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

@mummyinbeds DS held Sheffield as his insurance. The applicants day (biology) was the best we went to IMO. The students union regularly tops student rankings.

DS applied for that same Sheffield course but not geography obviously!

York has truly excellent reputation for social sciences.

Sheffield DS's top choice - affordable, green, loads of students, compact, plenty going on, peak district on your doorstep. I am hopeful that there will be offer holder days at most places this year, which should aid decision making.

Ds has a couple of years yet, but Sheffield is high up on his list. The proximity to the Peaks is a huge draw for him.
I'm guessing accommodation might not be too eye watering there?
He really surprised me with liking Bristol - didn't think a city uni like that would appeal to him! So things could change a lot before it's his turn.

I think we definitely need an offer holder day in Sheffield. I know the city but not the uni. Same with York really but easier to imagine the campus there. Keele is still her favourite - no offer yet but likely to be the same (lower) grades as Aberystwyth. She also loved It Kent. This was so much easier with DS who just wanted to go to Nottingham.

I've only heard good things about Sheffield (lots from my school go there) but can't give you any details!

Ordered this week's Tesco shop, and remembered to put in DD's favourites for when she comes home next Sunday. And, @Monkey2001, turns out that bird illustration was entirely digital from start to finish!

@mummyinbeds sorry just asked DD who doesn't really know anything about it, except it's free. She isn't sure how she even knows thinks someone must have told her. Very relaxed about it tbh. Decided not to go the biology/psychology ball the following week once she heard about Rutland ball. Sorry I can't help any further. If she finds out anything and lets me know i will pass on info.

@mummyinbeds sorry I don’t know much more either, other than dd cancelled her shift on Wed to make it!
@Heifer is your dd going on the biology/psychology trip to Budapest?! Dd wants to go, but I broke it to her that she’d have to pay so it depends on whether she gets this warehouse work in the holidays.

She did mention about a Biology trip the other day in the passport office so yes I think so. DD will also have to pay but she can use money left to her from my Mum, I need to mention that part :-)

Passports! Good point, I'll have to get DD to check (she has her passport). There's a European trip at the start of next year where the Illustrators go and draw somewhere very different to home.

I wasn't on this thread a year ago (shame! so much advice and most importantly support here) but that was when things happened very quickly for us. With art schools, once they've received the UCAS form, they ask for a portfolio on a very short turnaround. (Luckily we'd been warned by DD's art teacher so it was pretty much ready to go, although every art school asked for different numbers of pages showing different skills.) It's all electronic now, rather than lugging paintings around the country. [A "port-folio" is literally a case to carry 'folio' sized sheets!]

Anyway, DD submitted in late November last year, and within a few days had been asked for the portfolio by her two top choices. Long story short, they both gave her unconditional offers within days of receiving the work, but she'd only been to one of the open days because Pandemic, so we went down to Cambridge for a couple of days; it wasn't an open day at ARU but I emailed the art school (I know that's helicoptering but time was pressing and DD wasn't as confident then as she is now). The head of the illustration programme gave her an individual tour, and was really flattering about her work, and she got to chat to some of the students who happened to be working in the studios! She loved everything about the uni, the course, and the city, and on the drive back home decided to Firm that Unconditional; she had the satisfaction of rejecting the other UCAS choices before they'd even asked to see her work.

(That was a very bright spot in the struggles she faced getting through Year 13. Now she's happy as can be! She's just blown the rest of this term's budget on vintage clothing from a Winter Fair, but there are worse ways to spend cash...)

Had a lovely time with DD home this weekend but was hard to watch her go as i dont think she really wanted to go back this time. Not for good but just felt she is tired out and just needs a break. She says she really could have done with half term but didn't get a reading week. She only has 11 days to go so I think she would have loved to just stay here now. But off she has gone back on the train. Also she knows she has a busy week with some work due and mock exams etc.

Really pleased for your DD @PhotoDad and for you. It sounds like she had a difficult time previously so it's great she has found her place and her people.

Thank you! DD tells us that she's now handed in her coursework for this term; the deadline isn't until the 12th! But she wanted to be able to enjoy the last week. Apparently she will be given a mark to show what standard she's reached, but it won't count towards anything. Which is nice.

@mummyinbeds Ds is at Sheffield & seems happy there. The halls are nice (Endcliffe) & seem a bit cheaper than other places. Same for private accommodation next year.

I suspect there is some lingering disappointment he didn’t get into Leeds. He has quite a few friends there & goes to visit regularly. Probably not in terms of the course itself but Sheffield is a smaller city & nightlife slightly tamer?

I’m sure there will be offer holder days because there were last year (though Ds refused to go )

@Monkey2001 : good luck for the interview! @mummyinbeds ds is at York - although a very different subject. The college system is really supportive and Ds has settled brilliantly. He’s loved his course and the lecturers. It’s not the cheapest but I’m so glad he ended up there. Shout if you’ve got any specific questions that aren’t geog/politics related ;-)
@PhotoDad : love the rspb picture - the fat pheasant is my favourite!

sorry for radio silence - a busy few weeks but we picked Ds up for end of term yesterday. So lovely to have him home. He looks shattered but happy :-)

Not sure how I have managed to get embroiled in another 'define a campus uni' fight on WIWIKAU! I wish non campus unis wouldn't use the terms for their site as it's v confusing!!

<drum roll>

DS's wallet has turned up, someone handed it in to security who phoned him up last night. All contents intact. Knew it would turn up after we ordered the replacement driving licence (which arrived in 5 days last week despite postal strikes) 🤦‍♀️

Oh, that happened to me when I was at uni!! Lost my purse, returned six weeks later, found in a cleaners' cupboard...

@EspeciallyD DDs wallet turned up after we'd replaced everything. I know you're supposed to return the original to the DVLA, but we kept hers and she uses it only for id. The actual licence is kept safely at home. Hers is only a provisional so can take it when on a lesson/out practicing. Might be different if driving all the time.

@EspeciallyD hope that has made him feel better about things! No bad thing having a spare DL.

Yes, he can store the new one away safely with his passport and his spare student id (which also turned up after he replaced it) and just carry the old one. He can also listen to his mum and leave one of his bank cards at home too.

Those of you able to cock a wry snook at the MN RG obsession might LOL at this...

@Piggywaspushed Hah! Made me smile.

I’m very fortunate to have my DD back home after not seeing her for 9 weeks! 😊
She’s really made me laugh with accounts of her ‘exploits’ during her first term, to the extent I may well suggest she ‘pens’ an updated version of Mr.V Green! 😂
Sending positive vibes to all counting down the sleeps to when their DC are back home for Chrimbo!

I've had so many people ask me when dd is home but she's got 11 days yet!