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Higher education

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

Original poster

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:
bendmeoverbackwards · 16/12/2021 18:04

I've got my booster booked for Monday but I might see if I can go sooner, some places are doing walk-ins round here.

Notagardener · 16/12/2021 18:43

Be careful with walk-ins. At least in London, dc has being queueing up since this morning. Priority given to those with booking.

321zyx · 16/12/2021 20:35

Just managed to book DS(19) booster online via NHS for local Boots on 22 Dec.

Dobbyismyabsolutefav · 16/12/2021 20:49

I booked a covid booster online for my DD just after New Year.

Original poster
chopc · 16/12/2021 21:00

DS (Durham) has been home for a week now. He has had a great first term both academically and socially . His corridor gets on very well and he has met up with several of them already (those living in the south).
We are due to go away tomorrow and I hope he will catch up with his school friends before returning to Durham

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Pumpkintopf · 16/12/2021 22:01

Oh gosh Bend that's a panic - how did the last minute decorating go?! How lovely to have a freshly decorated room to come home to though! Hopefully that'll help cheer her up as well as a bit of rest and TLC at home. Is she just tired do you think?

Bigwoollyjumpers I'm keeping everything crossed 🤞 for your DD and her driving test! Also hope your DH is still feeling ok. I have DS booked for a booster on the 28th but DD has a second dose booked for Saturday so
I might drag him along to see if they'll do him a booster as a walk in. If it's too much of a queue we'll leave it and just keep the appointment, but we do have a mass vaccination centre locally that's just expanded capacity so might be ok.

Chopc also keeping everything crossed 🤞 for you getting away!

bendmeoverbackwards · 16/12/2021 22:05

@chopc

DS (Durham) has been home for a week now. He has had a great first term both academically and socially . His corridor gets on very well and he has met up with several of them already (those living in the south). We are due to go away tomorrow and I hope he will catch up with his school friends before returning to Durham
That sounds good @chopc where are you off to?
bendmeoverbackwards · 16/12/2021 22:14

@Pumpkintopf decorator has promised room will be finished and all the furniture put back by tomorrow evening.

We were due to have a holiday to Mexico but decided to postpone till Easter. Too many uncertainties and I don’t fancy not being able to get home if we test positive. Plus youngest dd (14) currently has some mental health issues and hates her oldest sister (my Bristol dd is the middle one) so much so she won’t be in the same room with her. I’ve been quite down about it all.

Pumpkintopf · 16/12/2021 22:42

Wow bend that's quick work - great! Sorry to hear you're not having the easiest time with DD3 though, that sounds tough - and hard to have to postpone a much needed holiday too.

Notagardener · 16/12/2021 23:42

DC walk in centre (UCL) had apparently over 800 booked vaccinations plus the walk-ins today

AvocadoPlant · 17/12/2021 09:35

DD has been able to book a booster for Monday (Wiltshire).

Dobbyismyabsolutefav · 17/12/2021 12:21

@bigwoollyjumpers Fingers crossed that your DD passes her driving test it makes such a difference having independence whilst home from uni.

@bendmeoverbackwards Sounds like you are dealing with a lot at the moment with your youngest child. I am thinking of you.

Original poster
chopc · 17/12/2021 20:53

@bendmeoverbackwards we are off to Sri Lanka. Feel guilty about saying and I wasn't sure if we were going until we checked in

Sorry to hear about DD3. Must be very difficult to navigate

OP posts:
Notagardener · 17/12/2021 21:51

My goodness me chops. Hope your travelling goes well

Original poster
chopc · 17/12/2021 22:21

@Notagardener the rules changed on 14th and we found out as we were going for our PCR tests. But they had two separate rules ...... anyway due to these varying rules you never know until you get to check in if the person checking you in has read the same pages

Not the same thing but we were not allowed to board our flight to Vietnam a few years ago because the stupid check on people and their supervisors couldn't read the visa rules

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Pumpkintopf · 17/12/2021 23:21

Safe travels @chopc !

DS is home Grin I'm very happy.

bendmeoverbackwards · 18/12/2021 10:30

Dd is home too!

BigWoollyJumpers · 18/12/2021 12:23

Arrgghhhhh! DD's driving instructor just LFT'd positive.

