at an individual level - it’s dropping grades for all 3 subjects - students might drop in 1 subject but there is a strong possibility they will achieve in other areas and that is not being taken into account.

Sorry your DS feels down @Eve. The important thing is that he got his place.
It seems to have been quite shambolic. ☹️ It's a stressful enough time anyway, without all the additional downgrading worries.

@Eve, so sorry for your DS and all others who have been unfairly downgraded.

They should have trusted teachers judgements. End of.

The sister of one of DD’s friends was forecast AAA and has been awarded ACC. It’s ridiculous. She needed the three A’s and is now trying to find out what to do. Her forecast grades were the same as her mocks.

I never wanted exams cancelled. I knew it would lead to a mess lie this. Those who can take gap y ears and take the actual exams this Autumn should where they can. The fact over all more people got higher grades than usual does not make it fair on those who were given bizarre marks.

One my twins has got his degree certificate by post from Bristol. We think different faculties are sending them at different times as others including his twin don't have theirs yet.

I did get my new passport within 11 days of applying for it - it came today. it has a lot of novel features never mind the colour and at least 3 pictures one colour in different places. Must be very hard to counterfeit it. I didn't need it back urgently - it was just the 10 year renewal but it came quicker than ever in my life.

One twin is having a good time in Cyprus and my daughter and family are back from France in the nick of time. I will see them for the first time since Christmas including my grandchildren tomorrow and their new house for the first time ever so I am looking forward to that.

Have a lovely time with the grandchildren @Xenia

And @Eve big congratulations to your ds for getting his first choice despite the downgrades. In the end that's what matters. He is a

Thank you all,

He’s happier today, halls have been confirmed, his registration details have arrived and he got a gold envelope and card from Loughborough today welcoming him To the Loughborough family and congratulations on getting to where he has. ( I confess that made me quite emotional!).

Phew - DD has got her visa - she can start work!! Now for the fun of watching her pack.

My DD has decided to bring forward her return to uni now that she cannot book a driving test here. I'll be sad to see her go.

I am certainly glad my children were not doing A levels this year.
The grandchildren were lovely as was my daughter's new house (and my daughter of course).

Meanwhile at "Hotel Xenia" one twin and girl friend left and 3 hours later the other twins was back from h is holiday abroad (said itw as the best hotel he had ever been in actually and there were no other British people there which probably helped as the British en masse on holiday are not always that great to be with if you wanta foreign experience). In fact he was ups at 7 today (unheard of) as they have been getting up at 9 which is that time here to get their big breakfast to last them until dinner. Poor thing though his clutch went on the drive back from the air port. he almost made it right home but I was able to collect him and we have the local garage hopefully collecting the car for repair today which I just fixed up so all should be well. His next guests (3 of them) are coming tomorrow. I am not hoovering, cleaning, changing any beds. They can stay but I am not going to be an airbnb type hostess who does it all for nothing when I am also working full time and dealing with cars and paying for car repairs.

Can I gate crash for a moment please to ask a question.
Do is going into 3rd year. On her course everyone is initially put on to the bachelors degree and then those who get a first in the final year can switch onto the integrated masters. So that means she has funding for three years currently.
When does she apply for the fourth year of funding if she stays on? They get less loan in the third year dont they? Do they get topped up if they are staying on?
Thanks :)

@Xenia it sounds as though you are running a de facto B&B! My DS seems to come home for an hour at a time, eat, shower, change, then go out again.

OhYou, I will leave someone else to answer that (as I don't know).
simbobs, yes although they and all their friends are lovely so I might moan but it is nice to have a busy house sometimes and only one son is here today so that's unusual and peaceful.

By the way my twins both have their degree certs by post from Bristol (the second and last one came today).

@OhYouBadBadKitten, I don’t know I’m your DDs case, but my DD has just finished her BSc and is starting an MSc at the same uni - she only gets a loan for the fees, but is getting some extra for staying at the same uni. AFAIK

@Xenia, yes DD got hers and the transcript too!

OhYou that might be one for a call to the student finance company. I'm not sure what happens in those circumstances. My DS is on an integrated Masters but still had to get a 2:1 or 1st at end of 3rd year to continue. He had to apply for 4th year funding in the Spring of third year and assume he would do well enough to get onto 4th year. I suppose if he hadn't have done so and not be taking up his 4th year the university would not be able to claim his fees as he won't have signed on.

Kitten - DS1 did an integrated masters but it worked the opposite way round from your dd's in that he applied for the loan each year as if he was doing the 4 year masters. If he didn't get the grades he would then have dropped to the 3 year BSc. That's totally unhelpful for you I realise!

Your dd definitely shouldn't apply for the masters loan separately because that's a whole different loan on top of the student loan. The big advantage of the integrated masters is the loan is all one and so they don't pay back any more each month when they start work.
Hope you get an answer

Thank you all! It is a bit of an odd way to do it. I'll get her to call SF I think. Or to talk to someone in the year above her. A seperate masters as you say is funded very differently.

I don't know either, OYBBK, DDs is integrated masters as standard. Maybe @Malbecfan might know, her DDs course might work the same way as your DDs does.

With the integrated masters you get the money from student finance as if it's an undergraduate degree as it's part of one, my Dd did this before she changed her plans and finished at BSc because Bristol didn't offer what she needed, she's got to do a three year Masters in the psychology field that she wants to specialise in.

elldra, try posting on a primary school education section on mumsnet as on this one most of us have student children are beyond the baby stage.

I certainly remember with my twins (our 4th/5th children) they got frustrated when not yet able to talk so I invented about 4 or 5 simple signs they found very useful to use until speech came on. It was not the formal sign language those who are hard of hearing use of course - just a few little signs that meant they could explain a bit more than just doing a generic cry.

Meanwhile back at the "Xenia Airbnb" all is quiet and the next guests - 3 possibly 4 are starting to come around lunch time although I think they are going out to a pub later rather than being in the house so I think we okay (and we have to remember those in my son's party have had their covid 19 negative test very recently for the holiday although my jokes that having their friends means I might be killed off do not seem to deter the guests or my sons.......) They will soon all be back hard at work either in jobs or studying anyway. My son had to do some forms for his law conversion course yesterday and i think he starts on 6 September. The course in Bristol (rather than London where his twin is doing it) is on 2 days a week. I think in London you can choose 2 long days or 4 half days of sessions; although it is all starting on line anyway.

Thanks for thinking of me Errol. OYBBK, like Haffdonga's DC, my DD applied at the start as if she was going for the full 4 years, which I appreciate isn't much help to you now. I think she was advised to do this by her school as it is apparently easier than the other way round.

Sorry to be neither more help, nor have better news.

Thanks! I think I might take a look at things, for a pretty competent adult she does have little blind spots of panic. I think it's because it's the same course code for the BSc and MMath.

When we find the answer I'll post it here for others.

It turns out she had signed up for four years. doh.