University 2019/20 intake: next steps (some still students but many now graduates)

[LouisCatorze]

Previous thread

I agree re gap years. Although DD is working, it is really a gap year between an undergraduate degree and a masters. Although, if her personal tutor doesn't get back to her in time in might be a gap two years.

I'm sure DS would be up for a gap year, but his newish gf seems quite mature and they are talking about getting a flat together once he has finished uni. Unfortunately that is expected to be where she is, rather than where he currently is, which would lose him the job he has now. I will chat to him about this when I can, as she is doing her Masters and will be finished in August, but doesn't yet have a job either. It doesn't seem logical to plump for a location before securing a job, though there will be more opportunities in Manchester.

@simbobs it can be a real issue with being in a serious(ish) relationship at such a young age, don't you think? DS may well have the same dilemma when he decides where to do his Masters versus where his g/f ends up working now she's finished her MSc.

@RampantIvy thanks for the tip about contacting the personal tutor re getting an academic reference. Have just advised DS accordingly.

DD managed to ring the tutor at lunchtime. As DD only spoke to her once during the three years she was there she didn't even know who DD was, and she can't access DD's records.

However, DD had had the foresight to download her transcript, and save the log in details to access it online. The tutor said she was happy to act as referee, so DD will email her academic record and send in her application.

This is the downside of university, especially courses with a large cohort. The tutors and lecturers don't know the students and they can't build up a rapport with each other.

That's useful (although also frustrating!) to know @RampantIvy . I recall that on DS's uni account dashboard, there was something specifically for requesting or flagging that you'd like one of your tutors to provide a reference. Knowing DS though, he won't have activated it before he completed his degree.

How are our young people doing? DS hasn't been offered either of the jobs he had interviews for which is disappointing but he is really enjoying his final year so we are advising him not to stress too much about employment but to concentrate on his dissertation and final exams ... and having a good time for the last couple of terms. We have the graduation ceremony date.

Scary to think it will all be over in a few months. Overall he's had a great experience and made some lovely friends and played a lot of cricket.

My DD not sure what she wants to do next year. Wants to do an MSc but her 3rd year marks were really bad due to illness so at the moment looks like a barrier to her being accepted onto a course. We've said the same though... concentrate on dissertation and exams and enjoy the year. Also got graduation date but not because DD has told us - we looked it up on website. I think there's a lot of stress in the house at the moment so she's come home for a week to get fed and watered and also to do a senior dinghy instructor course during the weekends either side of her week at home. Not sure how she fits it all in.

My DS has already done the exams and is now on the final stretch with written assignments. He has been finding the work a lot harder this term and has had to give up his paid work to be able to spend a more appropriate amount of time on his studies. It seems that he is finally getting the hang of being a student! He has started looking at jobs but has already decided that he and his gf want to get a flat together in Manchester (where she will be based as she has a job lined up) so that means that he is limiting his search there. I'm waiting until he submits his final piece of work before even thinking about graduation.

@simbobs, sounds like he’s growing up and being a bit responsible! 👏🏼

@chocolatenutcase, fingers crossed for your DD - a good diss and exams marks might swing it?

@Ragwort, it might be easier to focus on the jobs once he’s graduated?

DS has been working so hard on applications for Summer Vacation schemes at Law firms - he has got to the final Assessment Centre stage for 7, I think. Been offered 2, waiting to hear from 3, couldn’t do one as a date clash. So proud of him - it has been a slog, and it’s not even the Training Contract stage yet, but he’s shown great perseverance and resilience.

DD is still enjoying her pharmacy job, in spite of being shouted at by aggressive patients and customers.

She has applied for a masters and is awaiting the result of her interview.

@RampantIvy I work in healthcare and sometimes it seems the whole population is shouty and aggressive. I think it comes from being promised everything by our lovely politicians and the reality is it's not possible to provide it.
@bigTillyMint sounds like the hard slog doesn't stop after Uni. Well done on your DS his resilience.

I hope the the final exams and assessments go well for your DSs @Ragwort and @simbobs. Have to say I've done nothing more re the graduation date other than note it incase I needed to book time off work. Let's see how finals go!

Sorry to hear that your DD is having to deal with stroppy people @RampantIvy. Unfortunately, it's prevalent in any customer-facing role. People seem to be increasingly intolerant too, so possibly getting more prevalent?

Well done to your DS @bigTillyMint . Fingers crossed that he gets a training contract too.

@chocolatenutcase it sounds as if your DD is doing the right thing coming home for some respite from final-year tensions. Hopefully her senior dinghy instructor course will offer a welcome distraction too.

Good luck to all of those young people with the 'final push' ahead of them.

