Thread 42 Corona GCSE Cohort - 👻Creeping it Real for Oct22

[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 advice to be had.

previous thread

I've just read Martin money saving tips email and feck me that first section is bleak.

So much for people being able to keep warm in local libraries. Wirral council today announced plans to shut another 9 at the end of Oct

I only ever use the app on my phone. I only ever go to my work laptop for the mn site when I need to message one of you lot. I message no one else.

Too many fat thumb typos from
My phone if I want to post a long one. I don't post on any other threads any more but do look occasionally.

Me too. We are one of those couples where one person does all the finances (me). DH has his own savings but shows zero interest in any of the rest of it. I tried making a list of all our financial products once, it was frightening how many there were, I streamlined a bit after that. Easy to forget to update too, I'm always switching insurances, utilities etc.

I have just had a very tense conversation with DS1 about his course. and about accommodation for year 2.

His course is incredibly pressurised. He's meeting the PwC CEO tomorrow, who only comes to Notts, not the other 4 unis, because he himself studied Economics there.

I hadn't previously maybe fully appreciated how full on this course was and all his friends are out partying and going to nightclubs. He just doesn't have time for that anymore because he has modules to sit and exams to sit and he'll be almost part qualified by sitting their actual exams by the end of this year.

He's already thinking about / being asked about, year 2. But it's complicated. Do you do your work experience in London - where it's all happening and it's exciting or do you think about where you actually want to work at the end of your degree : be at Birmingham or Edinburgh or Manchester and go there for your work experience.

When you now arrange Your house for year two : when you're not going to be there from September to December because you're going to be on your work experience and then you're going to come back but only for six months.

With respect none of you lot have to consider these options. Yet.

Most may in time think about who they want to share a year to flat within year 2. DS options are a bit more complicated.
Has saddened me that he's having to think about this almost the week after freshers.

Oh @Oblomov22 that is hard, both the workload and the housing situation. I did a placement but it was a full academic year so no issue with housing.

Are there others on the course who will be in the same boat accommodation-wise?

Yes Eerily. I've told him to talk to his tutors, and also year 3's etc for advice. Obviously others manage it!

Yes. For his year themselves , They'll all be in the same boat. Presumably PwC have advice on how to get suitable / the best accommodation.

Yes, but its pretty daunting as you say. I get the impression your DS is made of strong stuff though and he will make the best of it.

Yes. Thank you. ❤️ I'm thinking it's full on. He's quite blasé about it all!

Joining tonight's Rutland discussion a little late but actually, in my head, I had told you all about Rutland way before @Heifer but was too shy back then to type out loud on here 🤭

@heifer thank you!! 👏👏 I almost said in my post earlier that I thought it might have been you, but I didn’t want to offend singingstones 😂 Great advice anyway!!

@Oblomov22 i presume they’re all in the same boat as regards accommodation? Hopefully they don’t have to pay twice for the first term.

Haha @mummyinbeds , I’m impressed you both picked up on this detail. I was just filtering by price per week and ruling out catered until it was mentioned.

@mummyinbeds are you claiming credit that by you thinking about Rutland made me think of it too? ;-)

@Oblomov22 when does your DS need to start making those decisions? I wonder if others in the same boat have stayed on campus for 2nd year from Jan onwards and then house rent for 3rd yr? Re where to do work placement I think I would advice DD to do it where she thinks she might like to work later so as to make some connections. For me no point in going to London unless it's somewhere he might want to live later.

@Oblomov22 these decisions feel so big now! I expect it is normal for the people on his course to find somewhere together when they come back from their placements. It might mean they can't go for an HMO, as they are in the student cycles, but would instead have a flat share for 2.

What happens about accommodation for the placement? I would encourage them to go for a smaller office as it is less daunting, fewer names to remember and travel is easier - like going to a small primary school before secondary!

@Heifer erm, yes 😁

In that case @mummyinbeds you can take the credit (blame) in December & Easter when all our DDs/DSs are moaning because they have to clear out their rooms..

omg I had no idea you could search within a thread. This will change my life! I spend loads of time searching back on this thread to find things ‘someone’ has said!

that does sound tough @Oblomov22 As you say, at least all his course are in the same position, but it does underline how different their experience is going to be.

whilst Ds doesn’t have those sorts of decisions to make, he is very conscious of his workload - there’s definitely a lot of work and it’s good but challenging stuff. I think he’s working more than he expected!!

Yeah, in which case I'll be blaming you as I traipse up there to collect him and his belongings, swearing, asking 'whose idea was this, of a supposedly good deal'?

@Oblomov22 That sounds very complicated to arrange accommodation for.

Ds1 did a placement year last year. It was last minute & he had at that stage resigned himself to carrying on into his next uni year. Luckily (as he had just signed up to a house share) it was computable from his uni town. Would that be an option for your Ds - to do his placement near the uni so he can stay in the same accommodation all year?

@Oblomov22 just as well all our DS/DS are on the ground floor - oh is that only DD ;-)

Ha ha Heifer (bitch) ds is on the top floor.

Thanks All. Yes I'm sure he'll get it all sorted. The rest of his course peers are obviously in the same position.

People on WIWIKAU talking about accom being advertised soon for next year, so maybe Oblomov is not the only one with a DC having to plan next year. It feels so crazy that students sign up this early to flat share arrangements when they have only known people for a few weeks.