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

@Eightytwenty All DD has told me about her summer plans is that she will not be spending them at home!! She is off skiing at Easter so i am wondering when I will ever see her again?! I think she can get the keys to her rental in July so not sure if she will stay in Bath. One of the lads she will be living with does not have a good home life and was in halls most of Xmas so he is planning to move straight in so at least there will be somebody else in the house. I think it is all a bit up in the air at the minute. Her job at the rugby club is only when there are fixtures so not many shifts which suits her for now.

DD is saving some of her loan to put towards next years extortionate rental prices as it will be 3k more than halls and thats even with bills 😫

*without

I love hearing everyone’s news!

I’m not sure what DD will do for the summer. She has a few irons in the fire for work experience and a job interview for a decent summer job. Not sure she can fit it all in, or even make the job interview in London mid-week.

Getting efficiently and cost effectively back and forth between London and St Andrews is not easy. Even worse with train strikes, etc.

She is really throwing herself out there, at least on the jobs/career front. She is more reserved socially. She is friendly with some other students but is not in a social whirl, has not met the love of her life, etc. She is moving at her own pace and seems content. (I was the total opposite!)

Do keep the news coming about all your DC’s triumphs, exploits and adventures. It’s wonderful to hear about.

That sounds very positive @Stockpot - especially if she can find something relevant to her future career. Fingers crossed she can get back for the interview & gets the job! No idea how or when DS will get anywhere close to that. Trips to the union or the pub seem to be main motivations.

Hellooo !! So lovely to hear your updates .. gosh we went through that Cambridge wringer didn't we?! Can't believe how far away that seems .. DD loving LSE.. she's met a group of lovely friends and really enjoying her course .. summer is a mix of work and travel in Europe ( I'm jealous) I'm in the ramp up to GCSEs at the moment .. please keep your news coming..!!

Like others I have no idea of summer plans just been told she's not coming with us !

Hello you lovely lot!
Mine is fine, though as @TangoWhiskyAlphaTango may have heard, is part of the 200 strong cohort at Bath left with no cooking facilities for 10 days culminating in the light and heating also going and them being evacuated to the library at midnight. 24 hours before her exam. Tiger Mother sprang and am now on close terms with heads of departments, vice chancellors, pro Vice chancellors and a woman called Imogen who writes for the local paper 😂
I put her in a hotel the night before the exam.
They're now all OK and have a rent rebate and £100 credit at the campus supermarket.
She's a bit pissed off that everyone she knows has now gone home again for a week (seems bloody stupid to me having them back for two weeks then giving them another week off, I think she'd have stayed here if she'd known) But she's going to go off and visit some nearby towns she's never been to like Oxford etc.
All is good, she loves university, house sorted for next year.
She'll be working at my residential summer course again this summer, we have a holiday to Austria after that. I think she'll probably go away with her friends either from here or there at some point.
Lovely to hear all your news. I am so glad we aren't going through all that again 😂

Brilliant to hear such great news from everyone. It does seem so long ago now.

I'm also going through the exam mentalness - DS2 is sitting Highers (Scotland). He is NOT a DS1 in any way, shape or form 🙈. I was totally hands off with DS1: this ones needs led to water and made to drink 🤣. I'm exhausted with it and we're not even in February 🙄

Thank God he's not applying to university until 2024. Phew.

@Geamhradh thats terrible. Poor DD. Glad it’s sorted. DS has had a few bouts of broken heating, broken washing machines (which when they fix they give them free washing) and a shower room where you can have hot water or a light on which seems dodgy.

@puff Higher prelims here. DS2 suddenly motivated and got a reasonable bag of results. But not as in his mind high enough to apply for Oxbridge - glad not to be thinking about that. Still will be competitive especially as some Scottish universities are now trying to boost the odds for deprived kids (which of course is quite right).

Same here, prelims were before Xmas and he did well. Report card yesterday suggests quite a few teachers think he could do much better (story of his life!), but we're waiting on an adhd diagnosis (for the past 18 months 🙄) and I don't think that can be underestimated in terms of his focus and getting a bit overwhelmed.

He despises English, but luckily that's my subject and I'll drag his arse through it 🤣. When he's stressed he just does Maths because he's brilliant at it😀. Why, oh why, do I have 2 children who both shun creativity in favour of bloody numbers and formula?🤣

@Geamhradh Noooooo I had not heard that! DD block must have been unaffected otherwise she would have said. What a nightmare right on top of exams!! Glad she got sorted and the £100 bonus is nice....still though not good at this time of year. DD isnt coming home either for the week and yes they seem to have had a lot of time off, no lectures yet and it is Feb this week 😵They finish early June so 3 months off over summer, DD will need to get some planning in for it otherwise she will be very bored. All I am seeing is her partying at the minute but I think is because exams are over so cannot blame them for letting their hair down, she is newly single and seems to be enjoying that aspect of life too 😭

Actually having DS apply this year to non competitive Unis has been a dream. Submit UCAS application and offers within a week or two, so simple and easy. The difference in stress levels compared to the C process is amazing, I don't think my nerves could cope with it again.

@Geamhradh wow, had not heard about that. That is shocking that it went on that long.
DS went back for exams but is now home again for the week. He is very settled in Bath but his gf from home also went to Bath so he has not been as out of his comfort zone as many others. House for next year now all sorted and signed, a bit further out than I would want but he’s happy and with a decent group.

www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/local-news/university-bath-students-sleeping-library-8079670?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target

Fame at last 😂

How funny! Shame we didn't see a sad face picture though I'm very disappointed 😂

Name change fail from me again 😩

Hello All

Just bumping this as there is a thread asking for info about Bath , and specifically about IR at Bath, which some of you might want to help the OP with!

