University 2019/20 intake: Gearing up to graduation (for some but not all)

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Previous thread

I know that DD’s college doesn’t do gowns. Is that right @bigTillyMint? Or maybe they do for graduation. I’m leaving it all to her.

@Benjispruce5, DS said that he thinks there will be an email in April (maybe when term starts?) about graduation when I asked about tickets - he’s hoping to get an extra one for his gf. DD got an email about hiring gowns and photos about 2months ago IIRC (BSc graduation in 2 weeks), so maybe similar?

I don’t think the No gowns applies to graduation - they all wear gowns for that AFAIK

DD said she could have 3 guests a while back but DD2 on holiday after A levels so will just be 3 of us. Still not sure on gowns for graduation but I do remember her saying Collingwood didn’t do gowns.

Happy Mother’s Day! Just in case you didn’t get one.

I did but both DDs have now had a row so that’s that. Oh , when do they grow up????

Yes there were deffo no gowns for Matriculation (was that what it was called?) but I’m pretty sure there would be for graduation surely. Anyway, will save ££ if not 3 tickets sounds good if his gf wants to come!

Glad it’s not just my house where things arent FB perfect

And further strikes next week, both for dc1 and Dc2...

DS has hurt his shoulder pretty badly at rugby yesterday and ended up in A&E after the match.
He didn't sleep well because of the pain and can't raise his arm more that about 6 inches.
Luckily (!?) it is his left arm and he is right handed so can still write, and he is still covered by our BUPA as he is a full time student so can get physio or whatever treatment he needs.
I've told him to get some ibubrofen, rest it and ice it as there really isn't much more he can do at the moment.
He does need to work out how to get his car back from the rugby field where it got left yesterday!

Bloody rugby!

Just shows what can go wrong doesn’t it @blametheparents thank goodness he’s right handed!
DD is in sunny Malta. They’re staying in a hostel but it’s very swanky. It’s a boutique hostel! Oxymoron or what?

Sounds like she is in the right place @Benjispruce5. I drove through snow, sleet, hailstones and bright sunshine to pick DD up today. Several of her friends were celebrating birthdays and had postponed partying until their dissertations were finished so she has spent the last week partying.

Oooh great! @Benjispruce5

DS has submitted his diss and disappeared off to his gfs
Still 2 essays and 2 exams to go

Oh dear re ongoing strikes at your DC university experience, @Notagardener.

Love the concept of a boutique hostel @Benjispruce5. She's in the right place enjoying milder climes while we all freeze!

@bigTillyMint I could have written your most recent post almost word for word!

DS is due home for a bit from this weekend. I'm a bit worried that he's going to distract DD, when she should be getting into revision mode for her GCSEs (she's had a break for a week and a half, having only finished her second set of mocks very recently).

I met up with Ds this week. He's booked the lab several times over Easter to finish extracting parasites from the mice droppings ready for his dissertation. He didn't catch the 100 mice needed in the end. He's obviously decided he's got enough. He has that to do plus 2 essays to complete by mid April. So he's busy. He is disappointed that he just has 2 lectures online and exams left now. So nothing live. He's been in 3 full days a week since October and really enjoyed it after almost 2 years of online.

He has no idea what to do next. He wants to apply for harvest work in either America or New Zealand, but I think they will want experienced tractor drivers, so I think he might be disappointed. That would only be for 3 months. As for a proper job he really has no idea. 3 of his housemates are staying on for masters, though only one in Norwich. Another has an internship starting sept. the other is joining the RAF. So they all have plans apart from Ds. They are planning 4 weeks in America together in July.

@icanbewhatiwant, tractor driving isn’t hard - I did it when I was 13 in France (on friends farm) I’m sure he would be fine. NZ is a great shout!

@bigTillyMint yes dh is a retired farmer so Ds does have a little tractor driving experience, but dh used to say it's illegal until Ds was 16 so he had to wait till then, whereas most farm dc's are driving tractors much younger. We know quite a few farmers dc's that have done harvest abroad, tractor driving experience is preferred. Plus knowledge of modern technology on the tractors too. Ds has driven old style tractors. Ds said he needs to submit his cv including his tractor or lorry driving experience. So I said just go for it, he's nothing to lose. I know the work is very long hours with not much time off, I can't imagine Ds doing that, but I'm sure the experience would be great. But we will see. I can drive an older style tractor too, I can reverse a trailer on the back too...something Ds never learnt to do.

It sounds like he’ll be ahead of many! @icanbewhatiwant And you too

@bigTillyMint yes...shall I apply too 😂

@icanbewhatiwant it would be a fantastic break from normal life, wouldn't it?

DS came home yesterday. DD had him playing Monopoly within an hour of being in through the door! Having submitted his dissertation successfully, now he has to write a reflective piece on skills acquired doing it! All by Tuesday afternoon. So I'm guessing we're not going to see much of him until that's been submitted!

DS still considering doing a Masters from what he was saying yesterday. He'd better got on with applying for one, I'd have thought!

get not got!

DD is enjoying Malta but she’s still got her diss to finish plus other assignments when she gets back. This trip is lovely but should have been in first year so the timing isn’t great, workload wise. I’m sure she’ll get it all done as aside from this trip, she’s been pretty much glued to her desk since returning.

I like the sound of a few months harvesting. Something therapeutic about driving up and down in straight lines for hours on end. Imagine how many audio books and podcasts you could get through! He could learn a new language while he’s at it.

@Benjispruce4 sounds idyllic and liberating in a strange way.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 yes it probably will be a good break. Ds texted yesterday to say he was really struggling with his essays. He's booked the lab every day next week to work on his extraction of parasites. He says it's very boring, I think the first few times he enjoyed it, but now very repetitive, he is also struggling with motivation. I told him to get on and to think he's almost finished university completely now. I think a lot of jobs in life are repetitive anyway, so he may as well get used to it! Ds and his housemates were meant to going to America in July. But one of them has said he can't afford it, the others don't want to go without him, they are now thinking of going to Cornwall instead. So Ds is very disappointed. We never travel as dh won't fly, so Ds wanted to go abroad. Something else adding to the lack in motivation.

Oh dear that's a pity about the planned trip to America. Cornwall isn't quite the same, so totally understand his disappointment.

I can imagine that a lot of lab work is extremely repetitive. As is a lot of life, really! The problem is that your DS hasn't really got time to pause with getting the parasites extracted now, has he? I guess he just needs to grit his teeth and plough through the pain of getting it done. Writing it up may be comparatively easy, as the research process and results will be very fresh in his mind. Let's hope so.