OR 2022 - We are no longer rejects. We are parents of fabulous offspring who will do wonderful things

[TangoWhiskyAlphaTango]

Wonderful tongue in cheek title thread by he words of @ eightytwenty.

Soooooo our thread started out back in March 2022 when our dc were Oxbridge wannabes. After thousands of posts by their nervous Mums, nail biting, discussing applications, grades, will they get to interview won't they, debates such as private vrs state, the Scottish system, then some got rejected and some had interviews and entrance assessments then much more nail biting and eating and drinking a lot and a loooong wait over Xmas 2021 the remainders were then rejected. Then more nail biting for offers to come in from the competitive Unis they had applied to with some ending up with only one or two options - our Covid Kids had it tough.

Finally May came and their actual A-levels then the brutal wait for results. I don't think I can recall any of our DC not getting their first choice?

Lots of DC off to top Unis and achieving the best grades in the land. My DD is off to Bath to do Politics and IR and I am incredibly proud of her, she is a grafter not naturally super clever but loves to learn and god I am going to miss her but she is ready and so I happy for her 😥

So please carry on our lovely supportive thread so we can see where their journeys take them.

TWAT x

DD is home for study week. She’s out and about enjoying being home. She’s visiting friends at London unis and will visit her bf at Cambridge and a few acquaintances there.

She seems to know a lot of people at St Andrew’s now. The academic workload is very manageable at the moment. So, not a bad start.

Thanks for asking @Eightytwenty. We haven’t been able to get him seen by a GP yet as moved recently and he’s having to register at new surgery. Hopefully can be seen soon. Previous GP surgery had awful CQC report and part of it was inadequate monitoring of patients with his condition and not treating blood tests out of normal range adequately, his GP has just had involvement from the GMC.

His deferral has come through and very kindly is backdated to preserve his funding.

Super news on the deferral Volterra. I hope he gets the help he needs and is in a good place to start next Sept.

Glad the others are all enjoying it. DS doesn't get a study/ reading week! Think he'd like that to get ahead a bit, he's doing a shed load of work together with a lot of hours on campus. He's coping well, but it's intense. He is also managing to party a good bit, so it's not all intense!

Good news indeed on the deferral. How horrible that the GP has performed so badly. I hope it gets sorted.

@Stockpot sounds a good reading week.

@Puffalicious I know Glasgow started a bit later. Wonder if you’ll finish earlier too.

Good question Eightytwenty. I think he said he gets at least a month at Xmas. He's glad as can work a bit more (airport, so busy then but no shifts at all Jan/ Feb) and do lots of prep for term 2.

@Volterra Happy to hear he has Uni sorted and hope he can get his medical condition stabilised - sounds like he is in the best place.

Interesting to hear about the workload. DD is finding it slow going at the minute. I think she was expecting A-level style pressure but it isnt at all and she feels she has little direction, to the point she was questioning the course. I have told her to try and relax and go with the flow, that it will be very different to A-levels (but hell what do I know I am a nurse). She loves her halls and has made a solid group of friends which is a relief. I am off to visit her this weekend and am looking forward to seeing her and giving her a big hug.

Enjoy your dc being home for the week, DD back on 5th Nov for the week but I think she is more excited to see the cat than me!

Hello all!
@Volterra Sorry to hear about DS but he has done absolutely the right thing. Mental well-being is more important than any university course and so sorry that ds didn't get the right care from his original GP. DD lives with a couple of Maths students at Bath and says their workload is phenomenal compared to hers, the stress of which must be very difficult on top of other things.
@Eightytwenty so lovely to hear that your boy is home and happy with his new mates!

It's taken DD a while to truly bond with her housemates- but she's been to the nightclub with a handful of them a couple of times, and they had a house girls' night out this week so Mum is feeling happier. She's joined lots of things and been taken on as a volunteer language assistant for the optional language courses and just started her training for that.

My one "wtf" to be honest is the lack of actual work/lectures etc. Agree totally with your comments @TangoWhiskyAlphaTango One completely free day, a handful of lectures in the week (but can be counted on two hands with fingers to spare) I know humanities is like this, but in all honesty I did expect her days to be a bit more full. There's a bit of reading, but nothing much apparently. This of course impacts on them getting to know each other on a personal level, though she's been out a few times with a couple of people on the course- though these were people she'd already bonded with in the WA chats. DD hasn't said anything, and I haven't asked, it's been more me thinking quietly to myself that had I known, I may have pointed this out to her and maybe suggested she look at courses with not quite so much empty space. Agree too re the difficulty-obviously she's coming at everything without having been through the UK A level system but would agree with MiniTango- at the moment it seems very easy compared to school.

