Thread 55 - Covid GCSE Cohort - Autumn 25 - Yr 4 Uni and Graduates

[Oblomov25]

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.
Previous thread 54:
Thread 54

@justherewithmypopcorn nice to breathe again after all that stress! Such a relief when the button is pushed.

@ealingwestmum the trips sound lovely - and I ver much like the cow!

@Cantonet trending cheffing job sounds good. I struggle with egg boiling so the very thought of it I find extremely impressive!

Nothing much to add here either. I hate my job and would love to retire however that's not going to happen! DS seems happy as a TA, his applications for next year are all in and when not working he's either rowing or swimming or gyming and generally living for free!!

@ealingwestmum I thought those were rocks until i read @Cantonet s post! 😂 Really must get my eyes checked again! I'm glad your DD is making the most of her final year, I bet she'd love a road trip with your DH.

@Cantonet well done to your DS getting a xmas job in the current market, it's dire out there! Hopefully they are feeding him as part of the deal?

@cantonet, yes we spoke to her yesterday and she said she's supposed to be increasing her dose each week. She hasn't noticed much difference on the lowest dose!

Well done to your ds on getting the cheffing job, does that mean he's staying in his uni town over Christmas? Dd thinks she's got to work Christmas Eve and NYE at Nando's but not in between, so that's good. Hopefully she'll be driving herself back and forth by then too!

Not sure if I mentioned her new rabbits, which she's keeping in her huge room at uni?! She's planning on bringing them home at Christmas, but I'm really not sure where they're going to go!

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn a relief to get the form in! You can relax for a bit...

Love the trips @ealingwestmum and commiserations re the rubbish siblings. Glad your mothers get on though and can dog sit - that's useful!

@craggyrat your ds always sounds so efficient and productive, with his jobs and applications!

I can’t remember which one of you that pointed out (re Delphi’s girl) the added value skills cheffing brings, your DS knows what he’s in for and is going back in for more @Cantonet, which is great.

@Shimy

https://jobs.nationalgas.com/job/Sherwood-Park-Commercial-Graduate-Scheme-%28Major-Programmes%29-NG15-0ED/1330174455/

Would this interest Ds? Sustainability is mentioned!

@crazycrofter no, apparently not.
I think he's working just over a month. It sounds like he told them he was only available until the end of term. I think he thought he had to move out of halls then. But I think his halls stay open over Xmas. I don't really know much more than that! We have had a WhatsApp convo..... I didn't even know he was looking for a job.
I know he was well trained on the previous job by Marston's & they wanted him back at Xmas, but he said no . He really is a bit quirky. But always seems to be offered jobs after being interviewed. I'm hoping he will be able to work there after Xmas.
I always had pets at uni too 😉
Hamsters & cats mainly.

Ds has been sent graduation dates. He says he’s not going to go because all his friends are graduating on a different day.

@ealingwestmum I think the fact he's doing Psychology means there isn't a direct career path & he will have to build one himself. I have a feeling he will end up managing people ... In what I don't know, but that's what dh does & to they're similar.

Oh no@Comefromaway.
That's so sad 😢

Psychology will be really useful training for managing people @Cantonet ! Dd does it, and is always analysing people/picking up on red flags etc! Great that he gets jobs so easily, that’s not so common these days!

Which place is it @Cantonet? Always looking for recommendations of places to eat in Bristol

That's a shame Comefromaway. Does he just not fancy it at all?

My DS was the same @Comefromawaybut in the end he went and was glad he did. With his parents, sister and girlfriend there he felt very special, we had a nice lunch (important for DS!) and he felt it kindof put a bow on his university experience. Otherwise it just would have been a bit flat.

I was a bit sad he didn’t have a cohort of friends to chat with at the ceremony the way some other people did, but I knew he hadn’t made a lot of friends on his course, and his housemates were all doing different subjects on different days. But his housemates made him a cake after we’d left that evening, he had an excuse to buy a suit and have some nice pictures taken for the memories - it was definitely worth going. If it helps!

He can’t see the point. I had sort of cajoled him by saying that it would be nice to celebrate with his friends but this year as the cohort has grown they are having different days for the different departments. All his friends are on another course.

Like @blinkbonny I'm seeing it as primarily a family celebration (and hoping dd sees it that way too!). Only 8 of her Psychology course mates (about 300 strong I think?) have stayed on for the integrated masters. She’s got loads of other friends who’ll be graduating but I assume they may well be on different days. My dh didn’t go to his graduation because he didn’t think his parents would be interested and I think he regrets it

My DS went to his because, well, it's what you do and I told him how much it meant to me and it was ok but he didn't greatly enjoy it, for the same reason that none of his friends were there and it was a long day of standing around with uncomfortable heavy robes on your shoulders. As a result it felt a bit flat for me too, I'd have loved to see him with his friends. But also for me overshadowed because DD was going off to start uni two days later and the nightmare I'm having with my parents.

