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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

2017 seems so long ago, now they're fledgling graduates.

997 replies

latedecember1963 · 06/03/2021 17:31

4 years since A Levels and the wait for August and confirmation of where our chicks were about to fly the nest to.
It's been 4 years that has sprung a few surprises along the way, not least this lovely series of threads.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
bigTillyMint · 29/06/2021 11:43

Thank you.

In much better news, DD has heard that she has an NDGP job starting in Oct!

Needmoresleep · 29/06/2021 11:48

Wow, that's impressive. Congratulations to her. And to her mum.

Xenia · 29/06/2021 12:00

Need I did my father's probate work (and it took 100 hours - I kept a check for my siblings but did not charge - they just let me have his second hand car for that work so we were all happy). One of my sons is doing probate work at the moment so every night we seem to talk about it. It seems to be a much slower world than commercial law where clients expect a response immediately. That is probably because even just sending a death cert to a bank means it is months before the bank replies with details of the money held.

I am sorry about everyone's deaths. We seem to have moved in my family from deaths of the 4 grandparents (never mind the great grandparent of my granddaughter last year) to a nicer time of marriages and babies. Other than one cousin, I am the oldest person on my side of the family so hopefully I have a few good years left.

Well done to the BigT child on the job for October.

Original poster
latedecember1963 · 29/06/2021 16:16

Congratulations to your DD, Tilly. I wasn't sure what it was so I looked it up and it sounds as though she's had to go through quite a gruelling process. Well done her! 🎉🥂

OP posts:
bigTillyMint · 29/06/2021 16:49

Thanks!

It was a gruelling process - similar to the Civil Service grad training prog route, where she got through to the final interviews. It’s horrendous what they have to get through for a first job.

Haffdonga · 29/06/2021 17:22

Well done to her BTM !

ErrolTheDragon · 29/06/2021 18:56

Well done her!

DD and her BF have (touch wood) found a house for next year. One up one down (they seem to purpose build them for rentals) tiny house, but their own front door and an off road parking space, and near the station. Not far from where they are now, as hoped, so she should be able to carry on her liaison with Bob the Dog. Grin

Malbecfan · 29/06/2021 20:42

Ooh Errol, it sounds like your DD and mine will be fairly close together next year.

Condolences Tilly but also congratulations for your DD.

bigTillyMint · 29/06/2021 21:26

Thank you!

She still has to do her diss for her MSc (job not dependent on that!) so hopefully this will give her a goal and some structure to push on with that!

Horsemad · 29/06/2021 22:36

Hello All!! @latedecember1963, thanks for asking after me - the thread dropped off my list of Threads I'm On but I'm back now! 😆

Just spent a while catching up on all the news 🙂 Wow, lots of congrats due; these students have done alright, haven't they?!
Such a shame damn Covid has spoiled graduation plans. 😟

DS is still plodding on with his Masters, which doesn't finish until either Aug/Sept.
He hasn't said much about job plans; I will have to ask him what his intentions are.
He's been up to his uni city for a few weekends, to catch up with friends still up there, which I'm glad about, as most of his old school friends are not round here any longer. 😟

He's had his first Covid jab, we have a hub about 15 miles away and they were doing walk ins last week, so he got done then.

@bigTillyMint, sorry to hear about your Mum. Flowers

bigTillyMint · 30/06/2021 06:34

Thanks @Horsemad.

Masters are long, aren’t they? Hard for them to have to keep going all through the summer. Although they are missing out on less this year!

Carriemac · 30/06/2021 09:25

Yes my DD is ploughing through her Diss, on her own in her student house , I'm a little worried about her - deadline in a month but it's very isolating with no one else around .

Horsemad · 30/06/2021 10:18

I'm proud of how DS has persevered; he's been stuck at home for the duration - in the back of beyond, in his (small) bedroom, no mates around and as he's a bit 'glass half empty', I must admit I do worry about him. In hindsight, I wish he'd stayed in his uni city, at least he'd have had some company his own age

He seems stoic, however and I'm amazed at how motivated he's remained.

I really hope he gets a good result because he has worked so hard. 🤞

bigTillyMint · 30/06/2021 10:45

@Carriemac, it is worrying when they are on their own studying - hope she calls you if she needs support. My DD has moved into a short term let and there are 3 other postgrads there I think (one on her course though she doesn’t really know her!) but not the same as living with her old housemates, one of whom has been like a brother for 4 years.

