Thread 53 - Covid GCSE Cohort - Happy New Year 2025 to our fab young people

[Delphigirl]

New thread! Looking forward to traversing 2025 with this fantastic group 🎉😘

I’m surprised Southampton haven’t responded yet @ExpensiveDecoration - I’ve never heard of them being slow and they were pretty quick with dd three years ago. I’m not looking forward to tackling clearing with ds but at least he knows his grades so hopefully we can get a good idea of what’s available the night before.

@NCTDN Explain to him that it's not about having faith in him; it's about preparing, and it's all part of the process that school & UCAS advises because you just never know. If on results day all goes to plan, then plan B, C, and D go straight in the bin. Does he think having an 'Insurance' is also showing a lack of faith in him? See what he says.

@ExpensiveDecoration Those posters really annoy me, there's something very pompous and foolish about that logic. I feel embarrassed for them and hope the OP does not follow their advise. The sad thing is, i wager most of those posters pontificating don't actually practice that with their own dc, its all a front.

I hope DD hears from Soton soon so she made her decision. Good luck.

Yes,i forgot to say fingers crossed that she'll hear very soon @ExpensiveDecoration . Might be worth revisiting the journey to Lincoln again nearer results day?

How many of us here have another child off to uni this sep? @ExpensiveDecoration@crazycrofter@PhotoDad- any more?

@crazycrofter yes, I think another visit might be worthwhile when we went to the open day last year it was British Grand Prix weekend which meant major detours and delays. The problem we have now is that she works every weekend and only has 4 weeks annual leave (it's fixed hours not casual and they all had to have a week in Jan as that's the quiet spell). But she will have finished her exams by late May so we could go after that on a weekday. Her college say Soton are often slow, she has emailed both the main and department admissions people but still heard nothing.

@NCTDN my youngest ..... For the second time !

I believe @Delphigirl‘s DD starts Sept, and @PhotoDad‘s DS is a deferred year?

Glad they’ll be some company around for those of still here with 2026 finishers, and those onto post grad studies or gap between masters?

I've completed dropped off MN lately due to RL (and the pop-up blocker stuff) so thank you for the tag! I'll catch up later. My lad has an offer for deferred entry, that's right!

Me too @PhotoDad.
We've had so many ups & downs I haven't really felt like posting.

Thanks @ealingwestmum ! Yes Dd2 starts 4 yr undergrad at Exeter and DS1 returns to uni for 1 yr postgrad at Kings in Sept. Still have DS2 who will be entering 3rd and final year undergrad at Plymouth so it’s going to be an expensive year!

I’m sorry to hear that @cantonet. 💐

My DS is doing A-levels this year and is holding offers for Uni. Due to some difficult ongoing issues, he is unlike to take any up even if he does get through exams with the right grades. He is planning to take some time out, get a casual job to keep him busy while he waits out the issues and can then focus on next steps. A tricky time...

I’m really sorry to hear it @handmademitlove . He could defer for a year possibly and decide later about whether to take it up or reapply/take another course?

We've had that as well @handmademitlove.
Sounds like a very wise decision. Ds2 started uni last year & wasn't ready to fly yet. A year has made all the difference. He's working as a chef & has come off his anti-depressants. He's also currently sitting on 4 offers plus the Bristol waitlist for next year.

@Delphigirl yes, we are encouraging him to keep his options open but I think he is so fed up that he has had enough of education! He had to drop an A-level as well so that reduces his choices - we are hoping that when everything is resolved, he will be able to dust himself off and start afresh.

@Cantonet good to hear it has worked out for your Ds, though sad that he has also had a tricky time. We are ever hopeful!

My nephew has had a tough year and going into a level exams now. He would so benefit from a gap year to decompress and deschool, get his MH on an even keel etc but is adamant he wants to go to uni in Sept as he doesn’t want to be the year behind his friends. It is really frustrating as nobody thinks that is in his best interests. I guess he just has to be left to make his own decision @Cantonet or @handmademitlove ?

@Delphigirl I guess it depends what course he is looking at? Lots of students do gap years still and so arriving at uni he won't be too different, but I guess if none of his friends are planning to do so he may feel it is too difficult to hear them all talk about their plans and watch them go off without having something equal to talk about.

If he is only looking at a 3 year course, then the 4 year course students will finish at the same time so less of a problem, but many don't think that far ahead!

3 year course but that is certainly a very good point to drop into conversation, thanks @handmademitlove Plenty of his friends are doing languages and years abroad courses.

My DD has had a gap year forced on her by her decision to switch an A level subject a year in but it has certainly been a good thing for her generally, she has grown in confidence, done well in a part time job etc. It is a bit weird that her school and first college friends are at uni already but they all seem to be at home a fair amount too. None of my closest friends from 6th form went to uni, although some of the wider circle did. We are all still close 40 years later despite our different paths.

Ditto, a gap year has been amazing for ds, he's matured massively and is really clear what he wants to do now. Sorry to hear of your dc's struggles @handmademitlove and @cantonet. Glad you're still with us and I hope things will improve with time.

@Delphigirl that was the situation with ds2 last year. He just didn't want to be left behind. I didn't think he was ready for uni & neither did he secretly. Ds was in such a protected environment in his school & at home. Mainly because of the issues he'd had since Covid.

All this talk of universities, grades offers etc is making me think of ds3. He's about to sit GCSEs he's going to get the best exam results out of my 3 ds's. He's aiming for all 9's. I don't know if he'll get them all at that grade. I feel he puts too much pressure on himself. For A levels he's planning on maths, physics, chemistry and either biology or geography. They drop one subject though, so will only sit 3. At the moment he's saying he doesn't want to go to university. That would be a shame, but it's his choice. I hope he does. He'd consider a degree apprenticeship if he could find one. But I expect they aren't easy to get, there definitely wouldn't be anything commutable from here.

My daughter feels that starting her degree last Sept aged almost 23 was the best thing for her. She did (or rather didn’t) do her A levels in 2020 and an incredibly disrupted professional dance/theatre diploma. Attempted a year at a London drama school but her mental health was hugely affected by things that happened at her college.

But working a variety of jobs for 3 years and just maturing/taking time to heal jeans she’s now not only more ready & knows exactly what she wants to get out of her degree, it means she’s also financially independent.

And ds is off to Paris today on the train (his 5 year old train obsessed self would have loved it if he knew he would be travelling up and down the country and abroad by train all the time!

He is going to be there for 3 weeks working on a show about a boat.