Another path- the first year ......

[chopc]

Apologies if I didn't tag anyone. Hopefully have inckueded all current posters

Chopc - Durham-History
@jano69 -Durham -History
@OnTheBenchOfDoom -Durham - Computer science
@Majaso12 -Imperial - Biochemistry
@bendmeoverbackwards -Bristol- History
@Pumpkintopf -Imperial -Physics
@ChimneyPot -Brown (US) - Open
@Stillcrikey -Bristol -MML
@Tenpastseven - Bristol -modern languages
@Longtimenewsee - Durham - Chemistry
@MidLifeCrisis007 - Durham -History
@BigWoollyJumpers - Exeter- History
@SeasonFinale -Bristol- History
@Notagardener LSE
@Revengeofthepangolins UCL - History
@raspberryrippleicecream ? -Maths
@derekthe1adyhamster Birmingham- Computer Science
@Vargas -Durham -Geography
@AvocadoPlant Exeter -History

@BigWoollyJumpers your holiday sounds lovely but shame about all the bugs!

@Majaso12 your dd has done very well, congratulations to her!

@bendmeoverbackwards I'm sorry to hear that your DD is taking out her frustrations on you. She probably sees you as her safe space but I wouldn't be happy either. No practical advice as I would veer from raging how dare you to being tearful, I'm at that age!

Thank you @Dobbyismyabsolutefav and yes I am also that age! I never imagined anxiety and my moods to be my worst menopause symptom so far. My friend recommended a menopause specialist who I am considering seeing because some days I don’t feel like myself at all.

Majaso, but I didn't think it matters she gets a "first" or not in the first year. Even though all modules may count towards end mark, first year modules wouldn't count as much as year 2 and 3?
I have heard first year only count towards final grade for 7.5% to 11% I think

@bendmeoverbackwards you can tell your DD if she doesn't like the way your home is or the way you do things, she has a lovely room in a house in Bristol

The closest I have come to telling my DS is that I am finding it really hard to live with him (due his messiness). Luckily he got the message . But it will be an ongoing process

Can completely understand why you feel sad but hope you don't feel disrespected

So how is everyone getting on?
DH has just reminded me that 2 weeks today we’ll be returning DD to Exeter. She’s very excited, and already has some nights out planned with her new house mates.
I’m happy DD is feeling so settled but it has been lovely having her home for the summer.

I was just wondering how everyone was getting on @AvocadoPlant DD is also busy planning her social life back in Exeter. She is undecided when she is going back but definitely at the start of Freshers.

We've had a good summer and it has been lovely going on holiday, theatre and concerts all things you take for granted pre covid.

Not seen DC much first we were on holiday while she was house-sitting and now she is abroad for a month. Once she gets back she will move into her new room

Hey everyone! As much as DS1 had tried my patience with his untidiness I will miss him so much when he goes back. We have enjoyed a lovely long holiday together and the kids have been busy with various things since we got back. We hardly see them now which is why I am pleased we had time away together.

DH and I went to watch Coldplay which is a definite highlight of my summer

Hi all,
Good to see some updates 😊
it’s been great to have her home although Dd has been bobbing about a lot ( in between working) visiting uni friends

She will be going back in about a month’s time. Shes a little worried about lack of storage in her new accommodation and will prob need to find a little under desk unit.

We’ve just booked an overnight stay to take her back with all her stuff . Thank goodness she doesn’t have to move out every term this year!

Dd has stayed at her bf’s for 4 days several weeks ago and he’s just stayed at ours for 6 days. Today she said she’s ready to go back and start studying again! At the end of term she was saying she was so done and needed a long rest because of the workload and second year is meant to be worse. So I’m surprised she’s ready to go back to it now.

Dd also found the workload to be enormous @Majaso12
and it’s bound to come as a bit of a shock again after a long holiday isn’t it . At least they *know just how big it is now.
Dd is glad that she no longer has to rush to a random building in a different area of the city (for a language module - elective) partway through her day. She found that really stressful.
She has to feed herself this year though! She’s a good cook but I’m a bit worried she’ll just eat snacks to save time. How does your Dd manage food?

@Longtimenewsee. That’s why I’m surprised she wants to get back to studying now! 2 weeks ago she said she didn’t want to go back for a while. Now she’s saying she’s had enough of a holiday. She’s been working on her CV to apply for a placement year. She’s going on another holiday in 2 weeks with her bf’s family. Next Summer she’s meant to be doing work experience or an internship, so I’ll remind her if she get she’s said if she says she needs a long break.

Was your dd in catered halls? We joked dd would live on rice and soy sauce, but she’s surprised us and got really into cooking. She said she finds it relaxing. She’s been quite adventurous, finding recipes online and her meals have looked really good, although I did give her some recipe books but not sure she’s used those. I was quite worried before she left, she wasn’t going to eat enough.

When talking about a placement year, if she got paid, I assumed she’d pay for her accommodation or at least help pay for it, but she was shocked I suggested it and said she’d want to save the money she earned. She said “you paid for ds’ accommodation when he did a placement year”, but he didn’t get paid, his was in a university. Also, we’ve paid out more on her accommodation and will be in the next 2 or more years, than we did for her brothers.

