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

Goodness! What purpose does that serve? Is it just 'tradition'?

No idea - mind you, at the end of their 5th year, they rank the entire country’s cohort - imagine if you were number 7500!😬

Well, you're still a doctor I suppose...

My daughter was a serve legal auditor for a year. She really enjoyed it and found it quite flexible. She does drive so was able to take jobs further afield too. The pay rate wasn’t great but she often got a weeks worth of shopping and plenty of alcohol.

Oo, hello everyone! How lovely to hear from you all. Must admit, I consciously avoided the thread in the early days of DS starting at uni, as you all had interesting updates and I had a wall of silence from DS. Nothing. Then, when I wanted to check in on you all again, I couldn't find you...
DS is still not terribly communicative, but we are reassured that he's made some good friends who he's going to live with next year, is getting out and about in Manchester, enjoying his main hobby, doing just about enough studying, and not wishing he'd chosen another course. And he's finally got himself to GP and got some antibiotics to kill off a bug that seems to have been bothering him for 6 months or more. So all seems well. No part-time job as yet, because he hasn't got round to contacting the pub that's part of a chain he's previously worked for, and he didn't work at Christmas because didn't get round to contacting the local pub. So he's very skint, but I'm trying hard not to nag or bail him out. Last time we spoke he was excited about doing a work placement 3rd year but I fear there'll be the same 'didn't get round to it' problem. We shall see!
We had a funny moment at Christmas when DS (biotechnology student) was talking to DD2 (medical student) about a particular drug he'd had to write an essay about. DD2 had just been learning about it too. Then DD1 said - Oh, i've just been designing the promo leaflet for that drug (she's a graphic designer at a health-specialist design agency). Strange how their very different strengths and life choices are still intersecting one way or another!

@KingscoteStaff Ranking in first semester exams sounds really brutal! Don't think my DD had anything quite like that, but I suppose growing a thick skin is one of their main aims in the next few years.

@KingscoteStaff I still remember being ranked in every subject every time from the second year to sixth form! I can so clearly remember being chuffed at getting AAB at A levels and then seeing I was ranked joint 67th in the year (very competitive grammar!). It’s a harsh system but I guess at least gives you an indication of where you are comparatively.

glad you had an amazing holiday @Delphigirl We came back so relaxed after our holiday it was great.

DS still hasn’t got results of his exams back yet. Nor does he know what grades he needs to finish the year. Will be relieved when he gets them so he and we have a better idea of how it’s actually going.

i had previously been a bit concerned at the amount of time DS is spending with his (lovely) girlfriend. She is from home but goes to the same uni. I asked him yesterday how many nights a week they stay over and he said he sleeps at hers every single night! He goes to his room during the day bet ween lectures etc but they have dinner together and he stays at hers every evening.

Apart from wondering what on earth a waste of rent that is, I am a bit concerned what happens if it falls apart. They seem very compatible and settled and she is a lovely girl and generally good for him, but would you be concerned?? There is nothing I can say or do I don’t think but can’t help wishing they would be a bit less interdependent. They do at least have separate houses next year but who knows if that too will be a waste of rent. Any thoughts?

Thanks @OrangeCinnamonLatte btw!!

I think I’d prefer his set up with peace of mind on how volatile young love is vs no potential home ‘if’ things turned sour 280. I think they have a win win set up for next year too!

@280NeuerNamen At least they are both at the same Uni. One of our TAs at school is beside herself with worry about her daughter who is coming home every weekend to see her (admittedly lovely) boyfriend. They’ve been together since they were 16.

She is doing well academically, but hasn’t joined any societies or made friends outside her flat.

Yes that’s true. I was very keen that they have separate houses next year but they were both already on that page.

They were at school together but didn’t officially get together until after they had both chosen unis. So in theory it is pot luck that they are at the same uni but they were good friends first so who knows what influence that was.

True it has been a comfort knowing they have each other, especially as DS is not a clubber.

maybe I should not worry!

It's so nice to hear everyone's updates. Thank you for tagging me in the new thread.

DS is really settled in Bristol. Coming from a small village, living in the centre of the city is right up his street. We went down one evening, picking him up on the way to visit relatives and he seemed so proud of everything giving us a mini tour. His room was nice and tidy too!

