University 2019/20 intake: vacations, vaccinations, va-va-voom restored and virtually into their third year

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

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DS went through quite a few application processes like this for his summer internship.
One thing I would say is - practice makes perfect! It is a numbers game, and you do get better at the process the more that you do it.

A friend of mine (who DS doesn't know very well so he didn't feel comfortable with) offered to do a sample interview with him. Would you be able to arrange that, do you know somebody who could help in this way?

@RampantIvy would the Uni careers office be a good source of interview advice/support? You’d like to think they do some kind of skills training to help

I will suggest it to her @VanCleefArpels

It is awful for them. It seems to be a similar system for all the grad schemes, and DS is finding unpaid law internships have a similar process

DD had to cross so many lhurdles for both the grad schemes she applied for. Thankfully she got the one that was right for her, (not the other!) and is enjoying her job so far. She was also v anxious, but dug in and tried her best. Which is all they can do. TBF, practice and successfully getting through each stage helped.

My older one wasnt successful in any grad scheme applications but got a job in the old fashioned way by replying to an advert. It’s worth reminding our kids that the vast majority of undergrads do NOT get on a graduate training scheme. It’s also worth getting them to make a linked In profile as this seems to be a major way of finding jobs in the desired field

@bigTillyMint - I didn’t realise that unpaid internships were still a thing. Thought that most were paid now as otherwise it tends to be young adults from privileged backgrounds who can afford to do them - cos Bank of Mum & Dad are essentially subsiding it.
Is it common in Law?

I’ve been at private school events where internships have been auctioned off to the highest bidder 😩

Yes, @VanCleefArpels setting up a LinkedIn account was the advice given by one of the unis DS looked at. Not that he would do this, of course. Mine is definitely not wanting to go straight into work; in fact we still don't know that he is going to be able to complete his course. He is not in a good place right now. He has let himself get behind and has missed a submission deadline. He could recover this if they let him, but we are waiting to hear. If I weere cynical I could argue that uni destroyed my DC... Neither has come through it too well so far, sadly.

Oh @simbobs you are really going through the mill with your DC. I hope they can find a way through

Me, too. I wasn't supposed to be saddled with them at this time of my life! However, I know people with far worse problems than mine for which I am grateful 😊

@blametheparents, yes, it seems to still be the main way to get into Law (though I only hear second hand from DS!) and to get an internship you need to prove prior work experience. Difficult when you’re from a state comp with teacher parents who have no lawyer friends and lockdown means that even lowly solicitors aren’t accepting any work experience…. DS has really put himself out there himself and knows he may not get one this year or even next - we are so proud of him.

@simbobs, DS got into a downward spiral this time last year and had to defer one of his essays. Is your DS willing to accept your support and look at how to manage this? It’s so difficult for them and us.

@bigTillyMint this is what we are trying to do at the moment, but I fear that he has left it rather late. He is trying to get in touch with the course tutor but has yet to hear back, and it seems that Student Support are overwhelmed. We have persuaded him to come home for a couple of days (thus missing uni and work) so that we can try and work things out, but aren't making much headway. He seems quite run down, which I think is stress related. I'm wondering whether he would be better to defer the year and restart in September, but don't know if that is possible.

Sending you strength and best wishes @simbobs - so worrying for you all. DS ended up staying home from Christmas till after exams (June) last year as he knew he was finding lockdown living too unstructured and he wanted our support and to be near his gf. It definitely helped him get back on track - hoping your DS is able to lean on you and make the right decisions for him

@bigTillyMint has he tried Citizens Advice to get a bit of experience - not strictly speaking legal, and would be unpaid, but experience with giving advice on legal(ish) matters

@VanCleefArpels, thanks - he did look into that, but they needed them to commit to a certain no of hours for a year? It was too much for his final year. And of course, he wasn’t “groomed” by school/family connections to do related work experience whilst he was at school/fresher….

The whole system (in terms of getting internships and relevant experience) sucks, unless you're very well connected. It was ever thus, sadly. I think a lot of state schools have stopped work experience placements for their Yr 10s/11s for that very reason. They only benefit those with good contacts!

Sorry to hear that your DS is having a hard time of it too @Simbobs. I suspect that the legacy impact of the lockdowns, on young people's mental health, is only just starting to become apparent. . Fingers crossed that the university listens and helps him. And good for him for reaching out.

I was reading only yesterday about socialising 're-entry' anxiety being a real thing for people.

Thanks, @NewModelArmyMayhem18. Unfortunately, in my DS's case it seems to be more of an issue that he has been trying to make up for lost time! Now he sees what student life should have been like, but in a time with a much heavier workload.

Re school work placements, we certainly made use of friends' companies for our DC, and would unashamedly have done so for an internship, if it had been possible. It's just networking.

Well, I guess the mental health related legacy of the lockdowns can work both ways. There will be those who are having difficulty emerging from their cocoons, and others who won't have been able to learn to balance study and socialising (and are now 'living it up' but finding it difficult to get the final year slog studying done too).

When you're 19/20/21 and just coming into your own as a young adult, it's a really tricky time not to have been able to live life to the full, isn't it?

I think a lot of state schools have stopped work experience placements for their Yr 10s/11s for that very reason.

DD's school was so underfunded that they couldn't afford the insurance for work experience, so her year never got any at all.

DD is looking at masters, and doesn't want to stay where she is because she says the department is really disorganised. The other universities she has looked at are asking for work experience in her field as a requirement for doing a masters.

The problem is with her CFS making her too tired to work, and the fact that during covid the placements simply weren't there she will have to try and get some relevent work experience after her degree and then apply for a masters.

She is enjoying the current module (cancer biology) which started after they had to select dissertation options, and is sad that she can't choose this topic for her dissertation as she didn't know that she would enjoy it this much.

The lack of opportunities generally for holiday work / work experience during lockdowns is going to impact our lot for sure. You’d like to think employers will be understanding but…..

Although, DD's department realised that the lack of lab work for the previous year's cohort has impacted employment opportunities, so they have a week of lab practicals planned for the first week back after Christmas.

DD1 did work experience in Year 11 but managed to do it at her paid part time job. DD 2 did it this year at DH’s work. School didn’t pay for insurance though, the companies had to sign a form to say that they would be covered.

Had a FaceTime with DD this week and she has been busy applying for grad schemes but isn’t overly hopeful as she didn’t get an internship. One of her friends has been offered a 50k salary next year on the back of her internship! so she’s very lucky.
DD says uni is back to normal re Covid apart from masks in lecture halls. She’s loving netball and other things she’s part of and doesn’t want it to end. I’m so glad she is getting the full experience.

DD is home for the weekend. She caught up with 5 lectures yesterday and only has 3 more, then she will be completely up to date.

She was delighted to be able to go out with some old school friends last night and is seeing another one today.

I am not sure that DS has done that much about a) considering graduate schemes or b) looking into Masters courses. We're chatting to him this weekend so hopefully will find out a bit more (or possibly not).

DS is lucky that his g/f is at a university that a lot of his school friends ended up at. So the bonus of going to see her regularly is that he also catches up with them. He is scarcely home long enough these days to meet up with any of the ones who have remained local to home.