On the subject of what our young people are doing next, DS was shocked to discover there's a fee (£80) attached to applying for some Masters courses which seems like a bit of a rip-off. Perhaps there needs to be a post-grad equivalent of the UCAS process that could be implemented, given how many are pursuing post-grad study nowadays.

Anyone still following this thread?

I'm here.

DD's masters application was unsuccessful. It was very competitive. There were only 25 places for the 100 people who got through to the interview stage.

She will either continue at her job for another year, apply for a masters with a January start or make a late application. Either way she is at a bit of a crossroads just now.

I'm still vaguely following.

Dd is enjoying her job and is more relaxed than she's been for a few years-mostly due to no exams which she doesn't cope with the pressure brilliantly. Most of the pressure though comes from herself so very hard to remove.
She's discovered the delights of choosing her own holiday (gone with her boyfriend on holiday this week) as well as the horrors that she does only get 28 days and not 2 months of summer holidays.

DS is still doing his niche job, but getting into the zone of applying for a 'proper job'. He's decided not to do a Master's in the coming academic year as he's not 100% sure what to do.

Good luck to the young people completing their degrees this summer.

I’m here 👋🏻

DD moving on/up from her first job next month (within sane public sector organisation) so b happy! Still can’t afford to move out though despite (small) pay rise 🙄

I thought it would be nice to have a round up of where they have ended their undergrad careers, but didn't want to talk to myself. Shame for your DD @RampantIvy but I'm sure that the right solution will present itself in time and she will have a chance to rest and decompress.

I have better news from DS. Despite the mess he initially made of his 3rd year with the not quite deferral that some of you may recall he has actually finished his degree and to my utter astonishment applied for a job straight away (I thought he would muck about for the summer and apply after that). That ended up with him doing interviews and an assessment centre with an agency dealing with sales & marketing jobs who have guaranteed to find him a graduate job within a couple of weeks. He has had 3 interviews, 1 job offer and will have two 2nd interviews in the next 2 days. He wants the one he is going to tomorrow, and it will be a massive feather in his cap if he gets it. I really can't believe it. If I'm honest, I think half the impetus was in not wanting to move back home, which he is not planning to do (moving in with gf until her tenancy ends in August) - though we will be housing a lot of his stuff for the foreseeable.

Well done @simbobs ds!

I'm still here. DD had her final exam today but she's really sad that there are no more (even though she described it as horrific!). She's been rejected from all the MScs she applied for but I'm sure she'll do something interesting. After a rocky 3 years at Uni and an awful third year, she's eventually had a 4th year where she's enjoyed the academic work, had a social life, gone on holiday with friends, been part of Uni societies. It's been good so I'm very thankful.
Good to hear what everyone else is up to.

Gosh, I had no idea that it was so hard to do Masters is that only the case in science? I do recall that there used to be a weeding out of students that only wanted to do it as they didn't have a job at one time.

Well done to your DS @simbobs. I remember that you were tearing your hair out about him last year.

It depends on the subject. DD applied for physician associate, which is an accelerated masters allied to medicine and is very competitive, but not quite as cometitive as medicine.

Commiserations to your DD @chocolatenutcase. What did she apply for?

Mine is still in NZ. He's struggling to find work though. He managed 7 days on a sheep farm...then walked. He was trimming hooves and shearing, bending all day, 12 hours a day with an hour for lunch and 7 days a week. I thought he'd struggle with that one.
He had a bar/restaurant job for a couple of months until the end of the summer and tourist season. But can't find anything at the moment. Also been WWOOFing on a bee farm, he really enjoyed that. He has bought a car too, so that is helping him get about. I know he's dreading coming home as dh will want him to get s job straight away. He's not quite halfway through his year, if he sticks it out.

@RampantIvy she applied for some hard quantum theoretical physics MSc with the ultimate aim of a PhD. Unfortunately her 3rd year results were so dire with her being so ill that her transcript looks awful. She'll probably apply again next year if she gets a high enough grade.
Sorry to hear about your DD. Encourage her to keep applying. PA posts are being expanded all the time that I suspect there will be more places available year on year. Life experience definitely helps when it comes to consultations so another year working is no bad thing.
@simbobs brilliant news about your DS.

Well done and fingers crossed for your DS @simbobs - just goes to show they all develop at different speeds!

Congrats to your DD too @VanCleefArpels. My DD is on her last placement on her grad scheme and looking to start applying for the next step. We have both DC living at home - so much for an empty nest!

I too am shocked that they couldn’t get onto MSc’s - I guess more niche science degrees are tricky? No probs for DD getting onto her MSc nearly 3 years ago, but Policy rather than science.

@icanbewhatiwant, where abouts is your DS? My DH grew up in NZ and we have been twice as loads of friends there as well as the beautiful countryside, etc!