Moving on up... Uni/CollegeS5/S6/S4/Work

[Groovee]

Hey everyone

It's that time of year... school returns within the next week or 2, others will be preparing to start college or uni. Some will be moving out. Some will start work... so here's the thread for those in that position.

For me Dd is going into second year at Dundee Uni. She did a fantastic first year. She's off to be a mentor to those starting uni this year. Ds has just gone into S6 and has the world to consider in the next year.

Me... I need to find a job after losing my job in June! Done in quite a callous way that I am taking my time to be kind!

Very proud mum moment Aurea! Hope you got home safe and sound.

Your son has gorgeous surroundings Aurea I think the long drive makes it feel very far away but actually practically it’s not too bad. My youngest actually went down to Oxford recently with school. A flight from Aberdeen to Birmingham then the train. It was an early start but they went down and back in the same day and the cost was just over £100. I think that is cheaper than the standard rail fare.

It’s a strange time, the big build up to going and all the practical organisation and then the acclimatisation to our new normal. My DD is four and a half weeks in now and more settled than I could have imagined. She has come home on the train for a weekend and is now very appreciative of home comforts! She is very good at texting and facetiming which does help enormously. Work is ramping up now so I hope that continues. She has Reading Week in a week and a half so looking forward to having her home then. The time does pass quite quickly.

R.e.fees for Scottish Unis, I understand that policies differ. Some Unis such as Dundee only charge for three years to encourage RUK applications whereas more popular choices will charge for the whole duration of the course. Please check this though.

Sorry my fuddled brain posted on the wrong thread.

All back in one piece. Many thanks for your kind words of encouragement and support. Still adjusting but keeping myself busy washing his duvet etc which is long overdue. Looking forward to some contact from him tonight (fingers crossed) x

Hope you heard from your ds last night Aurea Frequency of contact May diminish as he gets stuck in to Uni life (both academically and socially) but that's a good thing. It's a transition stage for all of you.

Ds is now working two (long) days a week at Carphone Warehouse. Dh and I are a bit worried that that's too much alongside his studying and his rugby training (which he is very serious about and also involves going to gym as he needs to bulk up), let alone a social life but he insists that it will be fine and it actually helps him prioritise and stop procrastinating.

All we can do is say to be aware that he doesn't overload himself. And then we have to trust him.

Well done to your DS pb DS2 isn't showing any sign of overburdening himself with either work, sport or exercise - he is getting a good social work out though... :o

He's invited DS1 up for the weekend which was a lovely thing to do so we need to make that happen and get DS1 out of his comfort zone :)

Dd is home tomorrow as it's reading week so she's going to work at the playscheme next week. Can't believe it's ds's last October week. Time is flying by.

How are everyone's dcs getting on?

Ds now doesn't have a single free day in a week: 2 full days working at Carphone Warehouse (which he seems to be enjoying), 2 nights at rugby training, one day rugby match (can't drink any more after it as he has work the following day ) and Uni on the 4 other weekdays. Plus trips to the gym, which he needs to build up.

We were worried that he's taken on too much, but he says it actually helps him get more organised and focussed obviously takes after me

prettybird your ds makes me feel lazy!
DD is settled in to S6, the UCAS application is done so now just waiting & hoping for interviews. She seems to be coping with the workload of 3 AHs and one H at the moment, fingers crossed that continues. The higher is maths, which totally stressed her out at Nat 5 but she seems much more relaxed about it this year.

Pretty bird
Your DS sounds super human.

My DS is just working, working, working to the tune of around 45 hours a week and sometimes til 10pm. I'm slightly worried TBH. They give them two essays every 10 days in which he has to research and then write with no prior knowledge of the topic. His pre reading list for each topic is crazy. He then has a tutorial with a tutor with just one other student so there is nowhere to hide. He is finding a bit of time for socialising and clubs but he really needs time to just chill, which is impossible ATM.

I hope he doesn't burn himself out soon. On the plus side, there has been no fresher flu.

Emummy. Good luck for offers which I'm sure will be coming in soon.

Prettybird your ds is completely like mine, he too does loads and also says it helps him be organised. It makes me smile because as a wee boy he was so disorganised, with a trail of stuff left behind him on the way to his room!! Dd ucas application in also no offers yet but an email from Edinburgh last week saying she would hear in 4 to 6 weeks( hoping that’s a good sign!!) 3 Advanced highers seem to be going ok she has a ballet exam soon and is more stressed about that😂. Hope your daughter hears about interviews soon emummy( it’s medicine she’s applied for if I remember correctly.)

