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.

The Psychology department at Nottingham continues to not impress me 🤣 Apparently it’s far too early for dd to be wanting an exam timetable for January 😩

@crazycrofter the whole uni exam timetable will be published on Thursday 12th. DS had an email to say the Law department had stopped using 24 hour torture exams so I was having a nosey on the website.

Ah so it’s not just Psychology! Still seems really late to me 🤔 Dd’s boyfriends is first year at Swansea (different subject ) and has had his assessment dates, including exams, for the whole year, since September!

Dd has her AdHD assessment appointment today! She’s got the longest list of symptoms ever so I hope it goes through!

Good news about the 24 hour exams @mummyinbeds ! Dd has a couple of online exams that she’s planning to do at home, which will be stressful for us I imagine!

Just wanted to wish everyone A VERY MERRY XMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thanks to everyone on this thread. It's been a safe haven since ds2 was in year 10. It goes to show people can debate and have differences of opinion on many things without being bullied, reviled and mocked.

I don't always have time to keep up with news and post but it's always nice to have a quick glance or do a quick post and know there'll be a friendly response.

God bless you all and your families and may our children achieve every success they've worked so hard for.

Shimy.

@crazycrofter that's great news re the ADHD assessment. Fingers crossed for some positive help. I think DS is still on a waiting list but it's all via his email address so who knows what he's ignored. Hopefully they haven't realised he's left the country.
DS is part way through his end of semester exams. Two are written and two are oral. All law exams and all in French. The oral ones are his worst nightmare and will send his anxiety levels through the roof.
He then has a week to enjoy a French build up to Christmas before his flight home. He's made some great new friends, mostly from Bristol uni, some of whom are only there for semester 1, so they're having a big meal out together on Friday and he's looking forward to it. This is the boy who pretended to go to the Rutland Christmas formal back in year one but later admitted he hid in his room and went hungry. I'm so happy he's finding the confident, happy, funny soul he used to be. I can hear the change in his voice. Now just to sort out the potential ADHD...

And hi @Shimy Happy Christmas to you too.

@mummyinbeds Your DS seems to have made great progress how amazing! what do you think the turning point was? I bet this will be a merry Xmas for you for more reasons than one.

@shimy I think moving to France allowed him to take down the mask he's beem hiding behind since going to Nottingham, and before that I think too. He was so hung up on what people thought of him and although he realised this, he couldn't see a way back to being his true self. He spent a weekend in Aberystwyth with his sister and was made to feel so welcome. He said people took time to ask him about him. I know all our Notts people are lovely but there is a very different vibe between Notts and Aber and I think that woke him up a bit too. He's almost off the anti depressants and is talking about his future.
And counselling has helped him deal with something traumatic that happened a few years ago. He certainly isn't healed from that but is talking and learning to manage his thoughts.

@shimy, sorry that was a bit more of a ramble than I intended.

Such good news re your ds @mummyinbeds ! I hope he continues to be his true self when he’s back in Notts. And he gets a diagnosis soon too!

I can imagine the difference between Aber and Notts to be honest - Notts is no different to lots of the RG unis but it’s definitely a narrower range of people. Dd described it as quite ‘posh white’ in her first year (and she went to an independent school from years 7-11, although it wasn’t particularly white!). She’s living with some lovely girls but she’s also made friends with some girls from her church this year, who go to NTU and are quite different. I’m secretly glad ds hasn’t got the grades for an RG uni as I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t fit in! He’s looking at Swansea and Essex at the moment. Whether he’ll get his UCaS form done before he goes to NZ is another matter!

Thanks @shimy! I agree this is a lovely community!

Merry Christmas to you too Shimy. (What a lovely thread we are).
So glad Mummy's ds is thriving.
Hope today goes well for crazy dd. The girls in my ds house are from his church but NTU.

@mummyinbeds That wasn't a ramble, it made me teary knowing what the challenges are for a mother with a dc with poor MH. It's like light finally breaking through the dark. I wish I could send ds1 to Aber just to experience a bit of what you described but he's already graduated!

Just remembered we have quite a few church folk here too. We have carol service coming up on the 15th which I'm really looking forward to. Xmas will be just 4 of us then new yrs day the whole family's coming down.

