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.

@ealingwestmum where is your dc?

She's at the American University of Cairo NCTDN until xmas, then moves to Spain for second semester.

@NCTDN - yep. DS is off to do chemistry at Newcastle. He’s having a good go at being as far away from his sister as possible (she’s at Exeter - the Penryn campus). Fortunately he got into his first choice university. His insurance was Aberdeen!

@NCTDN Shall have to look up Graz. Only ever skied in Austria. (Much nicer instructors than France!)

Cairo will be a fascinating first semester. Sounds as if she has got off to a flying start! @ealingwestmum

@OublietteBravo Newcastle is a very popular university among DS' friends. Hope he settles in quickly.

Unfortunately the closest decent ski resort is Schladming which is two hours away.

Schladming, that name takes me back to Ski Sunday. I have only ever been skiing once, which was a school trip to Switzerland, I wasn’t very good at it (I can’t skate either and am not great at riding a bike). DH used to go regularly with friends but stopped about 20 years ago, he is going again this winter, eeek.

Loving hearing about all the DCs foreign travels. I did my placement year in the UK but my friend did hers in Europe and I went out and stayed for a couple of weeks, it was a fabulous adventure. That was the only time I have ever been to Austria, we drove across Switzerland, crossed the border to a small town, found everything was shut for the afternoon and went back again but at least we could say we’d been. DS went on Scout camp and really wants to take us all back, that was near Salzburg.

Ski Sunday

I too am loving (and deadly jealous) hearing of all travels.

Great news that they're all abroad now and starting to settle in - I think? Unless there's anyone left still to go? Looking forward to hearing all about their adventures!

Picked up ds1 returning from Rome, and after a manic repack put on the train and he's now back in Notts. He has missed today's lectures but already watched them. We've had extremely strong words about not going to lectures.

He’s started early @Oblomov24 . When is his PwC placement this year? Dd is determined to go to all her lectures this year and not get behind so 🤞

We're taking DD back this weekend. I think she wants to get settled in her new house before Freshers. I think she has some Ambassador shifts then.
DH and I have a week away booked next week. Leaving DS at home alone for the first time.....

Hello! I won’t lie I am envious of the year abroad stuff … in a parallel universe DD has been gone a week and a bit and I’m sad. In that parallel universe if I knew about this one I’d be delighted!

Her friend who had wobbles didn’t go, but has gone straight into third year. That does give DD someone to see in Preston, though it might be a while before she’s up to staying with a friend. I’ve said we can go up together if it helps. The one friend she’s heard from who’s overseas is currently horribly homesick after an initial ‘it’s amazing’ series of messages.

Next hurdle is her home friends going back to university … three (out of seven including DD) don’t go in 2022, but starting ‘late’ and there being three is quite different to just DD taking an unplanned year out. One has gone on a year abroad already and the rest will be gone by late September 😞

I can’t remember if anyone hear has gone through similar but tips or just sympathy would be welcome!

That's hard @DontCallMeBaby . I don't have any experience, but I hope she can make a full recovery and that she'll be able to find some new friends to hang around with in time (as well as visiting the one in Preston - and other friends at different universities?).

Ds is having a gap year working at Tesco and that seems to be a very sociable environment - loads of young people, sixth formers working around school times, students who go to uni locally and some who are studying away but come home regularly to work. He went out with a bunch of them at the weekend and had a good time.

What's the plan for your dd, beyond getting better? Or is all up in the air at the moment?

@DontCallMeBaby I haven't any specific words of wisdom but I just read your post and wanted to reply anyway. It's not the same thing I know but this was my DD Sept 22 as she was the only one to take a gap year. Her friends were amazing and she didn't feel left behind so if your DD's friends are true friends they won't either.

Everyone has their path and everyone has their time to sidestep, race ahead or stop altogether and just rest on their path. It leads to the same life goal eventually and will shape her and teach resilience along the way. Small baby steps first and tiny realistic goals so as not to make them unachievable. I am still learning this in my 40s if I'm honest 🤭
Hugs to you

@Seeline DD is also an ambassador and is hoping to pick up some paid shifts on 1st year moving in day and Autumn open days this term having not found any paid work this summer at all.

@crazycrofter and @Oblomov24 that made me smile with the lecture attending goals. DD still has to complete her summer work set from her Uni as she'll be starting behind if not so she's been told. 10 days and counting...

