Thread 39 - Covid Cohort - Our Adult Children Now Post 18

[CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee]

This is a support thread for our young adults post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting, and their results ( or life updates for those who went into work or have had results earlier). It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, uni vs employment please don't within this thread.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue. We were previously on the secondary board and then further education, now we shall be here in 'Parents of Adult Children' gulp

Our DS/DD may continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed). Be warned there might be lots of 'Uni Freshers' chat this time of year. My experience is that everyone is welcomed wherever, whatever their child is doing we have some in work, gap years , apprenticeships etc too. Lots of contributors with different experiences and always sympathy and support to be had !

Lovely to read of all your DC plans - less good to hear of your health troubles. I hope those of you waiting for treatment are seen soon.

We've almost got everything now, I think. DD has had confirmation of her accommodation - not her first choice but it is cheaper than the one she initially wanted, so there is a silver lining. I've no idea how much we ought to give her to live on. She is quite frugal and tends to rely on Christmas/birthday money for buying clothes etc. I think we'll have to play it by ear to begin with.

@Heifer I just checked DS's Nottingham portal. It just has the whole year due now😱 Surely that can't be right. It's so hard looking at this on a phone with crappy internet connection ( and a shattered screen)

Thanks for the info re colour catchers. We've got a couple of mesh bags. I might send some with dd but say to still do very light separate to very dark!
@scabby1 your ds will be very near my dd but she's catered. Went to dunelm to get a couple of plates and dishes but came out with this because it was cheaper!

Oh and we've ransacked the house trust not have no idea where gcse certificates are. AQA don't reissue them either, they just send a confirmation of grades which we already have.

@Fruitygal I've just picked up forms from the GP for bloods and poo in a pot to test DD for coeliac and other nasties. A home test showed positive for gluten antibodies but not sure they are very accurate, so we want to get it checked out before she leaves for Durham. She is in a catered college, so if she has to change her diet at least she can ease into by having the majority of her meals cooked for her, albeit she is worried there will be no menu choices.

She's been told today that she isn't sharing a room, but no en-suite, which she is happy with. But we won't find out what size of bed (could be single, 3/4 or full double - old college with irregular sized rooms) or what date/time our moving in slot is until the 14th, with arrivals split over the 24/25th. The college supply the duvet so it's not even just a case of deciding to go for a double duvet on a single bed.

Found you all again. Having a DD who only turned 18 this summer I am still finding it strange having an adult daughter.

I have been using those colour catcher sheets for years and never had an issue and said to DD she must use them at Uni but perhaps a mesh bag would be prudent if they have the potential to clog up machines. Bit confused about how i'm hearing that washing can dry a bit musty without a heated airer when I mostly hear how boiling uni rooms are. Which is most likely?

So sorry to hear about the room debacle at Manchester Uni. As if our cohort haven't suffered enough without stressing them out further still.

@NCTDN that looks fab! We haven’t made any purchases yet- I’m leaving it all for when Ds returns from France next Thursday.
Has your Dd got tickets for freshers week events? Ds hasn’t- his friends older siblings who go to Bristol have (allegedly) told him not to bother getting anything in advance as it’s better to be spontaneous about what to do once you are there!
Neither Ds nor I have ever been to Bristol, let alone visited the Uni. Both the Uni and his halls look great and he is very, very excited!

DD has got a general ticket for clubs or something that's not from the SU but generally for Bristol? She said that most on the what's app group have got one. She's waiting to see what others in her halls are signing up for huge case of FOMO

Click on the Pay Amount due on left hand side and then select and it then shows it in 3 installments?

I'm losing the will here - was expecting DSA computer equipment today from 9-5 and should have been given a 2 hr window earlier. Wasn't and nothing has arrived. Trying to phone courier, was only the phone 20 mins waiting and then got cut off, so phone supplier Barry Bennet, in the queue 25 mins only to get put through to an answer machine! so I have no idea if I have to wait in longer today (due to go out at 7.00pm) or if it's coming tomorrow and I have to stay in all over again. It was so easy sorting it out - surely delivery shouldn't be this hard.

