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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.

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Thread gallery
11
ErrolTheDragon · 23/07/2021 21:37

Having just one petite DD, we don't notice too much difference. We needed to cook a lot more carbs than we were used to when her BF was with us last year.
She's doing dinner for us a couple of nights a week which is nice.

Horsemad · 24/07/2021 09:43

😆 @bevelino. I spend a fortune on milk.

DS has the physique of a rower/tennis player and has the appetite to match. In fact, I was surprised he didn't ever try rowing to be honest.

Parker231 · 24/07/2021 13:21

DS is at Lattitude this weekend but packing up his life in Warwick next week and will be driving home next weekend. Am looking forward to having him home for the summer - I’d better stock up the beer supplies - he never thinks I buy enough!

Xenia · 25/07/2021 08:51

It is a big change when they pack up for good and move home or elsewhere.

My son will be starting revision for his resit in early August next week and then he is free until early Sept when the next course starts. His twin meanwhile has done almost 2 months full time as a paralegal in a real office now so at about the same age as I was when I started a trainee solicitor (I was a year young and only 21) he (at 22) is doing very similar work to trainees, probably more so than in big firms as he has to have a lot of contact with clients. I am very pleased he got the job even though it is not in a practice area he wants in due course.

Parker231 · 26/07/2021 12:50

news.sky.com/story/covid-19-university-students-could-need-to-be-fully-vaccinated-to-attend-lectures-and-stay-in-halls-12364349

Similar to my nephews in the US - you have to have had the vaccinations to attend next term. No issues for my nephews - one had done in school and the other in Walmart’s.

Xenia · 27/07/2021 08:41

We shall see. It is only currently being talked about in the UK so far.

Original poster
latedecember1963 · 27/07/2021 08:59

I may have misundersood, but I'm sure my niece in Australia said that her children will have had to have had all their routine childhood vaccinations in order to attend school, never mind university.

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ErrolTheDragon · 27/07/2021 09:21

Having standard vaccinations eg MMR in order to be able to attend state schools is normal in some other countries so probably wouldn't generate much discussion.

Parker231 · 27/07/2021 10:02

Many of the 18-21 year olds I’ve been vaccinated have said they wanted it so they wouldn’t have to isolate next term if they were in contact with a positive case and to lessen the chances of them getting ill if they caught Covid.

A good step in the right direction for a more normal Uni life. I can’t see it being an issue.

Malbecfan · 27/07/2021 10:40

Congratulations to your DC @bevelino!

I agree about the food shopping. DD2 doesn't really drink milk, so when she's around, we don't bother adjusting our milk delivery. DD1 drinks quite a lot but she is now lactose intolerant so I try to remember to pick up a litre of something suitable. She's also quite keen on avoiding particular brands which have questionable practices or who are owned by larger less ethically aware groups. At the moment, M&S pea milk seems acceptable.

I wish mine would say in advance whether or not they will be home for dinner so I can shop accordingly. DH has form for this, so I shouldn't be surprised that the DDs do it, but they know how annoying it is.

DD1 is currently working next door - my dad's cottage when he's with us - using his broadband. She is enjoying the money but finding 9-5 a bit restrictive. Welcome to the real world! DD2's job has come to an abrupt end. She has worked in the local ice cream shop since she was 16. The owners have been trying to sell it for a couple of years and she thought they had finally managed it, only to be told that they would be shut from the weekend. DD2 is double miffed because her year abroad is still in limbo as are her exam results due to strikes at her uni. Thank goodness for the Olympics to distract her!

ErrolTheDragon · 27/07/2021 11:48

DD only knows one student who hasn't yet had his first (if not second) jab, and that's only because he decided it would be sensible to wait till he was back in Singapore for both rather than trying to do one here and then the other there.

Eve · 27/07/2021 20:19

Well done on the results!

…and we did it !! Graduated today!

It was absolutely lovely! DS tolerated 100s of photos, I only sniffled a few times, all in all a lovely day.

bevelino · 27/07/2021 22:52

Congratulations on all dcs that have graduated.

Oxford dd had her graduation event but Bristol dd has to wait until May 22 for her graduation ceremony.

Original poster
latedecember1963 · 28/07/2021 09:13

Glad you all had a lovely day, Eve.

So far the real world hasn't impinged to much on DS2. He does spend the day doing job applications and if he goes out for a walk or a run he always checks if we need anything picking up from the shop.
He also does the laundry and ironing for the 3 of us. I normally do my MiL's cleaning on Wednesday afternoon but as I've escaped to the caravan he's going to do it today.
He's supposed to be arranging driving lessons. His older brother was reluctant to learn but once he did wished he'd done it sooner.

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ErrolTheDragon · 28/07/2021 09:38

That's good, Eve.
We had a bit of a celebration dinner at the weekend - some exceptionally nice roast beef, a bottle of champagne and strawberries.

