Thread 41 Corona Cohort - Autumn Adventures of our Adult Children

[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 !

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That said, we use a dehumidifier as that extracts the water from the washing and stops the house getting damp!

One girl in DD’s school has started on th Dyson degree program this year Photodad. I don’t know much about her other than she did very well in her a levels, and now lives in a ultra modern design led apartment that would put any scandi-noir interior to shame. They are very competitive to get onto.

We use a dehumidifier & a normal drying rack. It works really well & clothes dry within a few hours. I used to use the tumble dryer a lot, as I hate ironing. But I now buy Muslin shirts, as they're naturally crinkly & don't need ironing.

Sorry to hear about your DD marigold .Hope she recovers soon.

Yes, best wishes to your DD, @BlueMarigold! Managed to miss that.

@ealingwestmum I've just looked at the Dyson programme, it looks absolutely amazing! I've heard that these things are very competitive, and will advise DS to apply to normal courses through UCAS as well.

Anecdotally Photodad, an senior engineering friend of mine at TfL says Dyson aside (and even then, he feels those on the Singapore side experience more of the quality outputs of the program vs their UK counterparts), that often the apprenticeship degree vs pure uni can have big holes in learning, especially those affiliated with unis that have poor quality teaching, and that they can lack depth which bites them at post grad recruitment. But, I have no idea how true any of this is, and from personal experience solid unis like Leeds (my brother’s uni) for mech engineering has always been highly considered.

Good luck with the research!

Those who use dehumidifiers - any recommendations? Do you have to use them in a small room or would they work in a larger room? We don't have a tumble dryer, and just use airers in the dining room on laundry days when it can't be hung out. Sometimes drape the radiators when the heating is on...

@ealingwestmum That's very interesting to hear! I guessing that the rank order might be something like (1) Degree apprenticeship with top-tier company and strong university, (2) strong university for traditional degree, then (3)/(4) weaker uni or company. Hmm. DS has a few years to go, but unlike DD who was super focused on art to the exclusion of almost everything else, DS is more of an all-rounder. Discussions about A-level choices coming up soon, though at his school. Hmm again.

It's a great day here for laundry. Second lot almost dry. I'm fortunate enough to have a utility room, so laundry gets hung in there if the weather is wet. The boiler is in there so it's warm. There's an extractor fan in there...I guess it might show signs of damp eventually, but it's out on the garage so hopefully doesn't matter.

I have just pegged out the second load and a heavy shower started immediately. Better now than when it was nearly dry! Windy, so we'll see. Trying not to use the dryer much.

Although... I thought that we were somehow being pleasingly economical with fuel. Suspiciously so. Turns out that our smart meter hadn't updated the tariff it was using to show us how much we're spending, since before the LAST price hike! So although the energy used is correct, and our bills are correct, the display in our kitchen is showing figures far too low. I've contacted our supplier, Eon.

@PhotoDad I've missed what your ds wants to do?

@NCTDN His plan is some form of engineering (probably electronics, electromechanical, or control systems). Thinking of doing the very well-trodden path of double maths, physics, and design-technology for A-level.

Think DS may well have covid and not freshers flu. Sigh

My ds is similar. He wants to go down the engineering route - probably aerospace. I've told him not to rule out apprenticeships but he's very set to do a traditional degree. I think looking at all the unis with dd has convinced him that's the way to go.

@omnishambles Oh no! I suspect that a lot of Freshers' Flu this year will actually be covid. Hope it doesn't hit him too hard.

I sent DS with a box of covid tests but I doubt he’ll use them even if he feels unwell.
Luckily he hasn’t mentioned being ill, despite having been out and drinking until 3am every night since he got there!
sorry to hear about your DD @BlueMarigold hope she recovers soon, home is the best place to be when you’re ill

@NCTDN We'll definitely have to compare notes over the next couple of years then!

@PhotoDad I've just started a thread for that year group. Hope people who join it are as nice as on this one!

There was a box of LFTs in DDs room when she moved in at UEA. They're obviously expecting people to test....

Good luck to all those dropping off this weekend.
A bit flabbergasted as DS called this morning for instructions for washing his bedding and clothes. He's only been there a week. So now he's off to find the laundry, I don't think he ever found the washing machine at home (in cellar not kitchen)🤣

I'm a bit of a dinosaur with social media but installed snap chat yesterday and I certainly get much more chat from DS on that than the usual 'thanks/K' response to my WhatsApp messages! I think snap is what he mostly uses. Now I need to work out how to use it properly.....

He says his timetable is full on. (Compsci) One module a straight 6 hours of lessons. 😳 I'm sure they must give them a break.

Best wishes to your poorly DD @BlueMarigold , hope she gets well soon.

@Alsoplayspiccolo I think there’s a very good chance their paths are crossing - Robinson Crusoe & Pride & Prejudice have been mentioned! Please don’t give me away though - DD would NOT be happy to learn that I’ve posted about her & DS on here! Actually I wouldn’t want her Mumsnet stalking me either! 🤣

I’ve just spoken to her - she was 1st up in her flat & cleaning the kitchen. And she’s done laundry. I’m stunned. This is not the DD I know!

@ZittiEBuoni I agree with the others that the heated airer is not a panacea, but makes drying a bit quicker, if I need something within an hour I lay it over the top, then turn it round, as you would on a radiator. I often just use it without turning on. The latest Aldi version has a cover. I suspect that in general a dehumidifier is a more sensible solution.

@PhotoDad DS1 at St Andrews has 2 semesters, so really long holidays, exams finish mid April, they can stay until results come out beginning of May or have a 4 month holiday. I think Scottish universities moved to 2 semesters ahead of England. Possibly makes it easier for them to make money over the summer (she said cynically!)

@icanbewhatiwant I have posted about this before, but Parcel2Go is great value for sending stuff. A big box (eg the sort that crisps come in before being put on shelves at supermarkets) was about £7 for loads of weight (maybe 10kg?). DS1 used to laugh at me when other parents send up a shoebox sized parcel and I send a massive one and used bags of crisps as packaging to stop things rattling around (he loves crisps).

@BlueMarigold sorry to hear your DD is ill, there is a lot of it about, but nice for both of you that she is being looked after at home.

I will be glad to see some Y13s on here with my gap year son, there are not very many of us applying for 2023 entry. Y11s welcome too and can benefit from voices of experience!

@Monkey2001

Thank you. I also have a Year 11 DD2

@PhotoDad I also have a Yr11 with an engineering focus. We are planning a trip to the 'what uni /what careers' at Olympia in November so they can start thinking about what sort of engineering they are interested in. Sometimes easier to do ahead of time so they can ponder the options without any time pressure..