Thread 40 - Corona Cohort , Falling into Autumn 🍂

[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 !

Snorting at the envelopes. I get paralysed by mawkish sentimentality. I gave her money as an emergency fund, and I told her never to go out without a spare, hidden £20.00 note for extricating herself from stuff she didn’t like. And I told her that if she’s ever upset about anything to just tell me, not worry that I would disapprove or think it trivial or whatever. She keeps inventing scenarios that she might phone home about and watching me under her lashes, we’ve had unprotected sex, broken heart, hangover, dope cookies, lonely, bored, missed deadline , hate course so far. All manageable, not desirable, but manageable. My answer for most of them is carbs and crap books/ tv!( missed deadline is carbs and caffeine, hate course is ask to change).

And of course! The morning after pill.

I think with the envelopes it's nice and obviously works for some people, but when you see it posted about over and over as if it is a must-have then you feel guilt-tripped into it (see also Elf on the Shelf, Christmas Eve boxes).

And an std test?

it’s great she can talk to you like that, hopefully she will actually come to you if she has any issues.
I can’t imagine DS coming to us if he’s feeling low or having any problems and certainly not if he has unprotected sex!

@Fiddlersgreen we are off to the Leicester Open Day on Saturday. Is there anything you would like us to look out for if you are not going? Main focus is medicine, but will be looking at accom and sports facilities. Where will your DS be living?

I was thinking the Sussex shuttle would be so that Brighton residents are not affected by loads of parents double parking, but don't first years live on campus? I think it could be OK if there are 3 of you doing the move and you have something like those Home Bargain bags. I hate double parking with hazards, so would probably find the shuttle less stressful in some places.

Agree @EspeciallyDivided : it’s a cute idea and I’m sure it works brilliantly for some kids (I suspect dd would love it when/if her time comes) but it’s definitely not a must do ;-)

Thanks for new thread @CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee

Thank you for new thread - wonder if it will get them all in?

Thanks for the new thread. Ds has now revealed our moving in slot is 8am on Sunday. I’m pretty sure he told me 10am but I would bet that he hadn’t actually read his emails properly at that stage & realised later that he hadn’t booked a slot at all & this is what was left.

I’m always awake by 6 anyway but I can foresee him moaning about getting up when it comes to it. Plus if any of his flatmates have

I'm going to be a bit absent all...so sorry but just to pick up from other thread.

@Alsoplayspiccolo thanks so much for your kind offer Dd isn't talking to me much about her move in at the moment but we shall see. 💐you know the gig and I'm sorry Dd troubles.

@volterra yay for the move

@EspeciallyDivided @photodad glad to hear things a bit better.

Dd has been spending her wages...it seems she is going for a look termed 'light academia' also getting rid of her blonde brassyorange highlights. Awaiting a remark back for English lit still.

Thank you @CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee

DS is not an envelope sort, hard enough to get him to open his post. I haven’t got round to doing the baby books, thought I might do them once they both have left home, at some point - can’t rush these things..

Thanks for the new thread. We’re gearing up to drop DD off on Saturday. It seems to be approaching really rapidly.

@Monkey2001 thanks so much for thinking of us! DS has a single en-suite in The Pavilions so any feedback would be great.
There is one of those 360 photos online of an example room and it’s a really odd shape so DS would like to know if they are all like that.
Sports facilities feedback would also be good, I think there is a gym they can join in the accommodation village?
Thanks again

Just posting Singing's list:

Latest list:

