Another path ....... and it goes on

[chopc]

New thread

@Longtimenewsee Final year of 4, I hope she has a brilliant time.

@Jng1 fantastic news! Well done to him. I have yet to experience Edinburgh Fringe, it is on my list but I do love Edinburgh itself.

@chopc we match again with our children's destinations. What subject is Ds2 studying? Also congratulations to your DD, I love musical theatre.

History again. No idea what direction he wnated to go in the future so he is studying his favourite subject. Can't recall if you have mentioned what your D2 will be doing @BenchOfCompany ?

@chopc Ds1 did computer studies, Ds2 is doing economics so different subjects although Ds2 does love computer science but absolutely hands down loves econ. He has read so many books and watched guest lectures online at different unis. Warwick was his first choice as Durham was for Ds1 so they both got their first choice uni and their first choice accommodation too. Just waiting for the move in dates to open up to book one. I am a planner.

Hello December, where did you come from? I cannot believe how much time has flown. Ds1 is still loving his job. He has a good bunch of work mates and they have nights out together. The company are really looking after all the grads and organising stuff for them too.

We collect Ds2 this weekend for Christmas. He has thoroughly enjoyed his first term, nice clean flat mates thank goodness and loves most of his lecturers although the attitude of some of the students has really shocked him. He was in a lecture and the boy next to him got out his laptop and watched a cricket match on it whilst taking lecture notes on his phone! Ds said, I moved seats when they took a break after an hour as it was incredibly distracting.

He is also in some societies and enjoying that part of uni life too. It is lovely to see him really happy when we facetime him. He is also enjoying the independence of shopping and cooking too.

How is everyone else doing?

I have just been reading back the last few months posts to catch up.
So much has happened for all our children.
Congratulations on graduations, jobs, masters, drama school, university starters and fabulous holidays.

DD1 is in final year at Brown and has her banking grad job in NYC to start in July. It’s what she really wants but it does mean she won’t be moving home or even this side of the Atlantic any time soon.
DD1 and DD2 who is a second year in Columbia were both home for Thanksgiving which was lively. We hadn’t seen them since August.
DD3 is in drama school in France so we went to see her over Thanksgiving.
Back to a quiet house with only 14 year old DS and the dog home with DH and I but we will have them all home again for Christmas in a few weeks.

Hi all. DD just coming to the end of her first term at Oxford. She is having the time of her life. So much better than her UG. She's really come into her own and found her happy place. So much so, she is applying for a PHD. No surprises there really. She has met some wonderful kindred spirits, is working in the best libraries, with some super professors, and has access to all the amazing medieval resources she is so interested in. Spending a lot of time in All Souls which is pretty cool.

Great to hear all the news ! .@BenchOfCompany .. so glad your ds1 is happily settled in his career and doing exactly what he wanted and that first term for your fresher went well also
@ChimneyPot .. wow! Your children are certainly getting out there and experiencing different places. It’s lovely to see that confidence
@KnittedCardi .your daughter sounds like she is indeed living her best life .. long may it continue!
Like knitted’s dd .. I’ve never seen dd so happy . I visited her recently and mentioned it and she said she was “thriving” which made me so happy ( it’s all you want to hear really isn’t it!) . She’s loving her masters year , her research group and her project within it . I think she’s loving the independence but also being part of an exciting team and project and having access to the lab all day. . I think even having her own project budget and her own desk comes into it 🤣
Lots of her friends left after 3 years but she’s made new ones and has a good social life
I’ve no idea what she’s doing of course.. it’s way over my head .
She’s also going for a phd so fingers crossed
Happy Christmas everyone! Hope you all have the best time with all your favourite people. 2024 has been pretty stressful for us as a family so I’m happy to see the back end of it and to get our kids together under our roof for 2 weeks

First time back for ages, lovely to read all the updates. DS2 is doing a five year course, integrated Masters with an additional year in Comp Sci, so still 18 months away from graduating.