That’s tough too @Horsemad - I hope he does as well as he deserves. DD is trying to dig deep…Smile

Xenia · 30/06/2021 13:40

Gad the Horsemad son is doing okay. It has been very hard for them all to decide whether to be at home or at university this academic year. My one in Bristol from March 2020 decided to keep it like normal terms as much as possible so returned to Bristol once exams were done and dissertation in last summer until mid July , then back in September (even though is course this academic year has been 100%online) but home for the December and April online exams, then back after those and now there until mid July when the tenancy ends just to keep up the feeling of the 3 terms and being away (and he is year 4 and all his friends are there so it worked fine).

His next academic year will be living here at home with his twin and me again so I am hoping at least 2 days a week they will have full day in person law lectures but we shall see..... [Currently enjoying the peace of his twin out at work every day and he not back until mid July and the working for his 4 Aug resit so hopefully no friends of his staying until after that... not that they are not welcome but if he is revising etc it would be better to wait]

readsalotgirl63 · 01/07/2021 18:18

Condolences to @bigTillyMint - I too remember you from the elderly parents thread.
Good to hear of all the positive news. I am so relieved for dd that she has now finished as it was a tough year working from her flat. She went back to her student city as we are quite rural and dd would have been very isolated as few of her school friends are still here. I think that was the right decision but I know she found it quite lonely at times.
Her uni had a virtual graduation today where they had the current rector and some ex alumni giving speeches/congratulatory messages which recognised the achievement of getting tot he end in challenging and unusual circumstances.

Eve · 02/07/2021 08:35

DS1 arrived home yesterday - contents of his flat now in the hall - though as DS2 is going to get his flat keys today I’m hoping to send a lot of stuff back with him!

Results end of next week and then graduation end of July.

Uni has confirmed the ceremony/ they have set up a marquee in 1 of the car parks and using that for ceremony , guests & students all to have negative tests to attend.

Loughborough Uni have been excellent with their students this year compared to the stories from others. They are supporting isolating students who can’t move out of halls or houses, they are dealing with landlords trying to withhold deposits & the VC was going round campus yesterday on an ice cream cart giving students free ice cream.

Horsemad · 02/07/2021 09:54

@Eve, I like the sound of Loughborough Uni! 👍

readsalotgirl63 · 02/07/2021 13:30

Yes free ice cream sounds fab

Original poster
latedecember1963 · 02/07/2021 13:40

You're welcome, Horsemad. Good to hear all's well.
Glad your DS is home, Eve. We're on tenterhooks for results next week too and, like Horsemad, we've got our fingers crossed for what's deserved.

DS2 came home on Tuesday with all his belongings. He's sorting through everything and setting aside the things he thinks will be useful when he next moves out such as bedlinen, towels and kitchen utensils. We're going to put it all in the loft on Sunday.
He's also mulling over whether to keep his room or move into DS1's which is smaller but does have good fitted wardrobes/ storage.
Whichever room he doesn't have is going to become a guest room/ office and craft room for me.
DH and I have shared the small 4th bedroom as an office for the last 20 years but it looks like WFH is going to be a very longterm thing for him so it would be good if we could make it a better space for him.

OP posts:
Haffdonga · 02/07/2021 16:35

Hope the funeral has gone as well as possible today BTM Flowers

It's good to hear of homecoming graduates. We did a bedroom move like you @latedecember1963 so ds1 got a bigger room with more storage and I got my own 'office'. I love having my own tidy bright room with only my photos, only my things just for me.

A lot of ds1's student clobber is in our loft but he inherited some very good quality kitchen pans and knives from a housemate who's related to a famous TV chef (and gets posh freebies) so those have found their way into our kitchen somehow ...

DS2's still working away on his masters project. He says most of his friends are heading back home this week so he's going to be a bit lonely and bored in his empty student house.

ErrolTheDragon · 03/07/2021 12:29

Oh bugger... we were watching the livestream of DDs graduation, which started with the engineers. We saw her in the middle of the row of three at the front, first one went up .... then a glitch and it was onto the one after.

Now DH is panicking something happened to her and they had a delay thing and edited her out... I think unlikely

ErrolTheDragon · 03/07/2021 13:05

DH was recording it. On close examination the first girl walking away suddenly shrinks several inches but her hair grows. Weird effect....anyway, an indication nothing terrible happened just a very unlucky transmission glitch.

ErrolTheDragon · 03/07/2021 13:15

And her boyfriend was evidently lurking by the exit, he's just sent us a photo of her coming out smiling.

bigTillyMint · 03/07/2021 13:24

Thanks @Haffdonga, it was a lovely ceremony and do after outside in the sun at the pub.

Loughborough sound great @Eve

Hope you can find her @ErrolTheDragon!