@278Newnames / DS / Engineering / Bath
@Alsoplayspiccolo / DD / English and Film / Birmingham
@AnneofCleavage / DD / gap year + Primary Education / Chichester
@Appuskidu / DD / Psychology / Birmingham
@Benjispruce4 / DD / Sociology / NTU
@BlueMarigold / DD / Biology / Birmingham
@boxcar / DD / English and Drama / Birmingham
@boxcar / DS / / Swansea
@Cantonet / DS / Sports Science / Surrey
@cariadambyth / DD / History / RHUL
@Chewbecca / DS / Economics / Loughborough
@ChristopherTracy / DS / Mech Eng / Nottingham
@CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee / DD / Music / Cardiff
@coffeeandbiscuittime / DD / Medicine / waiting list
@collywobble / DS / PPE / Loughborough
@Comefromaway / DS / Music / Leeds Conservatoire
@craggyrat / DS / History / Cambridge
@crazycrofter / DD / Psychology / Nottingham
@Decorhate / DS / Economics and Politics / Sheffield
@Delphigirl / DS / Oceanography / gap year + Plymouth (or Dalhousie?)
@DoggerelBank / DS / Biotechnology / Manchester
@ealingwestmum / DD / Middle Eastern & European Studies / Durham, TCD
@EwwSprouts / DS / Biology / Durham
@EquallyDivided / DS / Wildlife Conservation and Countryside Management / RAU
@Fiddlersgreen / DS / Journalism / Leicester
@Fonty / DS / History / Exeter
@Fruitygal / DD / Biology / Durham
@GoldenRuby / DD / Anthropology and Sociology / Durham
@HarrietDVane / DD / MFL / Warwick
@Hattifatteners / DD / Vet Med / Bristol
@Heifer / DD / Biology / Nottingham
@HibiscusIsland / DD / Biological Sciences / Warwick
@HoneyMobster / DD / Medicine / Oxford
@Horace123 / DS / Classics / Oxford
@horrificbiology / DD / Biology / Lancaster
@icanbewhatiwant / DS / History and Philosophy / Sussex
@Isthisjustnormal / DS / Comp Sci / York
@JustHereWithMyPopcorn / DS / Law / Nottingham
@KingscoteStaff / DD / Medicine / Newcastle
@kiwiandcherries / DD / Primary Education / Winchester
@Knickerthief1 / DD / Child Nursing / York
@Mango0 / DD / Maths / Lancaster
@MirandaWest / DS / gap year + Geography / Newcastle
@MondaysChild7 / DD / Interior Design / USW
@Monkey2001 / DS / Medicine / 2023 entry
@mummabear74 / DD / Environmental Science / tbc
@mummyinbeds / DS / Law and French Law / Nottingham
@NCTDN / DD / Liberal Arts / Bristol
@Northumberlandlass / DS / Accounting / Northumbria
@Oblomov22 / DS / Accountancy / PwC Nottingham
@OublietteBravo / DD / Business with Law / Exeter
@PaddingtonPaddington / DD / Music / RWCMD
@Pangolinfan / DD / Economics and Politics / Edinburgh
@PhotoDad / DD / Illustration / ARU
@Piggywaspushed / DS / Policy, Politics and Economics / Birmingham
@ProggyMat / DD / Classics / Oxford
@Sallyingon / DS / Lancaster
@sazzy5 / DS / Sport and Exercise Med Sci / Exeter
@scabby1 / DS / Economics and Politics / Bristol
@Seeline / DD / Liberal Arts / UEA
@Shimy / DS / Management / Warwick
@singingstones / DS / Neuroscience / Nottingham
@Siriusmuggle / DS / BMus Music Performance / RNCM
@sofakingcool / DS / Business Economics / Reading
@stephaniestephanie / DS / Film + TV with Innovation / Bristol
@Takeittotheboss / DS / gap year + Economics / Liverpool
@TangoWhiskyAlphaTango / DD / Politics + IR / Bath
@Tomnooktoldmeto / DD / Creative Writing and Media / NTU
@Tomnooktoldmeto / DS / History / NTU
@Tryingmybest13 / DS / Archaeology / Bangor
@Volterra / DS / Maths / Bath
@whatsnext2 / DD / English joint hons / Reading
@Wheresthebeach / DD / gap year + Marine Biology / Portsmouth
@Zebracat / DD / Flexible Combined Honours / Exeter

Thank you for the new thread! We are dropping DD off on Saturday.

I cannot keep up with these threads, how are we onto another already?!!

Moving in this weekend and only today has DS been allocated accommodation. I hope IKEA is really for a panic buy session on Friday, we are no where near ready.

DS on the other hand is his usual laid back self. I wish I had his calmness...

Thanks for the thread, @CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee! All well here, DD is settling in. Social contact exhausts her, it always has done, so apparently she's the first of her house to slip away to bed in the evening, but that's fine... and she is going to give a few clubs a try. Good luck to everyone as departure dates approach!

Feeling quite redundant on this thread as DS currently inter-railing rather sucessfully around Europe😁.
Taking notes for next year though.

@Monkey2001 no it's a shuttle bus from the campus car park, it says jubilee car park. I've googled it and it's right in the campus, so no effect on residents. We park in the free car park, collect keys. Then walk or shuttle bus to his accommodation.

Only me and Ds going tomorrow. Dh and ds1 are going to Brighton Fri. They are staying with dh's dd then going to goodwood festival of revival on Saturday, home Sunday. That's why ds2 is getting an early drop off as I couldn't do sat. unless we took ds3 with us. I will stay the night with my dm as she lives an hour along the coast. Then I'll return home fri.
So I shall probably pass dh on his way down to Brighton while I'm on my way home!

The car is packed ready to leave. We did it earlier as Ds then went off to meet friends. I hope he's not very late, he can't drink as he took his car. He slept until 2pm today so he won't want to go to bed early. We haven't got that much in the car really. I only have a smallish car, I have put stuff in the boot, but parcel shelf is still in place, so it's not very full. Then we have his 2 bags of clothes and a fan on the back seats. He just needs to pack up his laptop, phone, chargers etc. I decided earlier I should have got Ds an airer. I didn't get one because ds1 wasn't allowed one in rooms at UEA. But people did have them, Ds2 has several football shirts and the shiny sporty shorts. So they can't be tumble dried. Anyway...I couldn't find an airer in our local town. Only really big ones. So didn't get one.

We will leave 6am then visit dh's dd if we get to Brighton early. If we get caught in traffic we will head straight to the uni.

Just checking in . Nothing to say as am in advance state of catatonia .

Phew! So relieved I'm not the only one who's not doing the open when things!!
How many are dropping off on Saturday? I'm thinking motorways could be heaving...

We’ve got another week but still no time slot and can be one if two days and had to pay balance on Airbnb for both nights today 😢

lucky as we have been allocated a college 2 weeks ago and induction activities look great - which is better than some

We're going to Norwich on Saturday, but DD doesn't move in until 10.30 on Sunday. Hopefully we'll have time to get her room sort of set up and do a supermarket shop before they close as they are all shut on Monday. She'll need something to eat! We'll head home Sunday evening.

We are going to Exeter on Sunday, 5 pm drop off, then we are staying over in a country pub before returning on Monday. Quite looking forward to a night away. I’ve had a fraught week for other reasons, but should be sorted by then.

Checking in. Thanks @CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee

DS would take a box of 'to be opened..' and put in at the bottom of the wardrobe to remain there until he moves out. We're not very sentimental. I don't think we have any paintings from school days stashed away just a couple of xmas decorations.