My DD is a bit alone too, her home friend is off to uni (she only really sees one) and her college friends from last year have left and mostly going to uni, whereas she is staying at college to finish the A level she switched to at the start of y13 and do an AS level and EPQ. She has applied for dozens of part time jobs and no success. I'm hoping it will all be OK. She doesn't actually socialise much anyway, but college will be weird with her friends gone, she will hopefully pick up with some from the new classes. She really needs a job.

This sums it up @DontCallMeBaby . It is so difficult for DC when they measure their worth, achievements or perceived lack of, in real time, and in an era of visual social media, but your DD will get there.

@DontCallMeBaby and @EternallyDelighted my DD was a bit like this after she decided to change courses after her first semester, so had to come home to wait for the following September to re-start. She eventually managed to find a part time job which helped. She found an adult dance class so she could keep up that hobby, but it was mainly full of middle aged Mums! She didn't seem to mind, although didn't really add to her social life.
She did have a couple of trips to stay with friends at uni for a few days, and made the most of the holidays to catch up. It is difficult though.

Thank you all … she’ll get there I’m sure.

Shes currently trying to keep her Korean up via various routes, including an online tutor. Treatment is still two sessions a week and she spends ages writing up her log. She does want a job but not just yet - I think just a shop or similar but she has other ideas.

The big plan is to do a summer school in Korea next year, but that seems a bit complicated and is still a long way off.

Currently in France having delivered DS's belongings. He's loving the city but not loving the heat (although it's cooler and rainy today). He went to a party last night with his 'buddy', met loads of students, missed the last Metro back to his accommodation so stayed over at his buddy's flat. This is so far removed from Year 1 Nottingham DS.
His room is erm, rather compact, extremely warm but has tonnes of storage. His bed goes up and down to free up floor and desk space during the day. He only has two rings to cook on (and no freezer for his fish fingers). Would you advise a microwave or air fryer or both?

DD heads back to Aberystwyth tomorrow to prep for Freshers fair (she's president of a society this year) before heading to Greece for a cheap girly holiday before term starts. DH and I will arrive back home to a child free house until Christmas which will be strange.

Sounds like he’s settling in well @mummyinbeds! I bought DS1 a single person air fryer (small!) he loves it and all his house mates have been using it too! Although a microwave is also useful.

Dd cooks everything in her air fryer too, it’s definitely more useful than a microwave I think.

No advice @DontCallMeBaby but I really hope dd will be ok, I'm sure she will.

Yes Crazy his course always starts very early. This week is a week of lectures and then a meeting to produce id for the PwC 'right to work'. He doesn't find out about his placement till later, in a few weeks. but it'll be the same as last year, Canary Wharf, shares apartment nearby with 1 other.

Ds1 passed his 2 resits. Phew. 😮‍💨 😮‍💨😮‍💨Massively. He found out this afternoon. I am so relieved. His course is brutal and it would've meant being thrown off the course and thus the end of the linked part, ie the end of his PwC part.

I am still so angry that not only was he too casual about the exams, more that he finally admitted he'd been to barely any of the actual lectures, just watched them all afterwards. I think it is disrespectful and insulting to the uni and the lecturers. I wouldn't give him the time of day if he emailed me about resits if he'd failed to attend any of my lectures. Why go to uni. You could order a book from the OU if you don't intend to attend. Not happy. He's been properly told.

He's such a content child, FOMO, meeting up with friends constantly, going to the gym, church, mountain climbing and playing sports, volunteering for church things.

I asked if being in the house, rather than in uni carers made him lazy to get up and go to the actual uni and attend lectures. He admitted it was. And that he was just so busy buzzing around doing stuff.

So I shouted. A lot. Told him I didn't know what the heck he was playing at. That we'd always taught him that school work comes first. (Like ds2 plays x box constantly, plays football, now a football referree, but schoolwork always comes first.

Hope ds1 bucks his ideas up. He told me he cried. When he was at camp America for year 2, and found out. He cried. Good. I said.

We'll see.....

Aw, I know you’ve got to do some tough love (and I am absolutely no softy) but both your DSs sound lovely @Oblomov24 , I think DS1 has learnt from this mistake. But, it’s also a good lesson to know one’s own work tolerance margins, and his acing re-takes will have given him that insight too.

i guess what I’m trying to say (badly), that aside from not attending lectures which i too agree, is disrespectful to those putting out for our DC, that it’s good to discover these things now so he can manage/avoid burnout in the real world of work.