Thread 45 GCSE Covid Cohort - Bunnies bouncing into Spring

[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

Until this discussion of placements, I had completely forgotten that when I was a student, I signed up for an outreach programme, where I would take a long bus ride weekly to "help out" with teaching science at a local school. It was awful. The (grumpy, old) physics teacher hadn't asked for me to be there, and just sat me in the prep room to drink coffee. After week three I just didn't turn up, and there was no follow-up at all.

Somehow I ended up as a teacher despite that...!

And fingers crossed for selection tests, @Piggywaspushed DS!

@crazycrofter thats the strength deployment inventory, SDI. Reds are the go-getting directing types, blues are nurturing people-people and greens are analytical. There’s a separate element that assesses how you behave under pressure, so you might be a fluffy green normally but become no-nonsense get-on-and-do-it in a crisis.

Or if you’re me you have an even balance of all three, and don’t change under pressure Definitely my dullest personality test result 😄

Ah, right, thanks @DontCallMeBaby I've always wondered what it was called! All I can say is that my firm didn't have a very 'diverse' workforce! But it's probably true that reds have a much better chance at getting a place on a well-paying graduate scheme...

Sorry not sorry for picspam, but I really liked this latest piece by DD (I only share highlights, honest!) It's another fabric idea for their 'live brief' of providing art for Jesus Green Lido (open-air pool).

I'd like such a test, Baby and Crazy. I love all that.

I remember doing those type tests back when I was young and ambitious. I was somewhere quite central from memory. These days I'd be off the scale of 'can't be bothered to answer the questions menopausal woman'

@crazycrofter very true! I did it when I was an internal audit. Head of audit was red, as was one of the two audit managers. Everyone else bar me and the admin support lady was green - analytical. I was a ‘hub’ and she was blue, people person.

That’s interesting, maybe there are more greens lower down the hierarchy but only reds get to the top!

I love that piece @PhotoDad !

Dd rang earlier. She’s decided to move off the integrated masters course and try and do a placement year in year 3. She seems to think it’s not too hard to find a Psychology placement? I’m not so sure but I think it’s a good idea in principle.

@Crazy if she doesn't get a placement can she move back onto to Integrated Masters? it'll be nice if she can keep that door open.

Can one be in between colours? I think I'm more of a mix of blue and green.

I'd be green, I am very analytical (I am an analytical chemist and now do a lot of auditing and compliance work) but also very hands-on and no aspirations of climbing the corporate ladder.

I’m not sure @shimy but that’s a good question.

i think I was mainly green with a small bit of blue!

Hello everyone, it's been ages since I was on the thread as work has been so busy - between that and studying, last weekend was my first weekend off since November.

I have worked my way through 2.5 threads and it's been lovely to catch up with everyone's news. I hope those with health and other difficulties will soon be emerging from them.

DS is chugging along - he came home the weekend before last, I was away working but was a bit suspicious that something was up and tasked DH with finding out what it was, nothing apparently. I got home on Sunday so gave DS a lift back to Nottingham on Monday to have a bit of time together in the car and sure enough he said he was feeling low and in a bit of a slump. I was quite worried because he said goodbye very abruptly, I think because he was crying, which is not like him at all. It started when he fell over and hurt his wrist so couldn't write, and stopped going to lectures as he couldn't make notes. But he seems to be getting on with it ok now and will be home again for Easter soon. He was here for ages over Christmas - no exams so teaching didn't start until 30 Jan and he got an infected tooth just before that which ended up in emergency dental hospital and a week to recover.

Anyway, not long to go now. He got some assessment marks over Christmas and is doing fine, and has signed up for a house for next year with 7 other lads 😱
They have a shared garden with two other 8 bed houses either side, I'm glad they're nowhere near me I must say. DH is the guarantor, I have stayed well out of it but I think it's quite expensive.

I am another mammogram fan, there is a lovely quiet clinic in Cardiff staffed entirely by women and they were all so kind and gentle, I actually got quite emotional thinking about how wonderful women can be to other women.

Re hobbies: playing the piano, mostly duets with DD, and ukulele (just about to start a little ukulele trio with two friends which will be hilarious). Unsuccessful attempts to learn to speak Welsh properly. Bird watching although not much time for that lately. And menopause induced insomnia.

Another one who hasn't been on the thread for a while, just trying to catch up!

News on DS at Reading - he's doing ok, isn't that happy in his accommodation but has nice friends in others so spends evenings with them, I think just feels a bit isolated the rest of the time.
He's looking forward to moving in with 6 of them in August !
Course wise, he's requested a change. He is currently doing a foundation year in a course that is ok, not that far off his first choice, but isn't his first choice. He's doing very well though, so has put in a course change request for next year, to the original course he'd applied for - fingers crossed he gets it!

He sent me his end of year exam dates yesterday, assuming he comes home straight away and goes back ready for September, he'll be home for 4 months! Hoping to work 40 hours a week at his old job though (fingers crossed!)

It's enrichment week for ds this week which basically seems to mean no classs or lectures just optional workshops. ds has signed up for one but is then going to come home tomorrow (because of rail strikes Thursday) to rehearse with his band for big gig on Saturday. It's going to be their biggest gig so far, supporting a local band with a large following at a venue with a good reputation.

