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Higher education

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

Another path ....... the journey begins

999 replies

chopc · 19/09/2021 22:28

Hello @321zyx @AvocadoPlant @bendmeoverbackwards @BigWoollyJumpers @Braveheart35 @calculatorqueen @ChimneyPot @Dobbyisahouseelf @Eastisup @jano69 @Majaso12 @MidLifeCrisis007 @NCTDN @Notagardener @OnTheBenchOfDoom @Parsonage63 @Pumpkintopf @Peaseblossum22 @quest1on @Peaseblossum22 @SATSmadness @SeasonFinale @Tenpastseven @Vargas @Xenia

Apologies for anyone I omitted to tag

OP posts:
chopc · 24/11/2021 14:59

All UCL Alumni did you know Coldplay was formed in Ramsey Hall at UCL (1996)?

OP posts:
bendmeoverbackwards · 24/11/2021 15:05

@chopc

All UCL Alumni did you know Coldplay was formed in Ramsey Hall at UCL (1996)?
OMG I did not know that! I lived in Ramsey Hall in 1992!
chopc · 24/11/2021 15:27

My old Ramsey Hall friend thought they were there when we were but we were there 94-5 in Ramsey Hall itself so can't really get too excited

OP posts:
Notagardener · 24/11/2021 16:48

I was there 94-95, but majority of my research was done elsewhere. Except for the other 9 or so on the course did not meet any other UCL students

bendmeoverbackwards · 24/11/2021 17:35

Great to hear of fellow Ramsey Hall residents! I was in London block, still remember my room number - 404. Near the pay phone 😂

Jng1 · 25/11/2021 11:56

We're off to Exeter to see DS this weekend Smile. He's in a show, so we're going to cheer from the back row Grin. Had a WhatsApp with him last night and it left me feeling all warm as he just seemed so grown up and happy! He's definitely found his feet, made some nice friends, seems to be doing OK work wise and is genuinely having a great time. That's all we can ask for isn't it?

He was bullied when younger, had undiagnosed SEN and a tricky few years through to GCSEs, so it's just brilliant to see him blossoming!

Engley · 25/11/2021 12:13

That’s wonderful to hear @Jng1.Made me feel so happy for you all.

ChimneyPot · 25/11/2021 13:28

That’s great Jng1.

DD1 is home for Thanksgiving. She is definitely loving US university life.

calculatorqueen · 25/11/2021 21:23

In case anyone is interested, Trainline are doing a 50% discount on the digital railcards. DS bought a 3 year card for £35 today.

@Jng1 that's lovely to hear.

Dobbyismyabsolutefav · 25/11/2021 22:59

Have fun @jng1

One of my daughter's flatmates is in a show this weekend at Exeter and several of them are going along to support him. She went to see a musical last week and said the standard was amazing!

cranmer · 26/11/2021 06:49

@ChimneyPot Has your DD finished for the term at Brown and home for Christmas?

Is she able to fly direct from Boston to Ireland?

Jng1 · 26/11/2021 10:35

@Dobbyismyabsolutefav

Have fun *@jng1*

One of my daughter's flatmates is in a show this weekend at Exeter and several of them are going along to support him. She went to see a musical last week and said the standard was amazing!

I wonder if they've been going to the same things? DS also went to a musical last week and said the same! Grin
ChimneyPot · 26/11/2021 14:18

@cranmer. No DD doesn’t finish up for Christmas until 18 Dec.
No classes for a few days for Thanksgiving so when she found a cheap flight via Iceland she decided to come home.
There are direct flights too. I think she has learnt her lesson about bargain flights through I eland.

Dobbyismyabsolutefav · 26/11/2021 16:34

@Jng1 That would be funny if our teenagers were moving in the same circles. My DD saw Tick Tick Boom on campus and said it was fantastic. She is seeing another play on Sunday with some of her flatmates. The Drama lad in my DD's flat is apparently really lovely!

bendmeoverbackwards · 26/11/2021 18:06

That’s so lovely @Jng1 great to see our dc blossoming especially after difficult times. Have a wonderful weekend with him and enjoy the show.

Majaso12 · 29/11/2021 08:55

Dd got the train back Friday evening and went out with school friends after having tea with us. We drove her back to London yesterday and stayed there until early evening. Was lovely seeing her.

She now has a boyfriend from Imperial which she started talking to over the Summer. Bit worried how serious it’s getting so soon. She’s meeting his parents the weekend she’s coming home for Christmas and so we’re picking her up later now. I’ve been trying to get her to think about next year’s accommodation for a while but she doesn’t want to think about it yet. She doesn’t know who she would live with and hasn’t got round to asking anyone. She said yesterday her boyfriend has started looking online for houses they could get together. I really don’t think it’s a good idea moving in with him. Her brother is trying to advise against it as well.

Notagardener · 29/11/2021 10:32

Majaso, Yesterday I had another chat with dc1 who is third year London. About whether dc2 (year 1) should be looking for accommodation. He said (again) not to worry, in London you have always places coming up, throughout the year.
Not sure I have any advice about sharing with new boyfriendWink

Majaso12 · 29/11/2021 15:34

Notagardener. Thanks. She doesn’t want to live with her flatmates as they’re not her sort of people and she thinks other friends she has made, will be living with their housemates but she hasn’t actually asked them.

