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

DD’s year is done academically by the middle of this week. I think her last project type assessment is done, and she has speaking assessments this week - possibly just tomorrow. She’s coming home on Thursday in the hope her passport will arrive (it’s with the US embassy getting visa-ed). No worries about it being back with her in time for her US trip, but she’s going to Paris on the 20th, which is a little squeaky …

She’s going back to Preston en route to Paris, as she’s flying from Manchester. I think we’ll move her out of halls the last weekend in May … hopefully the very relaxed storage provider will have space for her stuff, otherwise we’re going to have a rather packed house over the summer.

I’m not sure if I’m coming or going at the moment. It feels like the next time things will be settled for a few weeks will be when she’s gone again, to the US. Exciting for her, but sad for me.

(Now realising I’ve said half of this already - this is a fair reflection of my brain right now)

Congratulations on your DS’s internship Delphigirl, good to hear your DH’s recovery has gone well.

Your girl continues to grow Photodad, I’m sure she’ll make good relationships in the coming year having handled this year so brilliantly.

DD home tomorrow, and will be heading off for her first visiting friends at Nottingham uni at weekend, with a short family trip to Istanbul week after. Shame we’ll be hitting election time there, it may be a disastrous visit depending on the result.

I’m looking forward to seeing her. Not so looking forward to the hit on our shopping bills!

@DontCallMeBaby I'm just about to send DD's passport off the the Ghanaian High Commission. Their visa process is the most complicated admin I have ever had to do - apart from last year's application when she was under 18 and they changed their IT system part way through. I'm not looking forward to DS's year in France visa application 😬
DS meanwhile reported his best ever Nottingham weekend and says the memories will last forever. His best friend from home went to stay, Saturday night clubbing, they watched their footie team get relegated (not so good but they had a blast anyway) and spent Sunday evening on the Downs watching the sunset and playing footie in the dark. And he then got an essay mark back which a much improved score. He'd really struggled with it too (having missed so many lectures) so was rather chuffed.

Ahhh thanks @ealingwestmum ! Hope you have had a lovely reunion with your girl 💕💕

that’s so lovely for your DS @mummyinbeds , I’m delighted. Ghanaian embassy, not so much!

Ds2 is home. I collected him today. He had so much stuff. I am amazed it all fit in the car. He hasn't handed his key in, he left his bed made, wash stuff and a towel as he intends to go back for a few days in June. He's saying he wants to drive down, that thought terrifies me. He's only ever driven in our local area. He drove on the dual carriageway around Norwich for his driving test, but hasn't been on one since. We don't have motorways in east anglia. His car is very slow too which I actually find dangerous, but maybe I'm just used to fast cars now.
It's great that he's home, the day has all been too much though, he was up at 7am so he has gone to bed!

My DS has his Ball tonight. Pictured have been sent from Edgbaston.

Last lecture of year today, too.

Congrats to all those who have finished for the year...wow!

Glad Piggyjnr had a good ball. When we went for the open day last yr (Brum), there was something going on and all of them were dressed up to the nines (we are talking 3 pin suits etc ) and getting onto waiting coaches. DS said it seems they know how to have a good time here!

I can relate to the worry about driving @icanbewhatiwant . It does get easier once they’ve done a few motorway journeys, and now dd says she thinks it’s easier than driving on dual carriageways and around town. She gets better scores on the black box.

Dd is back from her trip to France, currently in Manchester with a friend but back to Nottingham tomorrow to get some revision done.. Glad ds has settled now @mummyinbeds , that must be a relief.

It’s weird that term dates vary so much. I’m not ready to have dd back yet 😂 She won’t be properly back til July anyway because of various holidays. Where’s ds’ ball @Piggywaspushed ? At the Botanical Gardens?

Yes @icanbewhatiwant I get that. Dd passed her test nearly two years ago now, but only really drove to work and college on country lanes. I keep saying that when she's next home she needs to practise motorway driving but she hasn't yet. I also get paranoid because I'm very lucky and used to having a car that tells everything (low type pressure etc) plus my phone is connected. I worry she might try and take a phone call even though I know that's actually an irrational thought.

Edgbaston crazy!

As in the cricket ground.