No sign yet of DD this morning, which is unusual. She and DH are (both!) learning to park properly using wing mirrors this week. Despite the fact her car can park itself (I never needed to use the auto parking but then I don't live in Cambridge).

Haffdonga · 28/07/2021 10:45

Congratulations on graduations - both to the amazing young adults these people are turning into and to the parents who got them there - an enormous achievement on all sides! Flowers

Ds is starting to feel like he'll never get there. His masters project hand in date has been extended until mid September because of a cock up (on his supervisor's part) over the ethics permissions. Plus supervisor is being supremely unhelpful. Ds took his results along to him to discuss how to conclude the project. The research involves looking through hundreds of patients' notes after a particular intervention to find evidence of A. Supervisor now suggests ds goes back and looks for evidence of B as well, which would involve ds basically starting again. Fine if he had all the time in the world but he has a holiday to go on and a medicine course to restart. Ds says he just wants rid of it and doesn't care about grades or publication any more because it's shit.

Meanwhile ds1 has been doing his best to test the efficacy of a single dose of the vax by travelling the UK visiting friends, going to many pubs and staying in crowded hostels with coughing strangers. Back to only seeing the grandparents outside until we're sure he's in the clear.

bigTillyMint · 28/07/2021 12:42

Glad you had a lovely day @bevelino

Congratulations to your DDs @Eve My DD is still waiting for her graduation from last year - Bristol Angry

@Haffdonga, DD says the support from her MSc tutor is just as bad. They just need to get through it Confused

Horsemad · 28/07/2021 19:02

Congrats on the graduations, lovely to hear of some normality. 🙂

Not much to report here, DS's dissertation is due in at the end of August.

@latedecember1963, my DS still hasn't learnt to drive; that's on the agenda after the diss is handed in. He's very different to DS1 who had a lesson on his 17th birthday & was mad keen to get his licence. 🙂

SMaCM · 01/08/2021 16:14

DD has been viewing flats in London with 2 of her friends from Bath. She did a double shift on what was supposed to be graduation day, to keep herself busy. There are 2 of them left in her house. She thinks she will be able to get everything home in her car, but we suspect once her huge duvet is in, the car will be full.

Congratulations to everyone finishing their masters, getting married, moving house, starting jobs, or going on holidays.

Our holiday was moved twice to this October, but we might move it again.

ErrolTheDragon · 01/08/2021 23:01

DDs BF is going to pick up the keys to their house tomorrow, and is tasked with measuring, meter readings etc. She's going to visit some of her old school friends later in the day, on the only day between some of them coming and going, so that should be nice.

Original poster
latedecember1963 · 02/08/2021 07:52

How exciting that some of our DCs are moving onto the next stage. Proper grown- upping.
It's my last morning at our caravan before heading home later. It's going to be a hectic week in the run up to DS1's wedding on Friday. The weather forecast isn't looking great at the moment and I don't have a coat that would match the occasion. My DiL to be has already said my fleecy lined yard duty kagoul isn't on the guest list! 😂

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Horsemad · 02/08/2021 11:01

Go safely on the A55 @latedecember1963. 👍

Parker231 · 02/08/2021 13:54

DS arrived home on Saturday evening. Everything packed up from his four years at Warwick. The house is now full of stuff - most of it dirty! He has promised it will be moved from the hall today!
He now has about seven weeks with us before he drives to the Netherlands to start work. Feeling very old that by this autumn both of the DT’s will be working.

Xenia · 02/08/2021 16:07

Good luck with the wedding. Having my daughter's church wedding with 13 guests in April (most guests allowed then by law) now sounds very easy s o perhaps she was spared hassle by not evening having a meal!

My son who is revising for his resit next week was just saying how this coming academic year most of his friends who had 4 year courses at Bristol will now be better off (as they will be working) whereas he has next year's last law course to get through. Anyway at least the end is in sight. If he does not pass the resit he has to leave the new September course in October, take the resit the last and final time and I assume could then start the September course all over again starting in January. Let us hope it does not come to that.

Original poster
latedecember1963 · 03/08/2021 17:52

Thank you for the good wishes.
The A55 wasn't too bad at all, Horsemad, but as usual the M56 between Queensferry and Runcorn was slow.
The A55 going into Wales and at the Brittania Bridge for getting onto Anglesey was heaving so for once I was happy to be going in the opposite direction.

To be honest, Xenia, I think there's a lot to be said for smaller weddings although I appreciate your daughter and son in law had their's forced on them by circumstances.
We are quite a small family and "our side" will only make up less than a third of the guests. The angst about seating plans has been mitigated by having smaller round tables and seating people in family bubbles.

Hope your hallway is looking clearer, Parker!

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