Majaso, difficult to treat all siblings fair. I haven't quite decided how much to contribute for Dc2 compared to what I paid dc1.
Dc2 accommodation is more expensive so I feel I have to pay her more, especially as everything is getting more expensive. But on the other hand she chose to live closer to uni so "it's her own fault"

@Majaso12 .. yes, catered last year. I hope Dd finds cooking as therapeutic as your dd

Hi everyone, just checking in. Hope everyone is having a good summer. Can't believe it's nearly the end of August already!

Can I ask about Student Finance England? I don't know if it's just me but I'm finding it all very complicated especially as we have more than one student. Before our recent holiday, I spent an hour on the phone (that includes hold time) and established that somehow, both dh and I have separate accounts! And somehow dd1 is registered on both accounts, but dd2 isn't at all! I've asked them to send me a hard copy of the relevant form as we often have problems doing it electronically which still hasn't arrived in the post despite it being more than 10 days.

I think you can download the form if it's the PFF2 form.

If you can't find it message me with an email address I can send a PDF version we have for our Ukrainian guest

SFE - that all sounds correct apart from your second daughter, my husband and I have different accounts, which I think is still required, it's seven years since we registered. So then our DC, with their own accounts, are linked to each of ours after updating their claim each year. We have had three students, with two at once for a while. You only need to give your financial information once each year.

However, we had to go through the in year assessment process last year and that was a bit more problematic, sorted in the end, it was SFEs error, despite being told on the phone they never make errors.

Hi all, lovely to hear you've all had good summers. We too have enjoyed having DS home, we're back a week now from two weeks in France and since we've been home he's been working quite long days familiarising himself with some of the content for year 2 and going back over some of the stuff from year 1 he didn't feel he quite mastered. I'm really pleased he is as obviously his marks do need to be better this year.

He still doesn't have a house sorted for next year! They have however made an offer on a maisonette in Hammersmith so 🤞

I think like your dd @Majaso12 he was just exhausted when he first came home and needed to rest. He seems ready to get back to it now although is in London this weekend staying with friends and going to Notting Hill Carnival plus some art thing at Greenwich with artificial fireflies. Love that he's making the most of capital living 😊.

@Pumpkintopf. Hopefully he’ll get the maisonette in Hammersmith. How many will he be sharing with? Dd is going to be staying in Evelyn Halls and waiting to find out which floor her room is. She’s hoping she doesn’t get the ground floor again.

She said she wouldn’t be able to look at year 2 content yet for her course, she doesn’t know what she’ll be studying.

She’s going on holiday with her bf and his family in 2 weeks time for a week. She’s going back to London a few days after that for a friend’s party who’s on her course. She’s staying in a house which another girl’s dad has bought for her and she’s renting it out! There are definitely people there with a lot of money!

@Majaso12 oh yes, for sure!! DS has a few friends like that too.

He'll be in a house of four, including him and his gf. They'll have their own rooms so despite the worry of what happens if that all goes horribly wrong hopefully it'll be ok-ish! They seem solid at the moment so we'll see.

Makes a change for physics to be ahead of any of the other departments at Imperial with anything but they have released all the lectures and problem sheets for year 2 so DS has been working through those. It's really nice to hear him say he feels like he's understanding it fully - because he's able to take the time to do it properly without the time pressure!

@Pumpkintopf. Dd is surprised the lectures are already released. Is that new lectures and problem sheets for the year 1’s going in to year 2 or old ones being re-released? She said they won’t be for her course and she doesn’t think so for her bf’s course.

Thanks @SeasonFinale I did see it on the website but I asked them for a hard copy as too many pages to fill out.

Really lovely to hear everyone's updates. Ds1 has checked and his new timetable isn't up yet nor any lectures or info on year 2 to get a head start on.

Ds2 got his GCSE results last week and did incredibly well but was disappointed that one subject where he usually achieves 9s was an 8. I hate grade 9s that make them think that an A⃰ equivalent grade isn't good enough. He is still feeling the sting but we are very proud of him. He starts sixth form next week doing computer science, economics, maths and further maths.

Ds1 will be taking up his tenancy shortly but not moving in, just dumping a lot of his stuff there, getting the layout of his room and then moving in 2 weeks later the weekend before term starts. I feel like summer has just flown by. It has been lovely having him back home and he and Ds2 are making dinner tonight like old times.

It is my FIL's birthday this weekend so the family are coming over and I am making a cake as usual. My lovely and very much missed MIL would always make him a cake and I took on that role after she died. That was 8 years ago. It is gutting that both my beloved Mum and MIL have missed the children growing up and seeing the amazing people they have become. I might be slightly biased in my opinion of them though.

Love hearing about your wholesome family @BenchOfCompany . DH and I are working out what to do about our DD14. She starts year 10 next week. Her brothers have been tutoring her all summer as she didn't do very well in her core subjects at the end of year exams. Not sure if there is a learning difficulty or she just doesn't care ......... plus there is all this teenaged attitude. She is hardly at home and doesn't want to come anywhere with us ......