@crazycrofter thanks. It's also how slow ds's car is that worries me. Nothing happens when you put your foot down 😣
Ds said he needs to do a dual carriageway and motorway journey. The last time he drove on a dual carriageway was his driving test almost 2 years ago. I think I'm more worried at the thought than him though.

@NCTDN your post came while I was typing. Yes...I'm spoilt with my car too. It's fast, has lots of safety features and the thing I like the most is my heads up display with my directions on my screen. I wouldn't drive ds's on fast roads. We have no motorways to practice on, it's about 40 mins to a dual carriageway.

I hear you! We do have dual carriageways and motorways but they're the other extreme, always so so busy (m6 or m62).
She told me she was going somewhere new last time she was home and was insistent that she knew where she was going. I felt ill worrying because she had no sat nav

So lovely to hear of fun weekends, balls, travels and jobs. It's not been easy for many, including those who have taken a break or another path, but there seems a feeling now that most are looking forward from a better place than 9 months ago. I hope so and hope it becomes so for any not there yet.

I was going to visit my friend on the Suffolk coast from Wiltshire and I said “remind me which is your nearest motorway” and she said “I think it’s in Holland” 🤣🤣🤣

^😂😂

@Delphigirl ha ha yes. M11 is the nearest to us, I just looked on google maps, it's 56 miles away.

Oh duh @Piggywaspushed ! To Brummies, Edgbaston is an area not the cricket ground 😂 We would refer to that as ‘the cricket ground’ I guess!

Ds’ Xbox broke a week or so ago. He is now playing piano obsessively and constantly during the hours when he would have been talking to friends. I like hearing the piano but…. It’s hearing the same bit over and over again that is a bit wearing!

Yes DS the same with driving. Does loads when home but it is just local stuff. The thought of him on a motorway fills me with horror. He’s a good driver, it is just my paranoia. The job at the summer school down south has fallen through. For several reasons but one of which was he would have had to drive to a London airport 2 hours from the school and collect unaccompanied minors. That is just too much responsibility. He has an offer for a similar job at a school near York instead for four weeks and that is only 30 minutes drive if he isn’t residential. Residential would be better though I think.

I was mentally picturing where Piggy’s DS was partying down the Pershore/Bristol Rd Crazy 😂

The cricket ground sounds like a great venue for the ball. Takes me back to my childhood days spent at Cannon Hill across the road, no idea if it still exists!

Great that your DS has alternative options Esther. I never relax when DD is doing a drive to Dorset with friends in her car, the sense of responsibility is overwhelming. She’s not quite cracked the nuts build of some multi story car parks yet. For those not visited Battersea Power station in a car yet, I am giving you a heads up to avoid their current car park layout!

The day dd passed her test she went home then went off for a drive - on the motorway!!!! I had been planning on someone going with her the first time. She now drives up and down to London like it's nothing!

Half way through exams and assessments for ds. He had a major meltdown over his essay. Essay writing has always been a massive stumbling block for him. IN the end he did it, partly by him having verbal discussions with dh then dh used software to record a transcript of what ds had said for him then to organise and write up. It's not wonderful and he possibly won't pass but it with a third of a 30 credit module and as long as he gets at at least 35 for it (pass being 40) it can be aggregated with his other assignments for that module one of which is a 100 word reflective journal which he submitted last night, The other is a composition which he should fly.

It's ironic he got in the 90's for his theory and aural exam but is struggling to even get 40 for his essay!

He's back home today for a few days as he is recording some drum parts with his friend for a non course related project he is involved with. It's a new musical theatre show that was written by a fellow student and there are some exciting opportunities coming up with it but that are not yet officially announced.

@ealingwestmum Cannon Hill Park is still there - and the nature centre, or whatever it's called now, with the red pandas and capybaras!

That sounds a bit stressful @Comefromaway - I hope the essay gets a pass. It's probably one of those scenarios where Chat GPT would help!

His tutor told him that if he at least submitted something , even if it was bullet pointed then he’d be able to progress as long as he did well on everything else.

what he did write was good, just not in enough depth. For example he made a point about with a quote from a male conductor of an international youth orchestra about women conductors. He should have then backed this up by talking about the lady who is conducting last night of the proms and I also found some stats on the ratio of male/female but he’d run out of steam so didn’t use that.