Hello! I’m truly delighted to hear how brilliantly everyone’s DC is doing regardless of the oxbridge outcomes last year.
I’m invading your thread briefly as I know there’s a few of you with DC at Bath and there’s nothing like inside info
@TangoWhiskyAlphaTango @MillicentFaucet @278Newnames @Geamhradh

I’d love to know your thoughts as DD is likely firming Bath (insuring York) with the hope of reading Business. She’s an offer holders day on Wednesday and I wondered if you/your DC wish you’d asked certain questions or have any advice? Also any input regarding campus residences pros & cons? She’s happy to share a bathroom (but would prefer sink) and to self cater. Thank you!

@NotDonna DS loves Bath. (He also loved York when we visited but the course there wasn’t right for him). Bath and York have a similar vibe at cities but I understand that York Uni has a more diverse ‘arty’ crowd than Bath as Bath only does STEM subjects really.

There aren’t any questions we wish we had asked but I also went to Bath so know the city well and knew the university well. Obviously things have changed massively since I was there but the ethos and ‘feel’ is the same as it was. I loved my time there.

DS is in one of the cheaper accommodations and ended up without a sink which he was disappointed with. In the end he doesn’t really care as he is next door to the bathroom. He also stays in his girlfriends flat a lot, who does have a sink.

Bath has the problem of second year accommodation being expensive and costs in the city being high but I would imagine York is similar as a touristy city too. My perception is that Bath has a larger centre but that may be just beciause I know it better.

Anyway, no regrets here.

Thank you @278Newnames so pleased he’s still doing well. Yes I’ve heard the city is expensive. 2nd & 3rd year accommodation will be further complicated as DD’s course has a 6 month placement in each of year 2 and year 3. I’ve heard Bath puts 2nd years and 3rd years in touch with each other so they can share the year long housing contracts. I guess that means flatmates need to be on the same course too. Sounds complicated but I’m sure they’ll explain at offer holders and it’s all good.

@NotDonna yes the placement timing can be an issue. However, certainly in year 2 the business students have placements at the opposite half of the year to architecture students. So next year DS will be living with an architecture student for the first half of the year and then she is reassigning her room to a business student for the second half. All have met and agreed. This seems to not be unusual.

@NotDonna Hello! I am not sure re open day, has she been to the Uni before? I always think asking the students questions is the best representation of the course / Uni experience and having a really good walk around campus. DD open day wasnt the best one we went to (not knocking it but Nottingham set the bar high), they did sell / push the placement year well but the lecture was a bit drab. Bath vrs Notts for DD Bath had the academic edge and reputation plus she loved the City and that swung it for her. DD has a BF in the year above and he and all his house have all secured placements now for this September so I have found that reassuring, most going to London. The BF showed me the student page that Bath have for placements and some roles are only available to Bath applicants so they have a good chance of securing one unlike some Unis where the onus is very much on the student. He said the Uni have been very supportive and helpful with securing a placement.

DD in Westwood which was second choice, I would try and not get too hung up on accommodation though as it is allocated randomly and many do not get first choice, still good to have an idea of what they like but ensuite rooms are very popular and vvv expensive! We have found first year halls pretty cheap in comparison to other Unis (DS going this year and paying around 2k more for halls in a much cheaper area of the country) but then private rent is £££, no shortage of houses just costly.

Overall she is very happy there, some modules have been boring but that would be with any Uni and any course, not everything will engage them. She has made some really good friends and loves the City and the nightlife is enough to keep her happy. Like @278Newnames she had no regrets at all.

@278Newnames ahh architecture and business students both do the 6 month thing. I was realising yesterday that during the first year they’ll be house hunting, flat mate finding and placement applying as well as usual Uni stuff. Good to know it all seems to work out and not too stressy.
Thanks @TangoWhiskyAlphaTango also great to know there’s no regrets and she’s enjoying it. Of the info she’s read Bath seems the most likely to help students secure placements compared to her other Uni choices. On the business degree I don’t think there is an option to do 3 years without the placements as they’re 6 months yr2 and 6 months yr3, (but I could be wrong) so she’ll just have to be actively looking and applying. They do seem to have good links to industries though.
Although it’s DDs offer holder day on Wednesday I’m delighted she wants me to tag along - I’m quite excited! But reining it in and trying to be ‘beige’ in front of her and not too giddy.

Hello all and @NotDonna
I'm the Italian based one with a namechange 😂

My DD lives currently with a business student (and has snogged another one ) (to my knowledge, obviously there may have been more ahem) and has said that the students with the sandwich years group together for 2nd/3rd year housing for obvious reasons. It's good that they get organised in that way, but DD said the girl she lives with would have liked to live with them, but can't because of this. I guess it means their main friendship base is people on their course.

For the rest: loves it. Party central. Already sad at first year moving towards its end. When I told her on Friday that some of my students had been asking about university life she said "did you tell them about the parties". Hmm.

Definitely don't worry about going to holders' day. As @TangoWhiskyAlphaTango will confirm, when we went last year, hardly anyone didn't have a parent (or even more family members) with them. The tour group DD and I went with had one family with mother, father, sister and sister's friend as well as the boy himself . @278Newnames