She's in bits, has to take test in my car, which she is not at all confident in (and all being well on Monday, not guaranteed), and of course she has been with the instructor all week. And her BF's parents says he now can't see her until after xmas. He caught the train over this morning with flowers and just stood on the doorstep, they hugged and he left Sad. She's in tears, doesn't feel like practising, it's all gone to pot.

Majaso12 · 18/12/2021 12:58

Sorry to hear that @BigWoollyJumpers.

I’m finding the uncertainty about everything so difficult. Now looks like we will probably have a 2 week lock down so not sure how that will go down with DD because she will probably have things planned with school friends, especially for New Year’s Eve.

Hope you all enjoy having your DDs and DSs home. Hoping it goes to plan picking DD up tomorrow night. Don’t think I’ll relax until she’s home.

Original poster
chopc · 18/12/2021 16:43

Oh no @BigWoollyJumpers !

Please encourage your DD to take the test in your car. There is still a chance of passing whereas if she doesn't take the test I think you need to cancel and rebook and you won't get your money back right?

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Pumpkintopf · 18/12/2021 19:20

Oh @BigWoollyJumpers nooooo! What dreadful timing - you did say covid kicks in every time she gets close. Echo chopc though, it's worth a go - she might just pass! And if she doesn't- still good experience.

@Majaso12 am thinking of you and hoping all goes well with the annoyingly delayed pick up!

DS is absolutely delighted with the new old car we got him, loves it and has been out most of the afternoon visiting the local haunts which is not what I wanted at all as obviously want him with me Grin but it's lovely to see him happy. He's decided to have a couple of days off from work - the workload at Imperial sounds brutal, he's been pulling all nighters and all sorts, and has an exam when he goes back but I'm pleased he's going to have a bit of downtime.

ChimneyPot · 19/12/2021 08:47

@BigWoollyJumpers that’s so stressful about the driving test. DD had something similar happen the week of her test, which was a few days before her TSA, she tried anyway and passed.

@chopc enjoy Sri Lanka. We are scheduled to go to Maldives next week. We need 6 negative PCRs and DH to get the cast off his broken leg so I am not holding my breath, or packing.

@bendmeoverbackwards that’s so tough I hope your DDs manage to get on over Christmas.

I am in airport waiting for DD.

Pumpkintopf · 22/12/2021 10:46

@Majaso12 how was pick-up? How has dd been since home? Hope all is well.

Chimney Hope dd flew in safely and is enjoying her time at home.

Bend how are your DDs and did the decorating get finished?

BWJ how was the driving test- did she take it?

Hoping everyone is ok! I've finished work now for Christmas and my parents have arrived for the duration so just starting to ease into the Christmas groove and enjoy it rather than being stressed about the preparation, which seems to be the rest of December for me Grin

Majaso12 · 22/12/2021 11:04

@Pumpkintopf. It was ok but didn’t get home until 11.45 pm though. She did text and say his family were getting food after the cinema so we were annoyed because we thought she was going to go and we’d be just left waiting for her and would have been about 1 am we would have been home then.

She seems really tired, I think partly because of the busy weekend and they were made to get up early. She wants to have breaks and lie ins but then complains about how much revision she has for the 2 exams in January and won’t get it done in time. It’s really hard not saying “then you should be getting up earlier and working like you did when you were doing A levels”. She worked all over Christmas then when she had mocks so she should be used to revising over Christmas. Is your ds working every day? I think she did just over 3 hours yesterday which doesn’t seem a lot to me, especially when she’s complaining how much there is to do. Then she didn’t get up until 10.45 today.

Original poster
chopc · 22/12/2021 11:35

Thanks @ChimneyPot . Hope you make it to Maldives. The ticket prices were so high the total number of PCR's and LFT's needed for 5 of us was only just over half the price of another ticket

@Majaso12 that does sound like a tough schedule. Are the Jan exams important?

I can't remember what DS said about exams but I don't think he has to prepare for anything in Jan. The discrepancy in work between the scientists and the humanities seem huge. Yes the humanities have to do a lot of self directed learning but they have loads of time in which to do it in. I guess there is also a bit of - how do you stop reading about a topic?

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