Thread 43 - GCSE Covid Cohort ..November 22 Remember Remember

[OrangeCinnamonLatte]

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

@Seeline sorry to hear your DD is feeling so down, being ill at the start of the year was so unlucky and must have affected her perception of everything as well as her ability to meet people. You can tell her that loads of people don't find their lifelong university friends in the first term, my social groups changed as I progressed through first year. But it seems that the broad based courses on here are generally less satisfactory than the more traditional single honours. I guess she needs to be able to withdraw and apply for 2023 entry if she really can't see it working there, but should probably try more societies and make a real effort to meet people before giving up. Best of luck to her as she works out what she wants to do, but at least she is talking to you about it.

@icanbewhatiwant Grrrr to Tesco, but it will add to your enormous store of funny stories now that it is sorted! Sounds like your DS is living his best life (or sleeping his best life) which is great as long as he eventually does some work!

Sorry to hear that @Seeline , she’s had a really rough start and was it you who said back in the summer that she doesn’t find it easy to make friends? I agree that the combined type courses make that harder. I did combined honours in my first year and didn’t make any course friends (although thankfully I had friends from my halls and Christian Union). When I transferred to history from year 2 I suddenly found it much easier as I was seeing the same people regularly. Maybe something to think about if she does pull out and re-apply for next year?

Dd is finally doing some work. She sent me the intro to an essay yesterday for my comments 😂

@seeline. So sorry to hear that. It does seem to have been coming for a while. Ours has sought help now and impressive amounts have been forthcoming.
i think there are issues with combined honours courses. I can’t remember where your Dd applied, or If I’ve said this before, but I really loved the Liberal Arts Course at Warwick because it was a small and dedicated department, they were like a wonderful family, with no one left out . The programme was properly exciting and The students and staff were so passionate. Maybe she could have a look and think about a transfer?

@Seeline sorry to hear things not improving. If I remember rightly she’s also getting over a boyfriend too which can’t be easy

DD seems to be getting on a bit better. Student services have been helping her with the problems she was having with the staff and she’s found others to share a house with for next year. She’s in a group of 6 music students who were left out of others groups! They have found and viewed a house in Cathays in a great location and £80 a week rent. Holding deposit has been paid (not as scary as WIWIKAU would make you believe as it’s only one weeks rent) while they sort contract and guarantor stuff.

Sorry to hear things are not going well for her Seeline.

Poor you Seeline. Lots of similar posts on WIWIKAU. Come home for a couple of days? Big cuddle, assurance she can of course quit, but before she does, break it all down into separate parts and see if you can help her resolve all the bits. With her there you yourself could talk to tutor, course leader, welfare etc. Fight once more before making the ultimate decision to leave?

Sorry to see your update @Seeline

Sorry to hear that, @Seeline.

@Seeline Sorry to hear that she is feeling down. Isn't the point of formative assessments to be told how to do better in the more important ones? Hopefully she will see some glimmers of like minded friendships.

@Zebracat Great update!

Oh, bless her @Seeline 💐
She’s had a truly awful start!
I’m of the same mind as @Oblomov22 in the sense that could you both look at breaking ‘stuff’ - for want of a much better word- into smaller chunks?
Firstly, her accommodation won’t be helping at all- can she be moved to quieter halls?
And if so, how can she/you start the ‘ball rolling’?
Formative assignments - which don’t count in terms of ‘marks’ are done to provide constructive criticism to help the student to produce a better sumative piece of work for that assignment which will be given a ‘mark/grade/ classification - although in the first year most courses just require a percentage pass and don’t affect the overall degree classification
But given your DDs experience to date, bad feedback would just compound the problems she’s experienced to date 💐
I guess I’m trying to say, rather badly - sorry- is that she has lots options 💐

Sorry to hear that @Seeline she’s having a really tough time

Ah the Raz!! What a night!

I'm shocked at state of accommodation out there. Had a little look earlier and thought prices were ok... until I saw photos 
@Seeline your dd is doing lib arts isn't she?

@NCTDN I've told DD it’s perhaps as well they’re missing out on the Raz - the risk of someone falling down the stairs and breaking an ankle is quite high for the middle of a trampoline comp 😮

Ooh, @Seeline : so sorry to hear she’s having a rough time. Totally agree with the chunk it approach to try and make things more manageable and less overwhelming.

I must say all the feedback on the thread around liberal arts and joint honours is such a shame: great opportunities to do something just a bit less ‘classic’ but the system just doesn’t seem organised enough. Ds is joint honours and loving the content and so far not too bad on organisation but he’s got two timetable clashes next term where he needs to be in two sessions at the same time: and that’s for a pretty standard combined honours course …

I’m avoiding the house convo with Ds until this weekend: he’s scaled the massive ‘journey’ of finding some flatmates (until they all fall out…) so think he needs some downtime before the real challenge of finding a house!!

trying to encourage some job hunting too as his term finishes early so lots of opportunities for pre Christmas work to earn some pennies towards the house!!

