Thread 46 - GCSE Covid Cohort , Searching for Summer Solstice

[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

ds is home but he had a nightmare getting back on Saturday as all the train lines from Leeds were blocked. He then had an issue with his ticket at Manchester which was sorted but ended up missing yet another connection so didn't get back home until much later.

Sunday was spent gigging with his band.

However on the train back he ended up bumping into his very first piano teacher from school who was accompanying one of her students and their dad back from an exam. Ds knew the dad vaguely as he is a DJ and local music journalist and somehow it came about that ds has been interviewed for our local paper talking about his band, theatre work and other things musical. The article is out tomorrow!

Tomorrow ds and his friend are going back to their old college to rehearse in the band for the college musical. They are going to have a nostalgic trip to the local sainsbury's or Sarn-beree as they call it which is what they used to do every day when they were at college. It will be different for them going back as visitors rather than students.

It's interesting to read about those DDs/DSs enjoying being at Nottingham still. In contrast DD went back Sunday night, had an exam this morning and is already saying there is nothing to do at all there. Most of her friends have gone home, whilst she has 3 more exams next week. Her neighbour will be coming home Thursday so I suspect DD will come home again this weekend (again). I asked if she was going to do anything nice and she said there isn't anything to do! Apart from play tennis, go to the gym and revise. I guess it's just the luck of the drawer in what friends you make and if they are around, and up to doing other stuff.

I wish DDs house next year was only £80pw! I can't believe she picked one for £150!!

@PhotoDad that's really nice that it ended on a good note with another friend. Goes to show it's not the end of the world if you swap friendship groups etc.

@Heifer same here! Mind you, on wiwikau I saw someone trying to get a replacement for their room - not as good a location as DDs but £225pw

Wow, where was that! Wonder what they got for that amount!

Crikey £225😨 DS's house for next year is £100 per week plus bills - not that he's signed a contract yet.

Having reminded DD once (“I can remember to do things you know!”) I backed off entirely re phoning about the keys. So she emailed and had a quick reply ‘just post it back’. Such a storm in (my) teacup 😂 Now to figure out what service is best for getting it back …

DD was pleased to see two friendly faces. Now in a food coma after dinner at "Little Petra" (if you're ever in Cambridge...), especially as, since our last visit, it's acquired a liquor licence. 🍺

Her shoebox in an HMO next year is £180/week (bills included). But it is only 15 minutes' walk from the art school.

I apparently 'interrogated' Dd about this after seeing your post. At her halls they get given a special envelope to post in a 'special box' don't you know 🙄was just asking.

Crazy that is an amazing price for house. Ds is £96 per week, including bills. But it's for 50 weeks. And he's not even there for the first term because he's in London on his first PwC training.

@Oblomov23 that is also a really good price if it includes bills! Dd says everyone else she's spoken to is paying at least £110 - so she obviously hasn't spoken to @mummyinbeds ds yet either 😂

@heifer, sorry to hear your dd's friends have gone home already. It sounds like she might need to branch out a bit next year and look for some new friends who are a bit more sociable? I think it's quite normal to make new/extra friends each year, so she shouldn't think she's stuck where she is for the rest of her degree. Dd seems to be socialising 24:7 (around the pesky exams! )

Has anyone's dc got their exam results yet? DS finishes exams this Friday but with all the strikes going on at the moment Im seriously doubting he'll get his results. DS1 has his graduation ceremony in July but really nervous his dissertation won't be marked. Is anyone else in the same boat?

DS2 hasn't confirmed how much his rent for this September will be but I'm guessing it's on the high side. In any case, he's sorting it with his dad so I'll just stay out of that one.

DD got her full summary results yesterday Shimy, but was done by end of April. They haven’t had the same issues as UK either re strikes.

fingers crossed re the dissertation and marking and first year’s grading for your two.

DS didn't have exams but gets full year results end of June which includes modules he submitted essays for in last few weeks.

DS has done 5 exams online, not multi choice. He doesn't know when they will get results. I'm thinking they won't get marked and first years will just get nodded through. He's accumulated enough marks throughout the year to hit an overall pass so long as he gets about 20% on the exams and I'm fairly sure the same applies to most of the cohort.

@ealingwestmum That's great she's got her results. What country is she in? thanks very much for the well wishes. Really hoping ds1 in particular gets his degree classification.

@Piggywaspushed Hope your ds gets all his results. Getting your results is a huge part of learning and knowing whether your study technique works including your comprehension abilities. To study hard and get no feedback is really demoralising.

@EwwSprouts DS2 is a perfectionist and has been working so hard to hit a 1st in every module. It's just the kind of thing he thrives on. I've told him it doesn't matter, so long as he passes the yr but he is who he is.

I think he fully expects to get them shimy. He has a message on their Canvas thing about results, so he says!

Did I mention ever clumsy DS1 broke another phone!!?

He has now replaced it and he is bloomin well paying.

Update on the 'assault in flat' situation....Finally got to ask DS what is going on and he says:

The female flatmate seems back to her jolly self. (Probably trying to brave it out)

The perpetrator spends most of his time in his room & is not making eye contact with anyone in the common rooms but has had one to ones with some members of their flat to give his side of the story.

DS has not been included in these one to ones since DS had stopped speaking to him.

The planned move for September (all of them) is still going ahead. DS asked the girl if she was still moving with them as this chap was still moving with them and she said yes, which DS found confusing. DS also said the girl said she doesn't want to confide in her parents .

Personally, I'm not happy about them all carrying on as if nothing has happened. DS has decided after his exams he's going to go and knock on the perpetrator's door and ask his side of the story but also with a view to telling him maybe he should find somewhere else to live so that everyone feels comfortable.

I'm not sure he can do anymore than that if the girl is not ready to rock the boat yet. I think they all wrote down what happened though just incase she needs to report it in future.

Aww! @Piggywaspushed I'm the clumsiest person in my family. Can't explain why. I'm much better now than when younger. As a teenager i was constantly dropping things, walking into doors, spilling things etc I can feel your frustration.

She’s in Ireland Shimy

Gosh your boy’s house dynamics continue to be challenging; hope it comes to a resolution of some kind. Burial of abuse always has some way of resurfacing, but it is also sensible to hear both parties’ view points for objectivity.

Ah! no strikes in Ireland, lucky.

Couldn't agree more with all you said re: House dynamics. I can only wish them all the best and pray they all grow in wisdom & understanding.

@Piggywaspushed how is his job hunting going? Hopefully you won’t be needing to worry about broken items for much longer 🤣

Dd broke her first iPhone when she was 13, by dropping it down the toilet twice! We were so cross with her, we made her get a paper round and save up for a new one. The months without the phone were so painful she never did it again 🤣 Ds broke several screens but he didn’t dare tell his dad, he just used his allowance to get it fixed secretly!

Sorry to hear the flat situation hasn’t been resolved @shimy. It’s a good idea for your ds to talk to him, at least he will have heard both sides. I can’t imagine it’s going to work with them both in the house together next year?