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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@Shimy it takes me to Google Maps timeline and I can click on "Manage your Timeline" and it gives all my location history. It actually a bit scary. Could be an android thing for me if you don't get the same data.

@mummyinbeds big hugs to you and your DS, I hope he gets done what he needs to today. I have been speaking to DS earlier who is also dreading doing it all again tomorrow but he has had a day in between at least He was meant to be working today but has called in because he's shattered, your DS should not have to sit another tomorrow.

Handed in with a minute to spare. He didn't finish but managed to scribble down some bullet points. He was smiling by the end with a bit of a f#*@ it attitude.
I think I need to look at a private ADHD assessment as the Nottingham Doctors haven't even acknowledged his request to go on the waiting list/Right to Choose. Any advice?

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn I hope your DS is recovered by tomorrow morning. Land law was the worst in January so I have low expectations. Does he have any more after that? Mine has another 29 hours on Tuesday 😭

It's worth enquiring about private assessment I would think @mummyinbeds ? I think the waiting lists are so long on the NHS. Can a private assessment be used to help him at Uni?

Yes, DS has Land Law tomorrow (his January one was also bad and he was very upset about it) he has Law of EU next Tuesday.

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn he already has a support plan but thinks he would benefit from medication. Having observed him this morning I tend to agree. He's admitted to taking a friend's ADHD pill a couple of weeks ago and feeling like a different person. He could think and actually enjoyed the process of writing an essay (unfortunately the second day of writing wasn't as great and he submitted late)

Good luck to both of us tomorrow. I wonder if uni realise the knock on effects of these bloody exams. I had to keep ducking out of a work meeting this morning to be supportive/hand hold/mop up the tears. Luckily my boss is very understanding.

@mummyinbeds poor boy definitely sounds like he would benefit from some medication. This must be so stressful for you too as his mum. Good luck to him tomorrow.

I am handholding the younger DS with his GCSEs at the moment, as much as I hated the non GCSE year, this is also exhausting because I'm a natural worrier and am getting too involved!

I think exams are stressful for parents whatever age the kids are! I was looking at the Theology modules at Nottingham as dd was able to choose one module from outside Psychology for third year. I was amazed that all the modules I looked at were 100% coursework assessed - and just two 2500 word essays for a 20 credit module! Dd would cope with that fine. Obviously she should have looked into assessment methods when she was choosing unis, but I can't believe there's so much of a difference within the same uni.

I've had more input with ds' A Levels than dd's because he was so behind with his content and I needed to work out what books to buy him and make an exam timetable, so he could learn content in the right order. He just doesn't have the executive functioning skills to work this sort of stuff out (or maybe he has and I shouldn't be handholding - I don't know - but his Criminology teacher said this too). Once he's got a plan and all the information in front of him he just knuckles down, reading the book from beginning to end! He even asked me to test him before one exam, which is a first! (and probably a last!).

Thinking of you all going through exam struggles.
DD has no exams at all for the whole 3 years of her course. It was something that attracted her in the first place! Most modules so far have just had one essay, one or two have an additional presentation, or a diary element writing notes of lectures.

No exam degrees sounds perfect for my DS2 (too late for DS1!).

An apprenticeship would be even better..

Ds is more complicated because in one way exams suit him - he has a really good memory so exams involve much less work than coursework! But he is a slow processor, so he can't finish exams even with extra time....

Ds is hoping to get an apprenticeship @JustHereWithMyPopcorn - after his travelling adventures. I'm not sure how it will work, given he plans to be away from say Jan 25 to August at least. I think he'll have to wait until he comes back to apply for anything, which means he'll effectively have two gap years. But that doesn't really matter. And he's an August birthday anyway.

@crazycrofter that extra year might serve him well then? He’ll also have his grades in hand and can take a little time to find the right places for him.

Yes I’m hoping he’ll have had time to develop his time management and organisational skills whilst he’s away too.

You know @crazycrofter they say with ADHD their brain develops about 10 years later than the norm. So about 28, as opposed to 18. They've actually found the brain is smaller, via scans, until the late 20's. There's a lot of information on Attitude, an online ADHD magazine.

Just saying .. I have 3 with ADHD who are variously affected, so it's interesting to me. Plus my brother was a very late developer. And my dad has said he probably has ADHD & he's a retired specialist medical consultant.

That’s really interesting @Cantonet , I’ll have to look that up. Ds is really mature and focused in some ways, but executive functioning and planning ahead are not there at all..

Just found you all, I did think it was very quiet....

Unsurprisingly, DD at art school also has no exams! Each module needs a portfolio at the end, and a few also have essays. That portfolio work will be what lands her a job or commissions (or doesn't) so it's important for more than just the course. She's secured some work in a local museum; although it's unpaid, it would be great for the CV as a lot of arty types go into the museum/gallery world as a "day job" while freelancing.

She's popping back home today for a week, for half-term (mine not hers!) which is unexpected and lovely. DW and DS are away at various times and in various combinations, so I can foresee lots of watching old movies together (something DD and I love, and the others don't).

Have a lovely half term @PhotoDad . Are you fully recovered now?

DS has one more 5 hour exam on Tuesday then it is cricket, rowing bumps and some dissertation work and French so nice last month! We wre paying one day flying visit next weekend to bring some stuff home.

Yes thanks, @craggyrat, I eventually managed to see the GP and get some antibiotics which worked wonders. Enjoy your flying visit!

So it's my half term and inevitably I'm now full of a cold. So annoying! It better not last all week. I'm doing to open uni rounds in June so really wanted chilled half term catching up on things.

@Cantonet 10yrs! that's wildy off from what i was told when DS was diagnosed and from my little research. Both said 2yrs behind which I've always felt mirrors ds2s mental development. If the difference is 10 yrs, how were they functioning when they were 10yrs old? wouldn't it have been impossible to engage with education at that stage & they would've been considered profoundly brain damaged?

@PhotoDad Enjoy your half term, sounds like you and DD have a good plan.

DS doesn't start his exam until week after next but has got some assignment back. The one where he forgot to submit his bibliography, he got 66% but the 2 others he completed over easter, he's got 82% in both . He's so excited about those two because he had a one to one with his tutor to ask what he needs to do to move from 60s to the much higher grades and these are the 1st assignment he did after that meeting.

Shiny this is an extract from Additive - the ADHD online magazine. Brain size doesn't directly correlate with ability but this is one of the reasons thought to cause these particular Adhd issues.

Additude!
My phone really hates this spelling.