Thread 51 - Covid GCSE Cohort - Summer 24 - End of Uni Yr 2

[Oblomov24]

2024 Summer, end of year 2 for those at Uni.

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). 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.

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That is amazing news @Seeline Congratulations to your DS 👏👏

DD now back from Uni and I have a house full of unpacked bags and stuff! She's just got her last assignment grade back today and got a first so although there's no mention of progression to 2nd year she's guessing she must have passed her first year as she's passed everything else. Such a relief. It's been a full on first year with ups, downs, wanting to quit but she's a 3rd of the way through uni now and has a long summer break ahead to recoup and recharge - has a minor foot op next week that we've waited ages for - and a birthday bash to arrange!!

I know this won’t mean much to anyone (unless you are a serious yachtie) but DS2 (the oceanography one) has just passed his Yacht Master 200GT Offshore (sail) professional sailing qualification. He can now skipper a 200tonne sailing yacht (say up to about 120 ft long) up to 150 miles from land 😱

V proud of him - he’s only 20

well done Delphi ds!

Thanks @Oblomov24 😘

@Delphigirl Sounds seriously responsible. Well done your DS!

@Delphigirl wow - know nothing about sailing but that sounds seriously big! Well done to your DS.

Well done to your ds @Delphigirl !

Thanks v much! He is partying tonight and then looking for a job on a super yacht on Monday 🤣

How lovely Delphi, to all the futures adventures he’s going to have 👏

@Delphigirl And there I was, proud of doing my "Start Sailing" RYA course... the first rung of a very tall ladder where your DS2 has reached the top! Many congratulations to him!

DD's plans for the summer have settled down. Home for a couple of weeks in the middle of July, away in the Lakes for a week with friends, and the rest of the time back in Cambridge. She didn't get the paid job she applied for, but is doing more volunteer shifts at the local-history/folklore museum instead. This is useful experience for her, and she's now joining the "behind the scenes" collections/curation team as well which would be hard to do in a bigger place. Her (paid) boss also went into museum work from an arts/design degree!

Fantastic @delphigirl! Well done him

@photodad - sounds like a good summer for your DD.

thank you both! @photodad sounds like a lovely summer for her . I haven’t seen any of her work recently- will you share some soon? As you know I am a huge fan of your DD’s talent!

Congrats to your ds's @Seeline and @Delphigirl

I am trying to keep up with the thread again. I am sure I've missed a lot out.

Ds2 and I are off to stay the night with dh's dd tomorrow night in Sussex as Ds flies out to Australia from Gatwick Tuesday morning. He needs to be at the airport 6am and it's nearer from Brighton.

In true Ds2 style he's not packed anything yet. His car, until yesterday was still full with the contents of his room in Sussex. Ds has been home almost 2 weeks but won't do anything. I don't know how much is in his car still, but the bedding is now on the floor in the hallway and there is about 4 washing machine loads in the utility room. So I know he's made a start. We are taking him out to lunch today as it's his last meal with us, we wanted to go this evening but he's going out at 4pm with mates to watch the football, I know he won't be home until the early hours. I can guarantee when I get home from work at 2pm tomorrow he will still be asleep and won't have started packing. I plan to leave at 3pm 😡 anyone else with a Ds like mine? I'd have had everything packed or at least laid out ready for a week or so by now. I got all the holdalls/cases out the loft a few weeks ago, asked him to pick one, which he did. I put it in ds1's bedroom and suggested he start packing. I bought him a travel plug for Australia, he said he didn't need one and would buy one when he gets there. I've packed that and I've also packed a small travel towel and a small shower gel. I told him he will want a shower on arrival. He's saying he doesn't want those either. I also offered to buy one of the packs of bedding, towels, cooking utensils etc that can be ordered by foreign students, to be there waiting on his arrival. He said no to that too. So I know he will spend several nights just lying on a mattress 🤦‍♀️ he infuriates me.

@Seeline he sounds like my ds2. fiercely independent, completely disorganised (ADD). Won’t accept help but needs to. Maddening. Tbh he probably will spend the first 3 weeks lying on a bare mattress and it won’t bother him. I would also be quietly tucking things into his bag which he would later admit were useful. Add a toothbrush 😁

@icanbewhatiwant yes, ds is the same (and like @Delphigirl ’s ds too) - very independent, but ADHD makes that hard. He went to Morocco last Monday morning, we had to be out first thing, he started packing at 11pm on Sunday. He wondered if I could wash and dry a vest top for him before he went… we don’t have a tumble dryer! But he managed to get everywhere on time (he had various trips booked) and he didn’t miss the flight home, so they can do it… Hope ds2 has a fab time in Australia!

I would say photograph/scan everything of his before he goes - his passports, visas, driving licence, credit cards, letter from uni, etc etc as he will possibly lose all if it during his year as my DS did last year doing year abroad in California …
yes the DS who is currently travelling Honduras El Salvador and Nicaragua with only an iPhone as a means of payment as he only brought one card and then was mugged for his wallet. Sigh.

@Delphigirl Ds has visa and uni letter were via email. So I've not even seen. I will try to get a photo of his passport though. He had a monzo account but all on his phone. So I hope he doesn't lose that. I suggested getting an actual bank card, but he won't do anything I suggest.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has a disorganised dc. I have packed already for my night away, I have a list to check before leaving too. I like a list.

Anyone's DC at Glastonbury this weekend?
DS and friends managed to get themselves in by pretending to be under 12 and going in with complete strangers who had tickets, as their "responsible adults". 😂
They even managed to get very close to the front of the main stage for Coldplay.
Videos look amazing! What a way to finish his time at school. 😍

My son’s friend & bandmate was there on Thursday playing at a pop up hotel. He couldn’t stay as he had gigs elsewhere Fri & Sat. He had a brilliant time.

No Glastonbury but we've been at a local festival and saw Sam Ryder which has been a fabulous way for DD to end her term, she loves him. Lots of 80s bands (and tribute acts) for me the rest of the weekend, it's been a good one.

Under 12? That's impressive

Isn't it? He 's 18 and 6 feet tall!
He and his friends got on the shuttle bus, asked an older male stranger if he'd say they were with him and that's how they got in initially.
Funnily enough, getting out of the site was much harder! Because they didn't have wristbands, supposedly indicating they were under 12, they weren't allowed out without a responsible adult...so they had to do the same in reverse, which was more tricky at 8am yesterday. 😆😆

Picc that's impressive. I watched Glastonbury Keane then Coldplay. Showmanship, the crowd singing. Glad they enjoyed it.

Aw I really miss the bravado of youth. Brilliant strategy Picc! 👏👏