I just hope that somewhere amongst the mix he starts his essay!

Anyway, for those of you with TikTok this might make you smile.

www.tiktok.com/@jewell7448/video/7210197645040618757

Fingers crossed for the course change Sofaking

@singingstones your DS's story sounds very similar to mine, although yours did ok in his assessments! Illness leading to getting behind, then struggling to catch up. Hopefully now your DS has shared he will be better able to get on. It's difficult for them to manage everything without feeling a bit overwhelmed.

@crazycrofter Can she not do an integrated masters with placement year? That is what DS is doing, it does mean it takes five years though.

My DS seems to be getting there very slowly, he is taking his vitamins and using his face scrub every day. Small bits of self care but I am focusing on them and then asking how his work is going so that I'm not going straight in there each time. He has completely caught up on one subject for this semester and is hoping to be fully caught up on all subjects in a couple of weeks, It's difficult that he can't go to lectures and then catch up the prior ones as they are all technical and build on each other so if he misses the building blocks he wouldn't have a clue what was going on.

He has a meeting with the head of the course later this week, who emailed DS saying with current grades he is looking at resitting the year or dropping out. Obviously DS is very much not planning on doing either of those, but as he put it the head chap "is offering help and I want help". He is confident he is an a lot better place this semester and hopes he can do well in the next set of exams, and also in the summer resits. Fingers crossed, he is capable academically but it will take a lot of work.

Rejection from Newcastle today for DS (expected) and rejection last week from Sheffield (definitely not expected, thought it had gone well). We have UEA offer holder day this weekend, which will now feel more real. Still waiting for Leicester, which would be first choice now, but very happy to go to UEA if no offer comes from Leicester. I am surprised he has not been more successful, with his job and his good communication skills, I thought he would get 4 offers, but luckily you only need 1.

Good luck to @sofakingcool with the course change.

@Monkey2001 fingers crossed for Leicester, but you’re right that UEA is an excellent option.

DD is taking treats to the junior Docs on the RVI picket line today - they’ve been told that as students, they’re not allowed to chant or wave banners.

Hope you have a good offer holder day at UEA @Monkey2001 . DD went back this weekend to stay with a friend and was really pleased to discover she still loves it! She told me that she is excited about restarting in September which I am very relieved about.

Against the backdrop of offers vs expected Monkey, very well done to him on UEA, and if Leics comes off, brilliant.

I am just gobsmacked at the continuation of lack of offers across all subjects for top tier students, from all walks of life. Anecdotally, this year seems even worse than last year, but that may just be the net of students that I know.

Am very much looking forward to visiting DD in a couple of weeks. We have lots planned and I think she’s really appreciating what we have done for her, now that she is independent from us. Not sure how long it will last :) We won’t see much of her when she breaks, but may take weekend trips over the summer to meet her overseas instead.

Sounds ridiculous to be talking about summer when we haven’t even done Easter yet, but the semester schedule v 3 forces that way of thinking.

Hi all.
I'm another one checking in after a long time missing.
I'd forgotten which board this thread was on 😳
I hope you are all doing ok?
The latest news with us is that Ds passed his January Uni Sports Science exams after being very doubtful! I was also pretty doubtful. I caught him sitting in his bed doing his Cell Biology exam on his computer, with his earphones on. I was worried he might have fallen asleep - but no. It was a long exam apparently.
Ive never seen anyone do their exams in bed, in their pj's before.
They all find Biochemistry really hard & apparently share lectures with the Medics.
Dd2_has just got an offer For Ucl Architecture which i 'm absolutely thrilled about as she desperately wanted to be in London. Dh 's response was 'When am i going to enjoy life? I will be working to pay for this forever'...
He does have a point .... with 4 children.
We've had major issues with our dc4 missing a lot of school but hopefully he's ok now.

Welcome back @singingstones @Cantonet @sofakingcool , glad to hear that your dc are all doing ok despite the ups and downs. It's a huge year for them isn't it, first year at uni, with lots to cope with.

Sorry to hear about the rejections @Monkey2001 that does seem surprising - but maybe it will be easier for him to not have much of a choice!

@280NeuerNamen apparently it's either the masters or the placement year - I guess she hasn't got funding agreed for 5 years, as they don't offer that. Not sure why? But to be honest I don't want to be shelling out for another 4 years! She just rang me to borrow £40 for flights to Brussels to see a friend in May. I had two calls at the weekend for £5 each for going out as she'd run out and I had to send £25 last week as she had a friend visiting and so she'd have to go out for food with her both days (there was no way she was making her friend pay £6 a meal for Rutland Hall food, which she says is disgusting!). She's planning to work at Easter and a bit in the summer, but the money flows out as fast as it comes in....

So nice to hear all your news: crazy, singing, faking, cant, Neuer, Ealing, Seeline, come. Sorry to hear of rejection Monkey.

Ds1 text yesterday. He got his 1st choice PwC placement he asked for - Asset Management in London, Accommodation included, for the Autumn Term, Sep to Dec 23.

He barely rings. He's having a blast. I told him I'm glad, but to knuckle down and remember why he's there. He rang Dh the other night. I actually miss him.