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

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@VanCleefArpels

I wonder if my DD is the only student in the country never to have had to isolate?!?!?

Rather amazingly none of our family has had to isolate at all.

I came the closest when one of my colleagues tested positive. However I had kept very much my distance because we all knew he was blasé about any h&s measures, and hadn't been anywhere near him.

Ds was sent home from school, but not to isolate, because he wasn't a close contact, but they had not enough staff in to continue.

And that's it, dd1 and dd2 and dh have never been in any danger of it so far. Although I have my fingers crossed that dd1 doesn't pick it up before she comes home!

@MrKlaw I’ve also got a Y12 so looking forward to going through the process for the 3rd time! He isn’t 100% certain yet on the exact course but has started making a shortlist. A couple are ones he has tagged along to when looking with his older brother. Only online open days at the moment for the ones he’s interested in. I’ve signed him up for a few (because it’s easier than the eye rolling). No idea if he has looked at them but he will be on their mailing lists at least.

Might do a couple of day trips during the summer to take a look at ones he hadn’t been to.

Dd is home. She has done weeks of on/off isolations and is shattered. She keeps testing negative so is finally having her first jab tomorrow (as long as her sister doesn’t give it to her as it’s in her sister’s school again)!

I am really annoyed that DS has cancelled today's jab as it clashed with some paid work. It has been rebooked for next week but his 2nd jab won't be until September, at a point where he will almost certainly be back in his uni city, so that will have to be rebooked closer to the time. Hopefully he will be able to get a walk in before then.

He has no money, hence the prioritisation of the work. He is finding it impossible to get a regular job as they reject him for being a student, so not worth their while training him. Do others have this problem?

@simbobs I heard from someone yesterday that her son (year 11) was given a retail job but that all the year 13s had been let go as "they were off to uni in September". It seemed very harsh to sack students who would need the money in favour of 16yr olds who would be then be trained for 2 years before, I guess they would be sacked!

@MrKlaw my DD also in year 12 and looking at Unis. She's keeping her cards close to her chest so I really have little idea of her plans. Drama schools are on the list and I'm not sure if other universities courses are being considered too. DD1 talked to me so much about what universities so was considering, I feel quite adrift with DD2.

@chocolatenutcase

My DD also in year 12 and looking at Unis. She's keeping her cards close to her chest so I really have little idea of her plans. Drama schools are on the list and I'm not sure if other universities courses are being considered too. DD1 talked to me so much about what universities so was considering, I feel quite adrift with DD2.

I'm in the same stage with dd2 except she's going to take a gap year first.

If we believe what we read in the ideas hospitality businesses are dying to recruit people! I’d get him on to every pub, cafe, golf club, leisure centre, restaurant and see what’s available. These sorts of jobs may not be publicly advertised

Press not ideas

Also Amazon deliveries (if can drive) is a great way to earn money

amazon.co.uk/]]

So - DS has Covid!
Feels pretty rough with it. Headache, sore throat, tight chest. Postive LFT and PCR test.
Luckily escapes qurantine a couple of days before his birthday!
But, vaccine will have to be postponed :-(
One thing that has cheered him up is that the 21st June was not, in fact, Freedom Day because he would have missed all the club nights that he had booked! Every cloud and all that!

I hope he feels better soon @blametheparents

Thank you @RampantIvy
I am sure he will feel better soon.
Freinds have been delivering stuff to the house that they need which is great of them. I have been really impressed this year about how the households and friendship groups have all supported each other. It is lovely to see.

blametheparents oh no! So close to the jabs for all these students I keep hearing about testing positive. Hope he has a good birthday to make up for it.

Dad1 had jab yesterday and so far feels fine. She had Pfizer.
DD2 (y12) got a job in April at a nearby pub- waitressing. Luckily it’s owner run and they take staff at 16/17 and keep them even when back from uni in hols so we’re really pleased. DD1 hasn’t mentioned work for the summer hol. She’ll need it though. Hoping for the note taking work again.

Sorrry about your DS @blametheparents

@blametheparents Hope he feels better soon.

@blametheparents I hope your DS recovers quickly. Covid is rife round here particularly in the 6th form colleges. My DD has friends from 3 different colleges who have it or are isolating, and on Monday her college decided to finish term early due to high numbers of cases. She went in on Monday and was told that's it for this year.

Sorry to hear about your DS @blametheparents. Hope he feels better soon.

That's a pity for your DD @chocolatenutcase, although I'm sure most teens wouldn't say no to an extra month of summer hols time!

DN is in Year 12 and looking at universities now. He's done most of his 'open days' virtually to date, although hoping to do some summer holiday trips to university cities. He's interested in studying MFL and is very much an Oxbridge aspirant.

Sorry to hear about so many DC having covid so close to getting the jab. DS's friend was contacted by T&T and is having to isolate for 10 days despite being vaccinated and having a negative PCR test. It makes no sense at all to me. Another friend who was out with him has been forced to isolate by his parents even though he didn't get contacted, as they are so paranoid that he was with someone who later tested positive. He has had 6 negative tests, 2 of which were PCR. Nuts!

DS refused yet another job in hospitality for being a student. Everyone grumbles about being short-staffed but won't take the available labour. He is waiting to hear from a couple of other applications but may end up going back to his uni city to try his luck there.

Gosh @simbobs, we are in London and pubs/restaurants bite the students hands off! DD had been working in a club in Bristol for two years before lockdown whilst being a student. Clearly they aren’t going to be there forever, but hospitality surely expects a high turnover of staff!

@bigTillyMint I think they are looking for lifers in the provinces!

simbobs a fully vaccinated parent we know in the next village has had the virus and her son had negative lateral flows up until the 10th day, which was supposed to be his last one, which was positive. Rare, but it does happen. I don’t know how many pcrs were done though.
It was 14 days isolation at one point but the government have brought it down to 10. I think Durham University have still got 14 days on their website.
What saved my Dd from going mad at Uni was that if you isolate from all your flatmates after the first one tests positive, then it doesn’t matter if the other ones test positive in the meantime, you can escape after 10 days plus the first day. Of course, this rule only applies to non-royals and non-politicians.

Thanks all for your best wishes for DS. He says he is feeling a lot better and is thinking about exercise and food again so I know he’s getting better!

That’s good. DD says her friends had a couple of days of headaches and fatigue but all better much better and testing negative on LFT way before before 10 days up.

Yes, @blametheparents - we certainly know they are not well when there is a waning of appetite.

@Zandathepanda I do kind of get it, but full isolation seems overkill. DS just about to go on a beer run, with doorstep delivery, for said friend.