I have to say I didn't greatly enjoy mine either, for different reasons, I had a difficult relationship with my mum at the time and didn't really want her mixing with my friends and it was all a bit of an awkward day, hot, horrible robes, having to wear a dress and smart shoes (so not me!). That difficult relationship has now reared it's head again big time after 25 years or so of relatively good relations. I'm still glad I went though, for me it is an integral part of the uni experience and I wouldn't have felt I had truly completed it without going.

Totally understand that Comefromaway , your ds isn't that into graduation ceremonies. Let's be honest you sit around all day in uncomfortable clothes to be handed a script in 2 seconds.

I loved mine. But as Dh says I'm a party animal that would go to the opening of an envelope.

I can't wait for ds's Nottingham one! June 26 presumably. Me and @Mummymight finally meet! (Wasn't she the one that spotted me 4 years ago booking ds into Rutland, asking where ds could store his bike?).
Can't we have a Mn get-together?

Yes @Oblomov25 I did spot you attempting to get a bike shed key. Well remembered. Hopefully DS will graduate next year. Ceremonies are in the last 10 days of July. I know this because I was worried about a clash with DD's graduation. Turns out little sister will graduate a week before big brother which she is delighted about.

I’ll be there too @Oblomov25 @mummyinbeds - another of the old Rutland gang 🤣 Doubt we’ll be the same day though!

I'm coming to see you @crazycrofter and @mummyinbeds even if you like it or not! 🤣

Btw I've had very strong words with ds1 in the last week re minimal communication with home. Yes I know I should be thrilled that he's thriving in Nottingham, lectures, essays, driving the minibus for hikes that he's he's the Treasurer for uni hiking society, but an occasional phone call home wouldn't go amiss.

He's home for Christmas, but that is nigh on his end of Notts history. 3 serious
essays for Jan. placement on London Feb to may26 . Then graduation, July 26. Thus ends the 4 year Notts saga. ❤️

what a pleasure it has been. And I will never ever EVER forget you a lot, and your recommendations for Rutland, which I can only praise you for, you absolutely saved me!

He thrived in Nottingham and loved every single minute and I can't thank you enough, all of you for the journey. It's been utterly superb.

He's quite gracious and never told anyone the course he was on. But because of it, he's guaranteed a job in the same massive Audit Dept (yawn) as his work experience. He then has to pass his 3 final exams in a year and he'll be qualified. He'll live at home and commute for this. Unless I strangle him first!

I was extremely comforted to hear recently that he's already decided that corporate isn't for him and that he values Work- life balance more and that he has already decided that as soon as he qualifies he'll leave for a lesser experience, eg working down in Dorset, or moving to Italy (he now speaks good Italian and restorable business Italian, with plans to always move there) and eg working for a lesser person, smaller entity, less corporate, so as to have a better better work-life balance. and as soon as he told me this I was so pleased, internally, thrilled, glad that he had the maturity at this young aged to recognise that all this big bollocks, big potatoes nonsense wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.

I'll look out for you @Oblomov25 and @crazycrofter . ADHD (still waiting for diagnosis) DS is going to struggle with the graduation ceremony. Judging by this years law one, he will be within the first 10 to walk across the stage and then has to sit and watch the next 400 law students. He doesn't do boredom, patience etc. And the only three others on his specific course will be next to him.
He has actually applied for a couple of jobs - Civil Service and a policy thing in Belgium. He has no interest in law. I'm happy for him to just get through this year and concentrate on job applications later. DD has applied for an internship in Ghana and is applying for a masters at SOAS - anyone know anything about SOAS?

Oh now I'm feeling left out of the Notts gang, I might come up next year and watch your DCs all graduate to join in! 😂 DS2 also has Notts on his list so potentially I could be doing another 4 years of it - I'll recommend Rutland to him (becauseDS1's halls were bloody awful).

Where was ds1 @JustHereWithMyPopcorn ? @heifer dd was also in Rutland! They do have to move their stuff out every holiday though!

Ds is slightly worrying about having to wait until he knows if he's going abroad for a semester or not, be before he can sort accommodation for next year, but I think he’ll be fine. He managed to miss his second essay deadline by 45 seconds 😩 and upload the wrong file! As he’d also not quite finished the essay he sensibly decided just to finish it properly as he’d already incurred the 5% penalty. At least this will prompt him to speak to student support and get a proper package in place - he was so confident he’d be fine without it, even though dd told him he definitely wouldn’t!

@crazycrofter think it was Lenton, terrible block and silver fish everywhere <shudder>. I really like Florence Hall when we looked this year with DS2.
When is it that your DS would be going abroad? Is the delay him or the uni?
DS's housemate missed the upload deadline by a minute on his finals but told them he had a computer / wifi issue and they were fine with it so hopefully your DS will be OK.