Pumpkintopf · 30/11/2021 00:48

Notagardener that's reassuring for DS (Imperial) who hasn't started looking yet!

Majoso Eek! Can understand your concern- that's a lot of eggs to put in a very new basket. Would also suggest sharing with a boyfriend is very different to the 'normal' student houseshare experience (having done it, and regretted it).

Notagardener · 30/11/2021 06:35

Reassuring for me as well others in London haven't sorted out accommodation 🙂

chopc · 02/12/2021 17:26

Hello everyone!

Lovely to catch up on people's news and to hear what your DC are up to

DS came home last weekend and unfortunately DH had Covid so it wasn't the family weekend we had hoped it would be

He seems to be having a good time in Durham and managing his work well but no feedback so far so don't really know

We are picking him up for Christmas in one week! Time has really flown. I think only one of his lecturers are striking - forgot to ask about that

@Majaso12 I can totally understand your concern about DD living with a BF she has not been together with for very long. What can you do? Does it work the same with this age group the more you say don't the more they want to?

OP posts:
jano69 · 02/12/2021 19:00

Hello chopc and everyone!

How lovely you got to see your DS last weekend and that you were also able to visit him in Durham over half term! So sorry to hear your DH had covid, I'm guessing you didn't catch it off him which is good news.

DD is still having the time of her life in Durham, treating us to photos of winter balls and skating rinks in idyllic settings. We don't hear too much from her but the pictures are more than enough.

DH is also picking both DS and DD up next weekend and I'm really looking forward to having a lively noisy untidy house again. 9 weeks of order and being empty nesters has lost its novelty somewhat.

I had my booster on Tuesday, just hoping Omicron doesn't upset Christmas plans for us all.

@Majaso12 completely appreciate your concerns about moving in with new bf too.

I keep thinking of @quest1on and wondering how her DS's Oxbridge application is going.

The Oxbridge 22 thread is in overdrive, that was us this time last year. The term "redirection" isn't used much, but I've noticed "another path" is....

xx

Majaso12 · 02/12/2021 19:42

I hope she doesn’t, she said she didn’t want to think about it yet, but I said she should ask others what they’re doing.

Was hoping to talk to her tonight but she’s out with him. She said ‘why do you want to talk to me?’! Earlier she said he’s going back home this weekend and she’s probably going to go with him but she would do work at his.

BigWoollyJumpers · 03/12/2021 11:04

Hello all - yes can't believe DD comes back next weekend. In the end, it has really gone very quickly. So looking forward to having her here. She doesn't have exams in Jan, so should be a nice rest. She has done a lot of essays in the last few weeks, and got some good results. I do actually worry she has worked too hard at the expense of fun!! Results in year 1 don't count, but she is one of those who always wants to be the best. She had to completely re-do one essay as she did all the reading and all the notes, with the references, and then promptly threw them away by mistake. She was quite beside herself.

Fortunately she has a ball this weekend, and the flat are making their Xmas dinner on Sunday, so this weekend looks like fun.

Driving test to look forward to the week before xmas, so assume we will be doing lots of practice on a daily basis. I hope the weather behaves.

@Majaso12 I understand your concerns. We had the same, although slightly better for us in that DD and her BF have been together longer. I can only say that what will be, will be. If it all goes pear shaped, it's not the end of the world. Flat shares deteriorate for all sorts of reasons, and it seems pretty common for people to shift about when things go wrong.

*jano69 I lurked on that thread the other day, and had to refrain from posting that the interview was the easy bit, its the waiting for the offer and the subsequent rejection thats hell!

Longtimenewsee · 03/12/2021 15:18

Hi everyone
@Majaso12 I can understand your concerns. I would be worried too. It all sounds a bit intense and they haven’t known each other very long but as @chopc says, what can you do? And BWJ is right.. if they do move in together and it all goes pear-shaped, they will have to find something else. Dd says there are already people looking for someone to fill a room that they signed up for (for next year!) and have now decided they want to live elsewhere in Sept . So I think the situation is fairly fluid in most university towns and cities

Dd says she has pretty much no feedback apart from a module she has taken alongside her main subject modules. I don’t get an awful lot of communication tbh but I think she’s coping ok with demands of the course. She has exams after Xmas so (lol) im sure it will become clear if it’s under control or not at some point HmmGrin

It didn’t occur to us that Dd might be able to leave early ( ie no lectures..Or do the last few days online at home) but she says some of her friends at different universities are leaving early for Xmas. I can’t see it with her course as it’s a really full on timetable. We booked overnight b&b to pick her and most of her stuff up . She hasn’t mentioned it but errrm - she’s there to the end whether she likes it or not!

I haven’t looked at this years oxbridge thread. I have a friend who’s daughter has just got an interview and she asked for advice and I found I couldn’t remember much about it.. obviously filed that one Grin

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