Nottinghammers, have your DC received an email containing their student ID, and that's how they're accessing the hub to pay deposits etc?

@Heifer we are Barry Bennett too but ours won't be for another week or so - hope it arrives soon

@GoldenRuby we got the contract through from Durham as we were looking at kitchen utensils in IKEA - DD is Snow so all beds 3/4 and really only ensuite or not - she's got confirmed en-suite so looking at mini storage drawers for bathroom. As for moving in the contract says its from 2pm on 24th but not sure if that's just a standard thing for everyone? I have booked Airbnb for 23rd night and 24th but can amend days if needed.

That's odd them supplying the duvet? Is it a new one each time?

You have been super quick with getting bloods and poop pot sorted - the over the counter gluten tests are not very reliable. Don't stop eating gluten before being blood tested otherwise test will be inaccurate.

Ahhh I have sneakily checked Ds’s email and can see that he has emails from Bath accommodation so presumably with his allocation. I resisted the urge to open it and will casually ask him when he gets back from work if he has heard anything…

@Fruitygal DS accom contract said contract runs from 10am. But didn't say that's your slot for arrival? Interesting that yours say 2pm. I'm assuming something will come from the college about when to turn up.

@Heifer don't panic we tend not to pay over the July and August but continue to pay over Christmas and Easter - Christmas tends to get eaten up by them buying gifts for siblings, besties and us. One of the DSs worked in his summer and the other did some babysitting and had been more careful during the year so had some left.

If you saw my post about what we expect them to spend it on and what we support them with Freshers was part of that. Think we gave the others £50 extra in cash on drop off day and paid for freshers tickets and bought first weeks food and a bottle of vodka.

@EwwSprouts that's what I thought but it was a weird time to have a contract starting so I thought it might be relevant ? :)

@EwwSprouts I assume you've paid the deposit with yours - did you have to sign anything ? as it says on ours we must sign within 7 days but no obvious place to sign so paid the deposit and had confirmation.

Apparently so yes but I havent seen it with my own eyes, just heard tell in a brisk Whatsapp exchange.

@Fruitygal and @EwwSprouts for St John's there was a licence to download, sign, scan and upload.

I hope it is a new duvet, otherwise not sure I like the idea of a reused one! A hotel duvet is one thing but one that has been subject to student levels of hygiene, even if dry cleaned, could be revolting.

@Cantonet One of ds1’s friends is at Surrey & has elected to stay in halls the whole time so they can’t be too dreadful!

We were expecting an empty nest by the end of the month but the eldest has just been in touch to say her new flat has fallen through at the last minute. Accommodation is so hard to get in London (as it is in many cities). If she doesn’t find anything she will have to move home & commute until she does. Not ideal when working long hospital shifts so hopefully she finds something.

Yes but it was months ago. I think one of the very original emails from the uni.

@GoldenRuby ooo St Johns has some fab rooms lets hope she gets a nice one - is it like Oxford where they have a ballot. Lets hope for a new duvet too!

Our licence is found as a link to a page where the license has nowhere to sign at the bottom and the email seems to imply that if you pay the deposit you are in effect agreeing to the license terms. DD has emailed to confirm.

Thank you Nottinghammers, I don't think DS has had that, his info says he will get his student ID three weeks before term starts (unless the log in for the hub is something different?)

Heifer did your DD get her login for the hub even before results if it was months ago? I am getting a bit confused with it all.

@Fruitygal we think she is in one of the older buildings (as we think the newer wing are the en-suites) so here's hoping she gets a nice one. They do vary quite a lot in size we've been told, but they've crammed a second bed in the large rooms so she's fine with small and cosy.

@GoldenRuby that's quite exciting ....friend went to Oxbridge and had a sofa and baby grand in his room ! :) That was a lifetime ago though 😂