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

No no @JustHereWithMyPopcornno need to feel left out. I know I tease a lot about the Notts 'gang', but it's only because there were quite a few of us, weren't there! Plus, Anyone can be a honorary member, it's not cliquey!

I'm taking ds2 (who is not actually that keen on the uni idea, but I think that's because he's completely naieve to think he'll get an apprenticeship, when we all know they are like hens teeth!) to visit Loughborough on Saturday. I'm so excited. He's not, particularly. I can't wait to start the whole uni open day thing. I so enjoyed doing it for ds1.

Have fun @Oblomov25 ! I only got to visit two unis with ds as it was all so last min- Loughborough and Lancaster. We both loved Loughborough!

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn the semester abroad is available to anyone but it’s competitive so i think only around 60% are accepted- if he does apply I don’t think he’d find out til next spring. He’d like to go to Australia.

@Oblomov25 my DH went to Loughborough and absolutely loved it, as does my friend’s DS who is there now. I have never actually been to Nottingham let alone the uni, neither of mine showed any interest in that particular uni, they both wanted to be in smaller towns/cities.

@Oblomov25 I was only joking, honestly not feeling left out. 😊 I was excited about DS2 doing the uni stuff honestly that boy could not be less bothered about researching anything.

@crazycrofter that sounds like DS1's attempt to do the year abroad. I think there were 7 spots and 150 people applied! Save us about £25k though so I wasn't that devastated. 😄

I think it's lovely that there's a Nottingham crew that may get it together on graduation!

DD's in not until next October. It seems weird that she may only be a train ride from attending and we will have the whole flight/accommodation rigmarole to get over.

I hope your DS gets his semester abroad option @crazycrofter , I may be biased but I think it's such a fabulous experience, if nothing else but to give YP some perspective (good and bad) from an international viewpoint. We can be somewhat insular in our thinking in this country these days.

@NCTDN its a trendy pulled pork burger type place apparently, around the wharf area. My sister said they had a stall in the hospital car park during Covid and the happiest day for her was when someone bought all the ward staff 20 burgers. Sorry, I don't think he's told me the name . I can recommend Lapin in the wharf area- lovely food but pricy & the mexican in Whiteladies rd is just brilliant.

Back from Loughborough. Enjoyed it, liked it very much, hadn't realised how massive it is - 523 acres! The Sports course was so exciting very medical and biology, I was tempted to enroll myself! But A*AA for a premium /creme-de-la-creme course might be a stretch too far.

The accommodation is not cheap, but has 17 choices!

Ds 2 went to Loughborough last year. He lasted 3 weeks. Requested an en suite room and was given one with a shared bathroom with 5 communal toilets & several shower cubicles. Just beware .... apparently second year students get priority with the shared flats & en suite shower rooms. Each time I went the toilets were unflushed & full of poop. He's very happy in Bristol this year with an ensuite & completely transforned from the individual he was last year.

Loughborough is very highly rated & dh loved it when he looked around with ds but ds was incredibly unhappy there. Just be aware Its very much a marmite place.

DS played football at Loughborough, aged 14, against England girls. That's when he decided he was definitely going to uni. The facilities were amazing, he got fed, and came away with an England goody bag. The girls won and one of them nearly broke DS's neck.

Sounds like 'Notts' is the new UEA, for this bunch's older sibs (2019). so many went there.

Glad to see everyone is ticking along. I have nothing new to report, ds is still battling with jobs applications, ds1 has completed his graduate recruitment but it seems unclear what his employer is doing next, basically there seems to be too many grads coming off the scheme and not enough roles for them to move into. Who'd have thought? we're prepapring for Xmas already, for the 1st time ever i've completed my Xmas shopping nearly finished wrapping everything up. I might make this into a habit because its sooo much easier and more relaxed.

That’s a lovely update @Oblomov25re Ds1 (apart from the lack of communication).. good luck having him back home after Notts 🤣

Hope the Notts gang do manage to get together over graduations but they are spread out over 2 weeks and often 1 faculty at a time.
I loved DDs in the summer. Word
of warning though.
Find out what time your Ds/Dd
wants you to arrive as I had no idea she wanted us to be early for the pre stuff.
I assumed she would
want to do that with her course mates.. and then make sure tou leave with plenty of time sonthat if you get stuck in traffic you don’t arrive with about 10 mins to spare before doors shut. DD thought we were going to miss it and must have upset her. Luckily her bf saved us some seats, was able to come to the door
to give us our passes and DD saw us arrive so all ended well but it nearly didn’t. And I’m never usually late for anything.
Will do better at her Masters Grad….

DD had an offer from
Loughborough and
loved the campus but decided the course (Biology) was too sport/human based) also
fell in love with Notts after
visiting there.

It’s good that this happened in 1st year so won’t count and he can learn and sort out help etc like you say.
very sensible to finish it though.
he sounds so different to the last you would tell us about 3 years ago😀

Is there a chance his friend would go and celebrate wtih him
anyway? At DDs in Nottingham the housemates went to eachothers afterwards in the gardens. They couldnt go to ceromony but were there for
photos and drink woth everyone after. Is that an option?

