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.

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Happy 21st to @KingscoteStaff DD!

Happy 21st @KingscoteStaff DD. My DD also wants a NYC trip for her 21st, plus a good backpack for her numerous travel plans. She's still 19 for a good while yet so plenty of time to save/talk her out of it.
@crazycrofter DD could do with your DD''s help - her 'hotel' in Corfu only switch the water on twice a day for two hours at a time. She's used to roughing it but at least in Ghana there was always water even if it was in a bucket and maybe not clean. They can't even flush the loo.

Good luck with placements and interviews to all those involved - I have a feeling that these will creep up on me soon, and probably pass DS by - he has no idea what he wants to do after uni.

Happy happy 21st birthday to your lovely dd @KingscoteStaff ! I hope she has a really wonderful day.

Birthday girl DD is on her first 3rd year GP placement today, so if you’re at the doctor’s near Carlisle, look out for an excited medical student!!!

Oh dear @mummyinbeds that's not great, is it not booked through Airbnb? To be fair, they seem to be pretty good at responding to complaints quickly and arranging alternative accommodation. Dd also has a £30 credit to use next time and she had the same in Rome. I'd recommend using Airbnb in future!

Ds is keen to apply for apprenticeships for Sep 25 but not many seem to be open yet. He's realised that his plan to travel from Jan to the summer may not align well with interviews etc happening in the spring (if he gets that far), so we're not really sure what he should do. He could of course just apply the following year and have another gap year at Tesco. He's talking about coming back after his four weeks in NZ and then going back out again, but that might not work anyway, depending on when interviews fall. We're also wondering whether he should apply through UCAS and get some uni places lined up for Sep 25 just in case.

Hope your dd has a lovely day @KingscoteStaff !

Happy 21st to your DD @KingscoteStaff hope she has a fabulous day. She has a birthday twin in this house, DS2 is 17 today - not quite as exciting as 21 other than he can now legally start driving..!

Happy birthday to your boy 2 @JustHereWithMyPopcorn 🎂

Good luck to your DS @omnishambles hopefully the retake will have a better outcome for him.

@craggyrat hope your back improves soon and fingers crossed for your DS on the next round.

Happy 21st to your DS too @Delphigirl

@crazycrofter oh that airbnb sounds awful, glad they managed to sort something better with such lovely hosts.

@mummyinbeds hope things improve for your DD in Corfu, that sounds bizarre!

@crazycrofter unfortunately they booked a dirt cheap package through Love Holidays so no hope of any customer service. I went to the same resort on a Club 18-30 post A Levels and we didn't have any water in our apartment either. We somehow managed to blag showers in random rooms (don't ask🤭)

Oh dear @mummyinbeds ! To be honest, I’ve been surprised how cheap dd’s holidays are, using Airbnb and easyJet/ryanair with no baggage. She’s generally paid no more than about £100 for a week, just going wherever the cheapest flights and accommodation are - so far that’s been Corfu/Albania, Spain/Morocco, Portugal and southern Italy.

Happy 21st's.
Sympathy poor Craggy re back, I know all about a sore back.
What rotters Crazy re dd's 1st Airbnb. Glad 2nd is better. Is your ds just going to apply to everything, uni's , apprenticeships , everything, worry about the spring interview timings later?

In theory yes, @Oblomov24 ! However he’s always working/at the gym/socialising and I’m struggling to see how he’ll fit it all in! But it’s up to him and if he doesn’t get anything sorted for Sep 25 he’ll just have to have another year at Tesco. He’s only just 18 so there’s no rush I guess.

Happy holidays and birthdays to all! 21 seems very old - DD was only 20 a few weeks ago!

Hello from Whitley Bay 👋

We drop DS off at Unilever in Newcastle tomorrow. Apparently he doesn’t know what time we’re meant to be at his hall of residence 🙄

Meanwhile, DD went back to Cornwall yesterday (by train).

Hello @OublietteBravo from Newcastle! Are you staying in the northeast long or just dropping off DS?

We’re here for the weekend. Driving back on Monday. We’ll leave DS alone once we’ve dropped him off today unless he wants to see us tomorrow.

Hope you enjoy my favourite corner of the country. We moved here nearly twenty years ago and can't imagine moving.

I used to come on holiday up here as a child. I’m from North Yorkshire originally, so it’s a bit like coming home. I’d move North in a heartbeat if there was a suitable job up here.

DS will go back a week Wednesday to his house of strangers. I hope they are welcoming and nice.

He can't go back next weekend because I am getting my gallbladder out . Fun times. He'll be in charge of packing and looking after me on Monday and Tuesday, but he probably is the best option.

Good luck with the op @Piggywaspushed ! And I hope ds’ new house mates are nice. How many are there in the house? Mixed or all boys? Dd’s new house is for six, the three she was with last year plus two more. I’m hoping it will mean there’s always someone around. She hated being in the house on her own last year so tended to pop back.

Mixed and I think six.

One of them is from our town so I hope they become friends.

Hope you feel much better after GB’s out @Piggywaspushed, I most certainly did.

Oh hope your DS had a great 17th @JustHereWithMyPopcorn ! So is he applying for uni this year or next? Must be this?

That's good to hear. A large part of me is worried that it's not what is causing issues. I guess wait and see.

hey @Piggywaspushed good luck with the gallbladder op and welcome to the no-more-gallbladder club. So that’s me, @ealingwestmum … any more members?