Being a very laid back soul, he has surprised us by organising the house for next year for himself, most of his flatmates and a couple of others they have gathered along the way - no easy feat in Bristol. I am ridiculously proud of him mainly because it is such a surprise that he is really 'on it'.

He and his girlfriend have managed to see eachother every couple of weeks with longer stays together when schedules allow. They have been together for 4 years and I wondered how Uni would change their relationship. So far, they seem only strengthened by their independent lives and as close as ever. Time will tell but so far so good.

He worked at his old job over the Christmas hols and can do so again at Easter but he wants to get a job in Bristol after Easter as I think he would like to spend most of the summer there. I don't blame him and really welcome his desire to be independent.

He is coming home on Tuesday for a couple of days but going back early as he has some group work for one of his subjects that needs to be done. He is loving the course and his submissions so far have been highly marked which has been a relief for him.

@280NeuerNamen my DS and his girlfriend are the same. They seem to only be apart when they have lectures! They only met in October and now spend every night in his room.
Unfortunately they are housing together next year which I don’t think is a good idea but no one listens to me, they will at least have separate rooms so will have their own room to go to if the worst happens. Can imagine it could be very awkward for the other house mates though

To be fair, we had sorted a 2nd year housing group when I was in uni and then I started going out with one of the future housemates in year 1. We split up in the summer holidays which meant the whole of the second year we were exes in the same house, led to a few drunken friends with benefits moments but was mostly awkward when one of us had a boyfriend/girlfriend round. It was a large house of 8 so not too bad as we weren’t all ‘on top of each other’ to use a dodgy phrase 😂 at least though.

My DD's friendship group includes a couple, and they've deliberately decided to be in separate accommodation next year, which might be pessimistic or realistic! I met them yesterday along with the rest of DD's close friends (who call themselves The Bread Club as when they gather they tend to snack on nice bread), we had a lovely picnic and a very amusing chat for a couple of hours.

Heading home later today after a smashing weekend.

Thanks for the new thread @OrangeCinnamonLatte I see it's already filling up quickly! Nice to see some names again and to read lots of positive news, sorry you had RL issues @ealingwestmum some people are just really odd and inappropriate.

Speaking of relationships, DS is now back together with his gf, for how long I don't know but they seem happy enough. I am surprised by how many of them seem to be in these steady relationships rather than out there meeting new people which is what I expected to happen. Maybe its a generational thing?

Exciting news for me (it doesn't take much to be honest!😂) I am about to start a short upholstery course this week. I suspect I'll be rubbish but fancied giving it a go. It will get rid of my frustrations with DS2s lack of enthusiasm for his art gcse course work which is driving me nuts!

I got into a relationship in my first year (soon after Christmas IIRC). He was a second year who I met through a club and I spent a lot of times with his friendship group. We never even discussed living in the same house though, I moved in with someone on my course and people from her halls, he was in an established house share already. Just as well as he dumped me for someone else half way through my second year. I mainly socialised with people from my course after that, but it would have all changed at the end of that year anyway as exBF and his friends were all graduating. A lot of people did get into relationships early in their uni life, I know of one couple who got together early in the first year and are still together. I wasn't aware of much casual stuff going on, it probably was though.

I met my husband aged 17. I went to uni a year before him but he followed and although we went to different places we moved in together from his 1st year and my 2nd year.

Ds sent me his 3 exam results, all good solid passes in : Computers in Business, Quantative methods 1a, Assurance.

I can't believe he gets such grades with such minimum work. Irritating.

Enjoy JustHere, I think you’ll get much more out of it than just the course learning; being amongst others and their personal stories as to why they’re there with you is equally rewarding.

Ds got the result of his technical assessment but he can't remember it. He said he got 60 something percent. He scored high on his solo piece but his scales and arpeggios let him down (which figures)

I hope you're right @ealingwestmum I'm hoping they are all beginners like me thoguh so I don't feel intimidated.

DS just got his exam results - one very good, two good and one bad. 😧 i think he's a bit upset by that one as he thought he'd done OK.

Can I ask you all your opinion on something?

Is there anything that can be given as a gift (not cash because cash would not be accepted) that would have been really helpful to your young student in terms of making ends meet.

I'd thought of a supermarket gift card as one idea but is there anything else?

@Comefromaway - how do they pay for laundry? Could you top up the account they use for that.

I don't know, it is someone who will be starting in September. I won't have access to that sort of information.