I am going to Bath on the 7th. Was pleased to have dd say "but, er, what will you want to do here?" which shows she's not desperate to see me! Was laughing at my weirdness with a friend on Saturday, I said dd had seen my "goodnight" WA message at 3.30am so I was happy that she'd obviously been out somewhere (in town at a club apparently) and my friend was "ermagerd, I wouldn't have been"

@Geamhradh So glad it's not just Dd it was at the point last week. where she really didn't know if the course was for her and had a wobble. Thing is she thrives on pressure, it motivates her and this isn't at the minute. Will it come when they have looming exams / essays? Maybe the first year is like this then it gets more intense? With A-levels they knew they had to retain & revise what they are being taught but here she doesn't know what she needs to learn I have told her to hold out and it will get better - she doesn't hate it but it's not been the experience she expected so far (but obv very early days). Hope you enjoy your trip!

@Geamhradh DD has a few shifts booked in now at the rugby club and is reading lots. Doesn't help that some of her flat mates are the opposite & overwhelmed with work - it's not what I / she expected from the Uni but hopefully it'll pick up!

TWAT and Geamhradh Intetesting to see your perspective. I did an Arts course (many, many moons ago) and it was lightish on contact time in first year, but I remember it being robust with lots of reading (English, so books were sort of the point 😆). It seems strange.

DS is indeed doing Maths and has a LOT of work: lots of hours contact (lectures, tutorials and labs) ; huge amounts of reading; assignments weekly; skills tests weekly (in both Maths and Stats, which he needs a minimum of 75% in) and he says the difficulty content is high, despite him doing Advanced Higher Maths last year. He's coping fine, bit it's certainly robust.

I do hope it picks up for your DC. I do remember being a bit rudderless that first term as I didn't know WHAT I needed to learn to be tested on. It seems not much has changed. I didn't do particularly well in first year, maybe that's why!

Funnily, one of DS's mates from rugby is also at his uni doing Arts (History/ Politics) and is hating it. I felt so sad hearing that.

I’m relieved that other parents are hearing that their humanities students are a bit deflated by the lack of challenge. DD is disappointed and feels patronised.

Oh that's really upsetting. Awful to feel patronised. 😞

@Puffalicious I do remember being a bit rudderless that first term as I didn't know WHAT I needed to learn to be tested on. Yes this hits the nail on the head really just the lack of direction.

@Stockpot Thats sad to hear, I do hope things pick up for them moving forward.

Good news on the deferral @Volterra and I'm rooting for your boy getting medical care the he needs.
Anyone else's DC down with Freshers lurgy? DS has been poorly since the weekend, he's managing to keep up with lectures/tutorials/studio (architecture seems very full-on compared to some other subjects) but has given up on social stuff as he's so exhausted. I feel awful not being able to look after him, I've sent him a care package from Bettys but it's not the same is it?

Thank you all, it isn’t something that should be this hard, I know plenty of people who are with it and are fine but I think it depends on the right dosage to feel ok and that is where he was badly let down by previous GP and I think his mental health is suffering a fair bit as a result along with being a symptom of his physical condition. I think he is now registered with new GP so can hopefully get him seen very soon.

🤞crossed your new GP gets to grips with it. It’s understandable that your DS would feel down about the situation.

Aw Millicent DS had the fresher's lurgy- chest infection within 10 days - he's over that now has a stinking head cold. He's just annoyed at not feeling 100% (don't even ask about the concussion at canoe club🙈).

Your care package would have lifted your DS no end. 🤗

TWAT Stockpot I do hope they have more focus soon.

Nothing like a fat rascal and a bit of parkin to set you right

Love seeing this thread when it fires back up .. and all your updates but I'm sorry to hear @MillicentFaucet about the lurgy..not nice to hear them poorly @TangoWhiskyAlphaTango @Stockpot that sounds very frustrating ... @Volterra you can get a doctors appt ..

@Puffalicious concussion at canoe club ?!

Hi all. DS2 is very settled at Warwick. Don’t hear too much from him though we will be calling to see him next week as will be passing on our way to stay with my mum. He’s joined a load of societies and made lots of friends. Doing lots of sports, and is really happy there. Hope everyone else’s kids are settling in. Going to catch up!

I know, right.🙈..They have an outdoor facility which has a white water area. I think he was a bit out of his depth skilll wise (he's kayaked before but not white water) but decided to go for it (him all over the back- he's very sporty). He had a helmet on, but the way he toppled the very front of his head, above his eye got bashed on the rock.

The first aid was excellent and they wouldn't let him be alone until he got home, then someone had to be with him awake for 4 hours. He shot himself in the foot as no rugby for 2 weeks as well as no canoeing. He's been a bit dizzy on and off, but generally fine.

He's been knocked out before at rugby last year, but he said this has been worse even though he wasn't knocked out.

Just a very DS thing to do. Hasn't stopped him partying, which is the main thing 😆.

Its the right kind of injury @Puffalicious …out trying new things, being active, and not too serious. He does seem to be living life to the full!