Just found this thread again. So lovely to read all the updates, and so great to see everybody doing so well.
DD graduated in the summer, and in October started a graduate role with an international media company. She’s really enjoying corporate life (much to my surprise), and is thoroughly liking not having to do more study.
Its the most relaxed Christmas we’ve had for many years as DD is the youngest of 3 and it’s so lovely that no-one is stressing about exams.
Hiwever, wishing all those still studying the best of luck in upcoming exams/dissertations etc.

So, I came off MN for the last few months, I was getting too involved. Feel so much better after the break.

Since this post, DD applied for her PHD, at the same time her Nan (DH's Mum died), so that was a bit traumatic, just before Xmas too. The last of that generation that we had, very sad.

She got it in, but then was behind with various essays, so and up and down start to the year. She took part in a Varsity match, which was fab. Got her half blue. Didn't get her PHD though, so now she needs to decide what she will do for the next year. A bit of travelling first over Summer, and then a break, hopefully with some paid work, but honestly, she is pretty worn out. At this moment in time she is still of a mind to try and apply for a PHD again. To be fair, most of the PHD'd she has met have been a year or two older, so perhaps that helps.

How is everyone else getting on??

So sorry to hear about your mother in law @KnittedCardi . My mum and dh’s dad very frail now and my dc both very sad to see their beloved gparents struggle so much
Sorry to hear about the PhD disappointment. I’m very glad your dd has had some positives - varsity match sounds fun and the opportunity to travel is never wasted .

My dd has had an interesting journey at uni . She came home after first year stating she didn’t want to go back and seemed burnt out .. then thought she’d ‘take it week by week’ . Second year was an improvement. Suddenly in third year she seemed to really enjoy it and this year (4th year research project) .. she has had a wonderful time! . So happy in the lab! Thoroughly loving and excited by her subject . It’s hard to believe when I think back to how sad she was after year 1 tbh .

She applied for and was lucky to get offer for a fully funded PhD which she has accepted . She’s going abroad for most of the summer . I’m very keen for her to have FUN and blow off some steam ( she has worked every summer since GCSEs )

Would love to hear how others are doing . I hope they are all thriving x

@KnittedCardi So sorry to hear about your MIL and that she was the last of that generation too. We still have both our Dads but not our Mums. They are not as good at chatting as our Mums were.

Has your DD firmed up her travelling plans for summer?

@Longtimenewsee Fantastic that your DD is now loving it and that she is going on to do her PhD too. Ds1's uni experience was just okay, he didn't hate it but he didn't love it either, it was a mixed bag. He does however love his job.

Ds2 is mid first year exams at Warwick and has had the best time. Luckily Ds1 is happy for him and a very supportive big brother, In fact he is gutted that he can't be with us when we collect Ds2 because we need every inch of car space to move all his stuff out. It is adorable.

How is everyone else doing? I realise I need to "watch" this thread to keep an eye on it rather than remembering to come on here.

@BenchOfCompany so glad your ds is loving his job - that must be so reassuring for you. Is he (I recall) living at home and saving to move out ? Glad you have a reprieve and all your babies haven’t moved away yet 😉. Your younger dc sounds like he is having a having a great time at Warwick

@Longtimenewsee yes he is living at home and saving hard. His goal is to move out in about 4 years. He and his brother both have their own study each so a room with all their computer stuff in. Ds1 has a driving rig with steering wheel, a desk to work from, his drum kit and guitar. I am using Ds2's study for my sewing machine whilst he is at uni. It is nice for them to have a place away from Dh and I in the lounge that isn't their bedroom.

I think Ds1 rolled in at 3am from a house party. He was stealth-like so I didn't even wake up. His job is software engineer and he has wanted that sort of career path since year 10.

Madly we did think long term for when we were moving for Dh's last relocation that it had to be somewhere where the children would easily find jobs in the future too. We have lived semi rural in the past and know how hard it was for Dh and I to find new jobs. That way I can try to keep my babies relatively close by.

Sounds like it was a good plan re keeping future jobs in mind when moving @BenchOfCompany and now has the added bonus of your dc hanging around for a bit longer 😊. It’s lovely that your dc get on so well too

@Longtimenewsee they are quite different characters but get along beautifully. I feel very lucky as I do know how siblings can be.

