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

UPDATE* Dropped DS off at Warwick. The whole process was so smooth from start to finish. The biggest surprise of the day was that DS has been allocated a disability room..it is huge! (perhaps this is what everyone who gets disability is allocated?) I though we were in the wrong room but nope, its all his. DH thinks they must n ot have a wheelchair user for the room so they just put DS in. Beautiful views from his bedroom window, lauderette about 3 doors down from his room as is kitchen. Radiators already on and large kitchen warm and cosy with tons of cupboard and drawer space..did I mention he has a double bed???? or perhaps is a small double but still.. i had to bring the brand new mattress topper back home as its a single. By the time we left there was some lovely boys in the kitchen and girl all charting and welcomed DS as soon as he poked his round with a cheer. We knew it was time to go.

I hope everyone else's drop-offs went swimmingly well. Now it's just staring at the empty bed.

@Volterra I know and I know this is absolutely the right thing for her, I wouldnt want it any other way. But I know though life will never be as it was and that it still be lovely but different. She has just text to say everybody is so nice so at least that is a good start, she was very nervous of meeting her new flat mates.

@TangoWhiskyAlphaTango it sounds as if you have been through a lot of change recently and it must be very difficult. End of an era and it went so flipping quickly. That’s really positive that everyone is nice.

@Shimy so glad it went smoothly and sounds like a big result on the room front. I shall be confronting the empty bed as soon as possible tomorrow as find it better to get it over Witt but that’s just me .

@Volterra Glad your went smoothly as well. We've already had news that DS has lost his room key but been issued a new one free. Thank good ness. Good luck to all of them.

@Shimy , DS is tomorrow. Not long now.

@Volterra Sorry I thought it was today. Lots of luck for tomorrow, wish we could all go out and have a meal after all the drop offs to put a face to all the lovely supportive posters here.

That would have been lovely @Shimy . Really glad DS’s key was sorted quickly, DS has a magnet on his radiator when away and puts key on that.

Evening all! @HoneyDaze welcome!

Pleased to hear drop offs went well, @Shimy that sounds lovely, both the room and the flatmates!

@TangoWhiskyAlphaTango I think DD has chatted to mini Tango this evening, and sounds like all is going well. Good to hear it went smoothly and have a big hug from me.

We have "a big taxi" booked for 11.
@Volterra maybe we'll see each other across a huge bag containing a duvet!

DD has spent a lot of today tracing her new friends on Snapchat. "oooh X is over in Boots" "oooh Y is on the move! She's from near Manchester but is now on the road heading down to Bath" etc etc. So joyous to listen to. Then in Boots "muuuuum, that's A and B off my course, the one who didn't have a duvet" as two lovely young fellas go by.

Bath is absolutely buzzing this weekend (DD said "if it's always like this then city accommodation must actually be great) I feel almost drunk on the atmosphere myself (and I've had a coke with my pizza, that's all!) Families, mums and their daughters, lads and their dads. And the camaraderie is great. Every time we get in the lift with another bag, there's someone already there with an equal one and everyone smiles in that "I know where you're going" way.

Went to Sainsbury's which was like Christmas Eve. Didn't have any bags for my Click and Collect and the queue in-store was a mile long but a lovely lady got me some out of her car boot. People seem genuinely very lovely everywhere.

@Volterra Could you explain about the magnet again (sounds like a fab idea\1) how does it work...when he is going 'out' he puts his key on a magnet on a radiator where? i bought him the 'Tile' key ring thing so he can always find his keys but couldn't get his eye onto it before we left.

@Geamhradh Your description of Bath, made me 🤔it was ds's insurance, but he loves Warwick. I guess Coventry town doesn't compare.

@Shimy I'm not very coherent tonight sorry! When I said when he was away I meant away from home during 6th form rather than out of the accommodation. The magnet doesn't really help apart from when he was in his flat, just meant he didn't leave it somewhere randomly in the flat.

@Geamhradh sadly I can't come tomorrow as someone needs to stay with the dog who hasn't been well. DS is in City accommodation so you probably won't see DS and DH with the duvet bag (slight panic earlier when couldn't find duvet earlier!). Have warned DH he may need to queue in Sainsburys! Hoping i can get to Bath in a few weeks time, it isn't far from here.

So lovely your DD has been chatting to people
. Onr of DSs flat mates seems to be at the flat already, not sure how that worked exactly as thought it was 1-4pm tomorrow but he kindly has provided a picture of the toilet for someone else so I have at least seen a picture of that which feels a bit random!!

So glad drop offs are going well .
DS’s kitchen seems to be a social hub for the whole building 😅 and he’s already met up with a school friend so I’m feeling optimistic. Room nowhere near as yours @Shimy !!! But Warwick was looking lively yesterday evening .

Good luck @Geamhradh , hope taxi arrived on time and all is well 🙂

Good luck to those moving in today and to those who have moved into Warwick.

@Shimy DS room sounds amazing no wonder he was pleased! DD room was very bijou but she was happy enough with it thankfully.