I’ve got some news of my own (usually only talk about DD as nit much going on myself).
i’ve started to play pickleball and LOVING it. Am going twice a week to a first timers session.
Have wanted to go for ages but local friends aren’t sporty but suddenly they agreed to go.
Ineven managed to go on my own
to a Midweek session and survived. It was a big deal
for me to actual
make it on my own as have been suffering with menopausal anxiety over the last few years. I’ve got to the point I can do anything now but am drained after and next day but even that is being less of a problem.

anyway can definitely recommend pickleball for snyone wanted some fun, exercise and meeting people.

That's brilliant @Heifer well done! I'd really like to try that, I did try padel last summer and haven't had time to go back but would like to. I joined a choir last year in a "pushing myself out of my comfort zone" moment and am really enjoying that.

That's a lovely update @Heifer I did that with hockey for a bit, but some of the players were a bit 'enthusiastic' and i wasn't fit enough! I'd love to play racket sport of any kind again, used to really enjoy it when I was younger until a really nasty whiplash injury to neck and shoulder which healed badly. Every time I play now I get awful pain after about ten minutes. I'll have to look again at something less strenuous! @EndlessDistraction the choir sounds good, I'd try that if I could sing! 😁

In today's news DS2 has is finally doing his live training for his job and has two shifts this week! 🙌 The bad news is he had his report today where his physics teacher has given him a B. Not good news for the Unis he wants and I think it might be time for mean mum to come out and remove the gaming PC...

Great update @Heifer ! I’ve had to look up pickleball - I’ve never been sporty but I did enjoy tennis and racks tennis in my youth and I think I’d like pickleball too!

You’re right, Ds has changed massively over the last 3 years! I almost miss the daft things he used to do 🤣 He never really got on with school but he’s loving adult life. He just needs to work out what he can manage - he’s doing powerlifting training 2 hours plus a day, going to church 3-4 times a week (he seems to have two churches on the go!), has his first girlfriend and is also working hard on his course. I think that’s probably enough but he’s also trying to fit in poker, climbing etc..

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn ds2 still has plenty of time to improve his grades! Good luck to you and keeping your stress levels down over the next few months… Anecdotally, most courses seem to have accepted dropped grades last year?

I suspect he will go out with them to celebrate on their day (which will either be the day before or the day after.

@Heifer Glad you are enjoying it. I tried pickle for beginners for six weeks from January and also liked it. I even did a second six weeks. Everyone was lovely except the coach. I spoke with a friend who goes on a different day and knows him as a tennis coach too and bottom line is he's a misogynistic dinosaur, with a line in bullying his daughter and niece which was not nice to watch. So currently holding off until someone better appears at a local leisure centre. Turns out DS's tennis club have refused to have him as the associated paddle coach.

DS graduation was by course and after term had ended and tenancies expired so everyone only went up on their days. He mixed with course friends around the ceremony but everyone, including us, did family meals in the evening. Even though it was a slightly subdued evening celebration he was glad he/we went and thought his friend who chose not to go missed out.

DS is enjoying his job and has been on his first team night out. Tomorrow he thinks they are doing their colours, which made me laugh as we've all been through those 'fun' corporate days.

@EwwSprouts do you mean the personality type colours? Red/blue/green?! Glad he’s enjoying his job!

Loving all the updates, sporty hustles you are all getting up to and new job updates! I remember the colours and outward bound courses too @EwwSprouts, I shudder now at the thought of being stuck with a bunch of hyped up go-getters. But then I’m not 22 either :)

Glad to hear about the new sport @Heifer. I've just looked up pickleball in my area, and there are a couple of places that offer it. I'm not sure it'll be right for me, given that I have tennis elbow without even playing tennis. It sounds like a lot of fun though.

@EwwSprouts Congrats to ds on the offer.

@craggyrat Sorry about your job situation. Do you have many more yrs to go to retirement? its awful having to get up and drag yourself to a job you loathe everyday, is there any chance you could do reduced hours?
Glad your ds is enjoying life and all his sport, I wish my ds1 would commit to even one sport but alas!

Lovely to hear all the updates from everyone.

Not much to report from snowy Yorkshire. @Shimy another 10 years probably- I'm 58. I only work 3 full days - i think I'll retire earlier thsn that, once DS is settled in something perhaps. I've been there 20 years but things have changed a lot. I left briefly 2 years ago and then went back, fool that I am . ! The devil you know sometimes...

DS is really enjoying TA job. He has Christmas meal with the other 5 in a couple of weeks - the rest are mostly my age and were at the school when he was. He's applying for PGCE on top of everything else. He did like Dunham classics offer and interview but all still up in the air. Army seem to be taking ages at medica lrecords stsge..

Glad you’re more on the ball than me as my original thought was really? How strange.
I had my colours done with some hockey friends in my 20s and it was what colour make up and clothes suited or complexion!! 🤣🤣
Too many years spent working with Royal Mail Engineers and
Market Analysts meant no such team building days out for me although we went bowling once during the day.