Haven’t posted in a long time. Dd got a 1st in her degree. She won’t get the actual marks for at least 2 weeks, which is annoying.

She’s managed to get a funded PhD at Imperial including a MRes, starting in October I think.

Hope everyone is doing ok.

Just revisiting this thread, hadn’t realised that it was still going!
some of the ‘news’ is a year old but it’s so good to hear what the Dc are up to and all the achievements.

@bendmeoverbackwards - it’s especially good to hear about your Dd and that Bristol worked out very well for her! Thanks too for all your PM advice offered when my Dd was trying to decide on Bristol (I’ve just seen messages going back to 2021!)

Dd graduates in 2 weeks and loved her time at Bristol - made good friends, had a lot of fun and got a good degree.

She’s back home and is considering next steps.

Hi all

Just found this again.

DS graduated last year (also Bristol) and had a Big4 offer which he deferred (remember!) to explore other options. Those were law vacation schemes and direct TC applications of which there were numerous, with numerous rounds of SJT or Watson Glazer tests, video interviews, telephone interviews, zoom interviews, assessment centres (virtual and in person).

And travelling in two areas of the world in-between.

The upshot and most exciting recent news is that he has landed the elusive Training Contract from a US law firm who will be funding his PGDL/SQE and providing a generous maintenance grant. So instead of Big4 role it's now 2 years postgraduate study and then law in the city!!

He is also waiting to hear back from another after final round but the one he has received and accepted is literally his "dream" firm due to them having a department in a fairly niche area he hopes to get into.

Would love to hear any further news you all may have.

Fantastic news @SeasonFinale!

Dd seems to be flirting with the idea of law too, who knows?!

Hi @Maggiethecat I remember our chats about Bristol! Glad your dd had a good time, it’s a great uni.

@SeasonFinale fantastic news, well done to your ds.

Dd is coming to the end of her year working for a youth organisation. She’s a bit panicky because she hasn’t quite figured out the next step yet. She wants to travel (prob Aus) next year.

After shelving the idea of a law career, it’s now back on the table. But is it too late as lots of current students are applying/doing internships etc? She applied for a few things over the last few years but wasn’t accepted (although at one London firm, she got down to the last 30 from 900 applicants).

@bendmeoverbackwards Mine did a few applications in final year at uni but then this year "numerous" applications treating it as a full time job when in the UK.The one he landed was one of 5 from over 5000 applications! But you just need the one. Another he got to 16th from 3000 where they took 15!

It's worth another round maybe to not have to fund the postgraduate element themselves if its what they want to do.

Hello everyone! It’s been a while! Lovely to hear all the news and congratulations to all the achievements of your DC!

So DC1 has just finished his law conversion and will start SQE in Sept. His training contract in Birmingham won’t start until 2027 as he was unsuccessful in securing a TC when he was at Uni. Unsure what he will do in the gap year.
Both DS2 doing the IB and DS1’s TC applications were extremely stressful for myself and husband as we so wanted them to succeed. I don’t think either are for the faint hearted.

DS2 has finished first year at Warwick. He didn’t get in with his flat mates and regrets not asking for a change in accomodation. Plus one of his flat mates dropped out of Uni after securing the 2nd year accomodation ……… but he seems happy enough

DD3 will be applying for BA MT which is also not for the faint hearted!

What an amazing bunch of young adults. How lucky are we 😊

I know there have been ups and downs for many of them, including my own, but haven't they all done so well.

DD just in the last throes of the Mst Diss. Then she has the Summer off, hooray!

She probably won't have the grades to apply for a PhD at Oxford now, so back to the drawing board.

Bad boyfriend of old, who contributed to this year not being as happy or successful as it should, ensured he made her even unhappier towards the end of the year. Complete and utter unmentionable.

No holiday for us this year, DH retired, kind of, he is doing odd bits of consultancy, had a hip replacement instead! We gave up waiting on the NHS and self paid, so that was his retirement present to himself! Not enjoyable, but definitely worth getting his mobility back.