She has already rang me this morning saying she needs earplugs! I told her to take some as she is a light sleeper. I think they were partying long into the early hours last night and she is feeling rough today. 😅

@Geamhradh Thank you and best of luck for today I am sure she will love it and DD is very much looking forward to meeting her xxx

@TangoWhiskyAlphaTango , shame I didn’t read that earlier. I could have sent DS with some for her as I ordered some and was very surprised to find loads in the packet 😀

We are in town having some lunch- I can pick up some earplugs (might get some for DD too!)

All smooth so far, room is small, but with lots of storage space. A boy from DD's course is next door to her and is lovely- he was the only one not to have a sticker on a food cupboard while a cheeky fucker has baggsed 2 so they're going to have fun sorting that out. Some of the kids moving in seem to have brought enough food for the term!

Off to M&S for a "nice" pillow. The one that came with the pack is very foam-basic but was v cheap.

Is DS in @Volterra ?

Hi there, We dropped dd at Warwick yesterday. She's in Cryfield Standard Halls. We travelled by coach and used Unikitout to order stuff to her room. It was there when we arrived but the duvet and pillow we ordered were missing! Luckily the very nice staff in her Halls reception had some to lend her. They said to contact Unikitout and ask them to send the duvet and pillow we ordered and it'll be delivered to her room.

When we got off the coach at Coventry we popped to a Sainsburys to buy dd some food to tide her over. Then got a bus to the campus. My preference would be catered halls. But you can't tick every box in a uni I guess and dd liked a lot of aspects of Warwick.

Dd's younger sister and I stayed over in Coventry last night in a Premier Inn. I showed her the cathedral and shopping area as she didn't come on the open day and offer day dd1 and I attended.

For freshers week dd has booked a tour of Coventry and Leamington Spa and a woodland walk on campus. Also a party. I'm looking forward to hearing which societies she joins. She was interested in Minecraft and French societies when we looked round before. (She did French A level.)

Dd said she was talking to people in the kitchen last night and said today it's going well. She's doing Biological Sciences. Hope she settles in well and finds friends. I told her before we went that it can take a bit of time to settle in.

The coach is currently driving through Kensington and I'm admiring the beautiful Victorian flats we are passing!

@Geamhradh had message from DH to say he is about to leave. He had to park on double yellows to unload then find another space after 30 mins away, said parking and traffic awful. But he is in. Really glad it went smoothly for DD.

@LimeTreeGrove that’s great she said it is going well.

Gosh this thread got busy again!
We're home now after another long drive, tbh getting out of Bath this morning was the worst part.
Hello @MrsGethinJones my DS is also in Quads, or Harry Potters Cupboard as we now call it. He seems really happy with it though, but God those rooms are tiny.
@Volterra @TangoWhiskyAlphaTango we did have a very nice meal at The Architect last night, can thoroughly recommend it, nice food & lovely friendly staff. It felt very strange leaving him at the bus stop after while we went back to the hotel. One of his flatmates is on his course so he'll have at least one person to chat too from the off.
I'm ok so far, no tears yet but a bit of a wobble when I went into his room to turn the radiator off (I'm not made of money).
Anyway fingers crossed they all settle in quickly and any problems are small ones.

Another Bath drop off yesterday. DS is in Eastwood and was mostly happy with the surprise mini fridge in his room! Bizarrely there are only shared freezers in the kitchen but they all have mini fridges in their room.

When we got in the room we realised his bed frame was broken and were very impressed that he had a whole new bed frame within two hours. Very efficient.

He has met his whole house of 24 and knows most names. They all had drinks together last night and several of them went over to meet his girlfriends flat in Westwood. We took them out for lunch today and both seemed happy with plans to go into town this evening.

All a very positive start. Several tears from us but managed to keep it together in front of DS. I do love the atmosphere of Bath, it’s such a a lovely city.

Slightly miffed to see pictures of Eastwood rooms on WIWIKAU fb page which are all larger than DS’s and with a sink. And cost exactly the same 😬. Thankfully he is happy enough but I can’t help feeling he got a rough deal room wise. I need to get over this as he’s happy enough and likes his housemates but it is still slightly irksome.

That would hack me off a bit too @278Newnames
@MillicentFaucet the Architect looks lovely, will put that on my list. 4 in his flat with 2 bathrooms which I thought wasn’t bad. He has met his other 3 flatmates very briefly and said one seemed pretty decent. The bus times this morning doesn’t work with his meeting so he is going to walk to campus . Hope that isn’t always the case as he has paid for the bus pass.

S1 has his timetable now so he's booked his flight home for Christmas without any input from me at all! We chatted earlier & he was gabbling away about all the stuff he's up to with his flatmates this week. Looks like my fears of him not socializing much are unfounded😏
Is everyone else settling in ok?

@278Newnames My DD room at Westwood is teeny tiny but she seemed happy with it.

@MillicentFaucet Good to hear he is settling in. Did you hear all about the club night last night? DD went and really enjoyed it but said today she is shattered and her flat mates have all had a quiet day. They are off to a quiz night tonight and she tells me she is not missing home at all, I take that as a good sign 😁

@Geamhradh Hope you are ok and leaving DD wasnt too hard. Thinking of you x