Thread 52 - Covid GCSE Cohort - Autumn 24 - Start of Uni Yr 3

[Oblomov24]

2024 Autumn, start of year 3 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.

51 Previous thread - 51.

Natural Sciences (Phys/Chem/Maths combo). And his UCAS form has already been returned by the school as he entered a GCSE incorrectly... still, at least they're on the ball about it.

@PhotoDad I haven’t seen my DD’s application. She did it at school with a teacher and had to pay using her own credit card. The price had gone up since we did it with DD1.

Much the same here, although he did show me the first draft of his Personal Statement!

I'm more panicking because ds hasn't completed his ucas form yet. I know he has ages although college want them in before half term.

Ds is heading to NZ in January so he has three months to apply to as many apprenticeships as are open and to to a UCAS application as a back up, as he's adamant he doesn't want another year working in Tesco. However, he's working ridiculous hours and spending lots of his spare time thinking about his travels, so I'm worried he's not going to get the applications in. He still needs to decide exactly what area of surveying he wants to do... He's just not good at thinking about things that far in advance!

@EternallyDelighted a gap year will give her a chance to explore things and decide what direction she wants to go in. Hopefully she'll find a job to keep her busy. And you've said she's not massively sociable, so presumably she's not worried about her friends not being around?

She's doing a trial shift for a new part time job next week which hopefully will work out, she's already been interviewed. Her college days are a bit empty because she's only doing two timetable blocks so this will help with that as well as money and experience. She doesn't talk about her friends much, and as she doesn't really see them outside college we've never met most of them (they all live about 20 miles away) but it sounds as though she is keeping in touch with some that left last year (although it might be limited as she doesn't use social media). She is in good spirits which is the main thing.

That's good. We're all different and if she's happy with the way things are, that's all that really matters. I've got children who are massively more extroverted and sociable than I am, so I've had it the other way round - I really can't compute why dd needs to have at least two social events every day! Your dd sounds very self-contained which is a really good thing I think! And she's obviously happy at home!

Yes, she is great company and spends a lot of time with me and DH. We've had this convo before haven't we, we are both opposite to our DCs as I am very sociable, go out with other people at every opportunity so it has been an adjustment for me to understand that DD just isn't like that (DH and DS are pretty sociable too).

Yes, it’s one of the things I didn’t expect about parenting - having children who are totally different to you!

DS dropped back - long day there and back. Lovely room with new en suite. Can't believe 3rd year!

DD is finding it difficult to re-adjust to term time and is feeling very tired the whole time! It wouldn't surprise me if she's got one of the million bugs currently doing the rounds. But she is generally cheerful and was buoyed by seeing water voles, a grass snake, and kingfishers on her regular walk to a local park. She's planning a day-trip by bus to a National Trust place, and is continuing her museums work.

DS has now submitted his UCAS form. His Cambridge entrance exam is next Wednesday. Once that whole process is out of the way we can start looking at gap year arrangements.

Oh dear @PhotoDad hopefully it's just the re-adjustment and she'll settle back soon. I've only ever seen a kingfisher twice and both those times have just been the flash of blue, never seen one properly. My DS has come down with a bug too, he rang yesterday and said he had a horrendous sore throat. He very rarely gets ill so it's a bit of a shock when it happens. DD starts the new job properly this weekend.

@PhotoDad my DS gone back to C full of cold which he has very kindly given to both of us. Hope your DD settles soon and good luck to your DS with his exam.

@EternallyDelighted hope your DD enjoys her new job and that your DS feels better soon.

Despite being full of germs DS passed his RAF fitness test in C on Monday so the application creaks slowly on!

Thanks! and congratulations to @craggyrat DS in getting to the next stage of the process!

@EternallyDelighted We've all had colds or similar here, too. Bleurgh.

DS checked his email this morning and has had his first uni offer, which was blindingly fast. Anyone here have much experience of Leeds Uni?

Congrats to both Craggy's ds and Photos's ds!

Well done to your ds @craggyrat ! That was quick @PhotoDad ! All I know about Leeds is it's supposed to be a party uni, like Nottingham and Newcastle... My brother went there and loved it.

Dd is also ill! And she was behind with her lectures already, by Monday, but she managed to catch up yesterday. There's a new boyfriend on the scene, who she seems very keen on . We've met him already and he's lovely, but he's 3 hours away at a different uni, which means they have to travel and stay with each other. He was in Nottingham from Thursday night until Monday. I'm concerned that he's going to be another distraction, when she really needs to get her grades up!

Which unis are known for being party unis? We heard this about Newcastle so DD decided not to apply.

As far as I know, Nottingham, Newcastle, Leeds and probably Bristol too?! But I'm sure they've got a good range of people regardless.

Nottingham Trent is number one paaaaartay uni.

Great news @PhotoDad
DS has Leeds on his list but yet to submit his form.

Well done to your DS on his offer @PhotoDad. I see he has also applied to Cambridge, did you find the Oxbridge thread useful, or any other forum? DS2 has ambitions and I know nothing about applying to those unis. He is doing STEP classes at school from half term and does critical thinking but other than that any pointers to resources would be fab. He wants to do Chem Eng.

I think Notts being a party place may have helped DS1 in his selection of uni's to apply to..

Thanks! Honestly, the best resource for Oxbridge is the university websites, which have lots of information. The threads are quite useful and worth a read, but if you ever want to send me a PM I'd be happy to help (I've been doing UCAS including Oxbridge for years at my school).

@PhotoDad thank you, I may well take up that offer!

Hi everyone. We're just back from Nottingham Uni open day for DS. I know there's a few of you on here with personal experience of there. Please can you share the good, the bad and the ugly Feel free to pm if you'd prefer.
It's a very high contender so really would appreciate some feedback. Thank you!