Lots of Christmas events here too @shimy (dh is a minister!); our carols by candlelight is on the 22nd.

Dd got her diagnosis, which has made her happy (even though there's a 7-10 month wait for medication). She's also been referred for a full psychiatric assessment, for some issues, which is great. She's been more stable this year and more on top of things generally; her lovely new boyfriend seems to have helped massively :)

@crazycrofter As a minister's wife I imagine that must be full-on. Hats off! Have a lovely carol service. So glad your DD has got a formal diagnosis & ca now access treatment.

Good news, @mummyinbeds and @crazycrofter. DD had a tough time some years back but seems to have come out of the other side, so it can all work out OK. She is trying to finish her art-work this week to come home a little before the formal end of term...

DS had his Cambridge interview today (online) and is now concentrating on Christmas music, just with school. It is a massive weight off his shoulders (that and a big concert he played in last week). He used to be a cathedral chorister but is quite glad not to have those commitments any more! (He still sings with a choir based at the cathedral but it's the occasional evensong rather than every Sunday.)

@crazycrofter what a relief for your DD. It is such a long process isn't it but she has some hope of medication now. Can I ask which psych service she used. DS is on the psychiatry UK waiting list via Cripps Health Centre but I think your DD was referred before him (because he couldn't get round to making or keeping an appointment or filling in the forms, possibly due to ADHD 🤦‍♂️)

Great updates today ❤️. @mummyinbeds my DD is in process with Psychiatry UK via the GP, she asked for and got referred in about March, forms came through a couple of months later, she dithered about with them for ages (yes, ADHD 🤦‍♀️) but they were sent back about Aug, she has had a “we haven’t forgotten about you” email every now and then but no date for an actual assessment.

Well, I’ve had a hectic week, it feels as though my feet haven’t touched the ground with one thing and another. My parents have asked if we can give them more support (they are living independently in their 80s) and we now have to start LPA duties (LPAs are registered). DH is supporting a friend, similarly, but no LPA in place which means things are complicated and he is likely to be spending quite a bit of time travelling back and forth, unfortunately friend lives 300 miles away and has very little other support and his condition is not going to improve. But on the plus side, all is good with the DCs, it was lovely to see DS at the weekend on his flying visit and DD is in good form, enjoying college and her job.

@mummyinbeds it was also Psychiatry Uk. I can’t remember when dd was referred, it feels like about a year ago?

Glad ds has had his interview @PhotoDad , how did he feel it went?

@EternallyDelighted you’ve got a lot on your plate! We’re having to increase our visits to MIL, who’s about an hour away and getting more confused. Dh’s sisters live near her though, thankfully.

Lovely post @Shimy and agree with @EternallyDelighted on the uplifting updates.

Can definitely empathise on responding to the needs of our elders, good days bad days seems to be my mantra at the moment.

Thank! He thought it went pretty well; he was happy that he did his best, which is the main thing.

DD got home last night! She hasn't yet handed in her dissertation; the deadline is this coming Friday, but she has done all the research and most of the writing, and can hand it in remotely. She and DW are heading over to the Lakes today to stay in a cottage with my in-laws, and DS and I will join them as soon as our school has broken up. It really feels like it should be Christmas now.

Been catching up on all the news on here and thought I'd come in and say hi 👋
Elderly parents/ relatives needing A LOT of support and help here too so I can empathise with those in same boat.

DD came home on Thursday eve after her last presentation and has handed in everything she needed to so is in Christmas holiday mode now... as am i as I broke up from my other school this week and had my works do last night.

Can I ask @PhotoDad is it commonplace to hand in a dissertation in the first term of 3rd year? Assumed it would be the last term but maybe it depends on the degree.

Sorry to hear about the relatives situation, @AnneOfCleavage.

I think it's very uncommon to hand in dissertation this early! But in DD's course they are clearing the decks to work flat-out for the Degree Show and London Book Fair which is not only graded coursework but also job application...!

Ahh that makes sense. I wondered if it was because she was doing an art degree and they needed all the rest of 3rd year for the practical side of the course. Thanks for clarifying @PhotoDad