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

Thanks Heif. I hope you are right about them coming out in clusters.
Crazy when is the R formal?

The Rutland formal is Wednesday night and it's free!

@cra. Maybe they will have to make lunch or god forbid breakfast instead ;-)

Ha posted too soon I was trying to tag @crazycrofter :-)

@mummyinbeds

Thinking about you. How are you doing?

@Piggywaspushed sorry to hear you have the Covid again. I’ve had a cough all week but haven’t tested as everyone at school has it!

Almost certainly true at mine too.

@PhotoDad @ScarlettDarling
DD reports that her very early review meeting given the fact that in her words she’s was: ‘probably still under the influence’ of last night’s excesses’ 😂 was a ‘quick nip in’ to receive very positive feedback and then an ‘off you pop’! 😂
Thankfully , no handshakes!
That said, she’s ‘dwelling’ on the comment:
We expect you to do well in your collections 😱🤣🤣

@Piggywaspushed that's unlucky. Hope you have the mildest of symptoms.

How exciting for those with DC coming home this weekend. Happy reunions!

Oh poor you Piggy.
Good news here - dd has sorted next years house in her chosen area as well. It just seems so early!

You OK, @Piggywaspushed?

Before DD got into illustration, her main hobby was birdwatching/photography (hence my user-name). This homework assignment (producing a poster for a favourite place) really made me smile. It's a cracking RSPB reserve in Lancashire. We might go there in the Christmas holidays.

Wow that's amazing!

@PhotoDad Such talent!

How fabulous @PhotoDad. I especially love the Bittern!

It's the only bird in the pic she hasn't actually seen. We've heard bitterns lots of times, but... (I got into birdwatching through encouraging my DD, I knew nothing about that, or indeed photography, before she made it a passion.)

We spent two memorable trips to the Highlands just to see Slavonian Grebes. (Takes all sorts, right?) Driving on a single-track road to Loch Ruthven, in a storm, in a dying car with faulty windscreen wipers and dodgy lights, was possibly a formative experience for both of us. (But we did see the grebes!!)

My DW and DS think we're mad.

Oh I've only heard them too. Corncrakes as well (on Iona). Would love to see both (or either!) Absolutely love seeing your daughter's work on here.

Corncrakes on North Uist for us, not a million miles away! (But great for short-eared owls, and white-tailed eagles.) DD almost did one of the two (2) wildlife photography courses in the UK (Cumbria or Plymouth) but decided that illustration was more employable and that she could keep her photography up as a hobby. Although her camera is still here, at home. Not that much wildlife in Cambridge, and her camera is a little on the expensive side for insurance purposes.

Loving @PhotoDad 's DD's contribution to this thread too. I thought the bird poster was a collage at first - are they painted? They are lovely.

Thanks for the good wishes for DS, I hope he will be OK, his job has given him so much to talk about, it really was a lucky find, there can't be many 18 year olds running their own bit of clinics. @crazycrofter he has interviews at UEA (Monday) and Newcastle (Friday). Sheffield and Leicester (his top choices) are in January.

@Monkey2001 Good luck to your DS for his interview! I'll ask DD how she produced the picture. I (now) know that the "standard" thing for illustrations is a physical painting/drawing which is then scanned and tweaked in Photoshop. Apparently that's faster than fully digital (and it's all about speed, got to meet deadlines!)

That’s great @Monkey2001 , I’m sure he’ll impress them. Hope he gets an offer or two under his belt before Christmas.

Thanks, but sadly, with Medicine more patience is required! Probably won't get any responses before March.

Oh, I didn’t realise that! Best of luck to him anyway, his work will give him loads to talk about.

Hi @Oblomov22 and everyone else. It's been an up and down couple of weeks for DS. The meds are helping him in many respects but his sleeping is still terrible meaning he's missing a lot of morning lectures. He was supposed to see his personal tutor yesterday but postponed it because he wanted to go to his girlfriends for the weekend and a train strike meant only one train he could catch. The gf unfortunately is part of the issue in my opinion. He won't settle into Nottingham life when he's home (or 3 miles down the road) every weekend. He admits she's a bit manipulative and controlling but apparently that's fine, she makes him happy. DD's opinion isn't repeatable - she was friends with gf and has seen her wreck quite a few friendships.
We are waiting for the GP to complete his evidence form for Student Support and DSA. I think he would benefit from counseling and a mentor to keep him on track with life and study admin. I'm doing my best from afar and the couple of hours I'm able to see him at the weekends ( before gf starts phoning to ask why he's been so long)
DD now has four uni offers. Does anyone have any views on York (@Piggywaspushed ) Sheffield, Kent or Aberystwyth?

@Oblomov22 @crazycrofter @Heifer please tell me more about the Rutland formal. DS will be oblivious and/or will hide in his room with a Pot Noodle to avoid it.

Hi mummy. Is this a geographical type degree? Sheffield is great and quite outdoorsy. York is good because a) beautiful and b) collegiate and pastorally caring. It's relatively new to the geography gig but I'm sure it's great. The one I can really offer insight on is Aberystwyth. Beloved by lots who go there. But do not , do not underestimate the journey and distance. From our neck of the woods, it's a proper trek, trains not easy , and a mountain pass before the town that terrified me (I am a bit intimidated by such roads!). I also found the town run down. DS1 accompanied me to an Offer
Day, ( for it always felt he was doing me a favour!) and hated everything about it. I grew up near Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, and I found it remote! However, I know its great for geography. Has she visited?

Journey wise for your DD, if she wants to be able to come home now and then by herself, I'd vote Sheffield?

@Piggywaspushed York is Global Development, Sheffield Applied Social Sciences with a slant towards human geography and Aberystwyth is some combination of human geography and IR. She has been to Aberystwyth twice (one trip on her own) and loved the town and can really see herself living there but is unsure of the Uni itself. The journey didn't worry her even with a bus replacement across Wales. Judging by the number of trips I've made to Nottingham in the last month I'd prefer the Yorkshire uni's as that's where my family are. Interesting that York is new to Geography - do you know it's reputation for Politics/IR?