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.

Ds begins his leave of absence from university tomorrow. He spent most of last week travelling between Leeds & Manchester to set up his keyboard programming for a show there. He's was there yesterday for tech and is there again tomorrow. Then next week he's off to panto. He can't make press night of the Manchester show so me and dh are going in his place!! What do you wear on such an occasion.

We had a flying visit from him on Saturday and went out for tea. I'm so pleased he's happy and doing well but it's so frustrating sometimes as he can't see the point of many of his classes (the contextual studies ones) and he will not focus on learning to drive.

I can't remember if I told you that he has left his band (the one with his friends from college). It was on the cards due to his other commitments but unfortunately there was a falling out between him and one of the other members.

Most of his assignments are due in after Christmas. I just hope he gets them done whist he's also on panto. But two of the people working on the Manchester show are graduates of the industry based postgrad he wants to do so he is still very focused that he wants to do that course in the future.

@Comefromaway sorry to hear about the falling out with the band member.

Lovely you got to see him and hope he has a fab time with the panto - oh yes he will! Great experience.

Lovely update @DontCallMeBaby , so pleased for you all.

DD is showing massive signs of change. She is really pushing herself out of her comfort
Zones in a few different areas if her life. Actually talking to lecturers to sort problems, making her own appts and going to doctors, booking rooms in the library to
Have practice sessions
For group presentations. And challenging housemates when needed. She is even about to apply for s job for
Next year! Never thought she would be able to do that whilst studying.
She wants to do an MA but has sensibly decided to work for a year to save to help fund it.
The latest sign of change was not coming home for thr weekend despite her old hockey team asking if she could play Sat & Sun, fun
Stuff
Happening with hockey club snd her bf already being home for the weekend.
i offered to psy her train fare if she wanted to
But she said it wasnt right to pull out of hockey in Nottingham last minute, snd that as she knew my DH wasnt free to drive her back Sunday night as we were out out
(Rare) she she would
End up going
Back on the train Monday and missing a full lab day.

Sorry posted before I meant to (usually go
Back and amend typos, fat fingers on mini mobile).
Anyway that's the jist.
Right decisions are being made by DD. Very impressed with her.

@Heifer Lovely to hear, all sound very positive steps. Enjoy your out out night!

Agree with Eww, it’s lovely to read everything coming together for your DD @Heifer

That sounds great @heifer!

Love reading updates like that, @Heifer!

Great update @Heifer

DS is dithering over which weekends to come home between now and Christmas (term doesn’t end till 20th Dec). This matters as he needs lifts to and from. But the diary is filling up fast at the moment, and everything may have to be dropped at a moment’s notice as a close family friend is seriously (almost certainly terminally) ill. Plus DD needs taxiing to and from her job. Plus work, plus governor stuff. Life is feeling a bit full-on right now. Oh and I had my mid-life check-up and got told in no uncertain terms to lose weight <sighs>.

@Heifer that's a lovely update.

@ealingwestmum that's a late term finish. Very full on for you right now.

DS has spoken to tutor re MA. They are offering a new one in two years that is very closely linked to his very niche dissertation so now he is thinking if he doesn't get the RAF he will work for a couple of years and go back to his College for the Masters which at least is some kind of plan! He needs some money behind him before he does a Masters

@Heifer that's lovely to hear 😊

DS is currently enjoying a couple of weeks off before starting his new job. He's travelling the country visiting friends at different unis and enjoying himself.

He got his contract for the new job and it turns out what he already thought was a well paid job turns out to be even better paid than he thought, as he thought the shift allowance was included but it turns out to be on top. He's over the moon and planning on paying off the student loan at a hefty rate.

DD2 has accepted her uni offers. We are having a bit of a difficult time as their grandma is very unwell in hospital. Just taking each day as it comes.

What a mixed set of emotions! One day at a time is the only way to get through these things.

Sorry to hear that @BlueMarigold . Glad your DD2 has been able to decide. Where did she accept in the end?
How is your DD1 getting on? Is this her final year?

@Heifer DD2 accepted York. DD1 is on her placement this year. She will go back for Year 4 in September 2025.

They are talking about moving MIL to end of life care so it’s very sad. We will know more later as she will be having a consultant review this afternoon.

@24newernames Great news about the salary!

@BlueMarigold I hope your MIL is receiving the best care possible. It is a sad time for all of you.

Got my fingers crossed that those of you with DC making UCAS choices, that the process is going well and they get their desired outcomes.

This semester has flown by, less than 4 weeks to go before DD returns, flight booked back 19th Dec. She is in Luxor and surrounding areas for this week as they get extended time off for Thanksgiving on top of grace by her professors on strength of her studies. I think this may be her 4th break away but I will add that in between staying in Bedouin idyllic starry locations, she has worked much harder than her previous 2 years, though it's definitely been paying off - she's loved it. The language side of learning has been so fulfilling that she wants to re-pick up from her GCSE mandarin as she's really enjoying the written side of stuff and its similarities with Arabic.

It's been a challenging time for me with elders stuff that many of us are facing, leaving me rather starved of any creativity, which is what my professional side needs to survive. But every now and then, a sliver of luck comes in, like DD retrospectively receiving an international payment, one we weren't expecting as Middle East was deemed low cost of living to get an award vs other geographies. Erasmus terms apply for next semester so that will help too.

Now for her to find accommodation in Granada, which will be 5 months long and somewhere to live on return to Dublin in Sept. I have to remind myself that it all comes out in the wash, as she will have incurred only 9k EUR tuition fees total across all 4 years, offsetting the risk around growing accom shortage in Ireland that hopefully she'll resolve by Spring, even if it's last minute private halls if all else fails. But minimum 40% of TCD students study abroad in yr 3 for at least one semester/full year so returning vibe is quite upbeat and 'different' with all their experiences from overseas.

I am impressed by all those finalising UCAS offers - DS has not even submitted his form yet 🤷 definitely on the " things to talk about over Christmas" list if not done by the end of term!

DD has decided to apply this year after all but mainly for practice and so she has a reference from college on her records for future use, she still doesn't think she'll actually go.

Jeez, how bad do I feel raving about all things tourism Egypt before reading about the poor victims of the Red Sea boat sinking :(

@ealingwestmum You didn't know! It's a tragedy and according to the Guardian diving trips are well regulated. I'm sorry for their families.

Don’t worry @ealingwestmum it was a lovely update!

@BlueMarigold sorry to hear your news 😢

Ds is also doing a UCAS application. He needs to get it in before he goes to New Zealand on 30th December, but his personal statement isn’t done yet… and he’s just signed up for 10 hour shifts, 6 days a week until Christmas!

A reminder for anyone else with a soon-to-be 19 year old, get their eye test booked as its the last chance for a free one for most of them, I have just booked DD in for the week before her birthday.

Can I get suggestions from you again re DS? He's 18 in a month. He's not a partying type at all but doesn't want to feel like he's not celebrated his birthday properly with friends. Have any of you got sons who were similar and if so, what did they do?

For DS we booked a table at the local sports bar, and he watched the rugby with his friends whilst having beer and pizza.