Sorry Aurea cross posted with you. That workload seems insane! My Dd has applied to the same uni but for maths. It’s a real long shot for her and due to my concerns about the workload I am quite ambivalent about it. Obviously she doesn’t know that and I would always support her to have a go but I am carefully managing expectations. Hope your ds gets some respite soon.x

Don't think that ds has anywhere near the reading and tutorials that your ds has to do Aurea

This term he has 2nd year PIR, International (Public) Law and 1st year Philosophy (which he says he's not bothering going to the lectures for , although he's checking the lecture slides and doing the reading, plus of course going to the tutorial, as he says all he has to do is write one essay and as long as he passes it, that's him passed his Philosophy ).

He says the International Law is both really difficult (because he hasn't done any law and this is at 2nd year level) and ridiculously basic (a whole lecture on the definition of what is a nation - something they covered last year in PIR)

It sounds like he has finally got the hang of the way he needs to write essays (as opposed to the way he wants to write them ), ie with academic references to back up his arguments and not newspaper opinion pieces (even if he does reference them ).

He'll find out when he gets the 2 essays he has done so far this term back!

Good luck with the UCAS applications, dds of emummy and Alittlewornout

( Alittlewornout - ds being more organised does not extend to tidying his room, as I saw when I visited last week )

*Alittlewornout
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Best of luck to your daughter. Que sera sera and all that. Im sure she'll get some good offers soon and anything else will be a bonus.
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If she manages to get an interview, let me know as I'm sure there are one or two tips I could pass on, especially with the travel/accommodation logistics.

My son is actually very happy and feeling very blessed, despite the workload. He wouldn't wish to be anywhere else and the college environment is so supportive and fantastic socially.*

Thank you so much for that very kind offer Aurea I really appreciate it. Ladies your lovely good wishes must have been heard as Dd has just received an unconditional offer from Edinburgh! Can’t believe she got one so quickly.😀

Prettybird I hear you on the untidy room as Ds still appears to have a floordrobe in his room!

Fantastic alittlewornout. My DS received the same offer in December, so all bodes well. x

Aurea your son is a real superstar though! But thanks for the encouragement it’s def been a wee boost for her.x

Hi, was thinking out this thread at work today.

Glad everyone's DCs are getting on ok.

Dd has her placement for Fife again. She visits on Tuesday. Ds is busy going forward with the college route. He does a college course 2 afternoons a week and he got a really lovely report from the lecturer there.

Well done to your Ds Groovee proud parent moment. It’s great for Dc when others out with the family see their potential. Everyone, young or old, flourish with a bit of praise. Hope your Dd enjoys her placement.x

Nice to hear all the catch ups :)

Exciting and stressful times as the offers come out and then don't for ages.

In the Wax household, DS1 switched to the MEng so is now on year 2 of 5. Seems to be getting on fine, still not really going out but is helping out every fortnight at the coding club, he's still waiting on questions on his specialist subject of minecraft mods :o

Ds2 is having a blast in Aberdeen, getting on well with his flatmates, making loads of new friends, most of whom seem to be female...

Only incidents of note are losing his wallet, blocking the toilet and breaking something that seems to require no more nails. He's had freshers flu and come out the other side smiling.

As an afterthought, his academic stuff seems to be going well, he's also doing philosophy pb so maybe their paths have crossed? He's submitted his essay and waiting on the results back, says it's worth half the marks.

He's invited DS1 to come and stay with him for a weekend so I think that will be good for them both.

There are 3 1st year Philosophies Wax - ds did 2 of them last year and now 1 this year. I tried to get him to tell me which one it was - but he wasn't for being helpful telling me

So given 1 will probably be in the 2nd semester, there's a 50:50 chance

All I know is that he has a tutorial in it at 9am on a Friday morning (He has 3 tutorials in a row on a Friday morning )

If I remember correctly, Ds is doing 2 x politics, 2 x Economics, 2 x Philosophy, 1 x history, and I think 1 x english, something about Controversial texts?

Not sure of his timetable either other than Monday is really full, tuesday is quite quiet, Wednesdays are free, Thursdays again reasonably quiet and Friday morning is busy and he has Friday afternoon off. Next term Friday afternoons have some things on but no idea what.

It will be funny if they unknowingly run into each other. DS2 is quite "distinctive" :o

Ds did very similar last year, except instead of English he did macro Sociology. (The History he did was European History in the 20th Century - which I thought was a good choice alongside PIR).

Just a warning: unless they've changed him after the dreadful results last year , the macroeconomics lecturer is crap - over half the year had to re-sit , so it's worth your ds making sure he has all the recommended economics books and going his own separate study. Ds was lucky he passed - most who did had done AH or A level Economics so weren't relying on the lecturer. It's a shame as ds had been looking forward to macroeconomics, as relevant for PIR.

Next term he'll be continuing the macro Sociology (he got the necessary dispensation ) along with continuing his PIR and I'm not sure what 1st year/small unit subject he'll be doing along them.