It's really sad to read the experiences from DC like Seeline, Zebracat and others having challenges with their joint/multi disciplinary courses. It's such a shame that they have not been thought through with the care that the likes of Warwick seems to have.

I post very little these days, but do follow where i can. DD's experience is much like Isthisnormal's DS in that she is thoroughly enjoying her course, which integrates the disciplines well with the single honour course students with no timetable clashes. So whilst DD's actual course has circa 20 (and some of these are from a joint BA programme, 2 years TCD, 2 years Columbia US), none of them feel like the inferior counterpart. In fact she describes her course mates as punching well above their weight, academically and socially, but she may have just got lucky with her cohort.

For a DD that likes to moan about stuff, she really has very little to complain about these days, for which I am very thankful. Even the original nightmare of securing accommodation (and settling for private yet affiliated flat units with a yugo hall) have paid off and she has placed a deposit to stay for year 2.

I know all our DC are so different, but those who have wider sports/music/religious interests seem to be weathering the fickle first term of friendship-bonding due to having a wider span; I know mine certainly is. But so much of it is also luck with the groupings of course, accom, negative experiences etc and not necessarily down to the chosen institution itself.

I hope things approve for those DC struggling, and that they can ride out a little longer and seek support.

Just something that made me smile: DD's homework for their super-short intro-to-graphic-design in "digital" class. Those family "classic TV" nights sunk in at some level!

Very good @PhotoDad !

Thanks everyone for their support. I just don't know what to advise at the moment. She's coming home for a few days next week so we can talk properly.
She says she wants to do something creative. With no real ideas of what. With no creative A levels. Not sure if that is for degree, apprenticeship or job.
I have no idea about reapplying for a new degree next year if that's what she wants - obviously fab A levels, but not helpful for creative ones. Does she need to go through the whole process again -personal statement etc?
Not really sure a year out would be best for her either - I think she would be very lonely, and wouldn't be able to carry on with her hobby of dance (no adult lessons). And goodness knows what sort of job she could get. @Benjispruce4 - how did your DD find her job?
I think I'm even more confused than she is 🙁

So sorry to hear your DD is having a tough time. I've been a little absent this week so have only just caught up.

DS had a terrible weekend and start to this week. He started on medication last Friday and has been working his way through the side effects. His sleeping pattern is all over the place and he's impossible to wake up when he finally can sleep. He's missed every evening meal this week but has made breakfast for the first time since September. Luckily it was reading week for law so he only had French to contend with and did manage to make it to all his classes. He hasn't started any of his law essays though 😟 He had a meeting with Student Support so hopefully some help can now be put in place. He sounded much happier (and awake) today and is coming home for the weekend.

DD's UCAS form was finally submitted by school on Tuesday and she already has offers from York, Kent and Aberystwyth. She had mocks this week and driving test tomorrow 😱🤞I feel like life is on repeat of last year.

@Seeline Do you have any idea what sort of "creative course"? Lot here could advise on music, but if it's art/design, she could get onto a foundation course with some mix of A-levels or Portfolio depending on the details.

If she doesn't want gap year, ARU College (the FE feeder for ARU) offers a two-term foundation with progression to a design degree, and they have a January intake. Just a thought?

@Seeline Ignore me. I checked, the Jan intake is only for international students, sorry.

Best of luck to your Dd for tomorrow mummyinbeds 🚗

@PhotoDad thanks - January start would probably be a bit if a push anyway 🙂

But it's interesting to know such things exist. I really don't know what she means by creative - she's mentioned architecture and interior design in the past, but to mind has never really shown a passion for such things. She doesn't carry a sketch pad or anything, just likes doing Christmas cards at that time if year etc. A levels were psych, biology and business. Got 3A*. So that shouldn't be a problem for many courses, but nothing creative and nothing at this stage towards a portfolio

@Seeline Architecture needs maths/physics types of A level. There are lots of one-year foundation courses for art/design, offered not only by universities but by FE colleges; many art/design students enter by a foundation route, for some prestigious art schools it's the main entry pathway. She might have missed the boat for doing them for free, though (they tend to be free for those who are under 19 at the start). Happy to offer advice and experience if that's a route she's interested in pursuing. Very likely that she'd need a portfolio, though, for something like interior design.

@PhotoDad yes - realise that architecture is out. Maths/physics did not feature at all when it came to choosing a levels!

My concern with interior design etc is a lack of passion. She didn't even get that involved in re-decorating her room a couple of years ago! She hasn't really shown any interest in anything similar. I'm not really sure what she's meaning - I don't think she knows either which makes things much harder.