Continuing Year 13: January 2016

[Needmoresleep]

Only two more terms at school. Let's support each other support our DC in getting through to the end.

How much work are our Y13s putting in over the Easter hols?

catewood my DS took the Easter weekend "off" and since has been doing 2-3 hours a day so far, not as much as he said he would (surprise!) - he has a couple of mocks when he goes back on the 19th so that will focus attention I'm sure (his school don't do mocks week as such, each subject does them as and when). The main problem is getting out of bed, which eats up half the day!

more time seems to be spent counting how many days left till the first exam, than actually doing the work for said exam . Although tbf, I was away for a few days and DD seems to have conquered the laundry mountain, and bossed DD3 into doing cleaning, which is more than I manage .

Uni decisions made and entered into Track; halls applied for; EPQ almost completed; chemistry coursework almost completed. Which means today is a day off to go shopping, not for anything in particular, just to browse . I have to sit on my hands and trust she knows what she's doing I suppose, it's worked up till now.

Congratulations on the grade 8s

Mine is having a week off on a school ski trip. Interviews and the long wait for an offer plus lots of coursework, mocks and completing syllabi meant last term was tough, so she probably needs a complete break. Its an early Easter which in some ways makes it harder, because last term became a rush and there is still a fair amount of school before the exams.

She has a stack of past papers to complete so she will be busy next week, plus has the last bit of the coursework marathon to complete. My view is that if she can't the work herself without nagging from me, she won't be ready for University. So it is very much up to her.

I am impressed by the laundry and cleaning. Exams will definately be used as an excuse here not to engage with household chores.

DS1 is doing about 2-3 hours a day. He seems a bit too laid back about it all this time around. He did very well in his ASs (snigger, arse) and seems to be resting on his laurels a tad. I don't think he's got a timetable as such. He finds past papers the best revision for maths but needs to get on with some actual revision for physics. I think I'll suggest a timetable. Haircuts and passport photos planned for today; he's got a trip to CERN in July, lucky thing.

Back in the dim and distant past, any excuse not to get on with revision meant my room etc was spotless during exam season.

MyVisions - can we do a swap? Your DD sounds great!
DD is at school this week. They don't break up until Friday although she has had the bank holidays off school and done a few past papers....mainly maths

DS1's loan confirmation came through the post today. I'm not used to important things coming through the post adddressed to him. Maximum outside London maintenance loan agreed. It's going to be a HUGE debt after 3 (or maybe 4) years.

One more week of holiday then final 6 weeks of school . Anyone else's dc still trying to finalise Uni decisions? Doesn't seem able to decide between the course offers and his friends don't seem to discuss it.

We are back to school tomorrow.

DS1 has finalised his first and insurance choice but doesn't seem to know what his friends are doing. God knows what they talk about at school? I asked him if he knew anyone else who had chosen his firm and insurance and he had absolutely no idea. Sigh.

Sorry, I asked him if he knew if anyone else had chosen the same universities as him. You know, it might be nice to have a familiar face around at least when he starts, but he neither knows nor seems to care. At least he doesn't seem worried about starting something and somewhere completely new, I guess.

DD1 will be the only person from her school where she is going. But she will know someone else studying her instrument (possibly more than one person) so... It'll be fine. I was the only person from my school going to my university (my best friend was also going but was taking a year out, also she was going to a different college. As it turned out, I was in a serious car crash during the first year and missed shiploads of it and had to redo the year, so I was there the whole time she was and while she was at a different college I was in her college choir so we saw loads of each other - but it might not have worked out that way, we might have been like ships that passed in the night).

We got the confirmation from student finance last week, she now has to sign it and then it's done I think.

TBF, Uhtred, when I went to university only 4 out of my year of 240 went, so the likelihood of going with a friend was remote!

DS1 switched from his comprehensive to a high performing grammar at sixth form and 99%(!) of them go on to university, so rather a different scenario!

I think it's usually 100% at DD1's school. It was about 50% at mine I think. Certainly all my friends went (all my oldest friend, who was in the year above, didn't). none of our close friendship group didn't go, and just two of our extended (since primary school) group (and neither of them actually finished sixth form at the school anyway, they both left and went to the college of knowledge part way through - their choice, they certainly weren't pushed, they deliberately chose a different path). In her year, DD1 is possibly the only one doing something that isn't completely 'standard'. She's fine with that.

Cocnutty I think the degree of lead time you need depends on the complexity of the process in your circumstances. DD1 gets the bare minimum of everything so totally non complex for us, in that sense - We didn't have to provide any info (P60s etc) at all. But if you do have to provide info supporting your declaration of finances me then that might take time. Then there's things like ID - if your DC doesn't have eg a passport then you might need to sort that etc. we wants to get it done ASAP because while the normal stuff is non complex she has to apply for DSA (even though they are unlikely to give her any cash - the might have bought her a lappy or Sibelius but she has them anyway already) to trigger the support she will need from her college - it's all predicated on being eligible for DSA even if you don't actually get given a penny. The college will get dish to provide her with the extra support though, so while there are no direct financial implications for her there are indirect ones. And should her lappy die during the next 4 years I guess she would get cash for a new one depending on whether the cause of death was insurance covered or natural causes.

Half of DS friendship group seem to have chosen his firm choice! No idea about his insurance, but he does know someone already there keen for him to join the concert band there.

Coconutty, DS1 is getting the max loan. I'm employed rather than self employed so you just had to give them P60 details online and interest from savings and dividends etc all online. The only thing they wanted a paper copy of was my decree absolute to prove I am a single parent. A copy of my council tax bill with the single adult discount would have done. It took about two weeks to come back, so pretty quick.

My DS has no idea about his friends' choices either - I have no idea what they talk about to each other: gaming, I expect.

Ds only got the student finance email last week, apparently. Also need to arrange post 16 assessment for DSA.

Oddly DD does not know anyone who has firmed her University. However she is at a London Independent and going to a University with a real reputation for attracting public school types, so when she gets there she expects to discover she is one FaceBook friend away from a lot of people. In the short term this won't be a bad thing, not least because they won't intimidate her, and thereafter I am sure she will find people who share her interests and from a range of backgrounds.

She has discovered she has the first exam in the school exam timetable, and the last. They appear awfully spread out.

The DSA form beckons. Luckily she has already had a post 16 assessment. Plus I need to sort out vaccinations. She had several done for her work experience last summer. Schools dont seem to communicate with GP's so it took an age to work out what she had been given. I hope I can find the certificates again.

I've started the student finance form, but as we run our own business I needed the current year assessment form, which took a while to come online. Biggest problem is DH who won't get round to doing his bit may have to login as him and do it for him.
DSA for us too, but DD has been having sad thoughts about why she needs it, and had decided that once she went to uni, she would magically become a "grown up" and not be ill . So lots of hair stroking going on here.

Plus I need to sort out vaccinations

Is there something other than the meningitis they are supposed to have? You put an s on the end of vaccination so I'm thinking ds may have missed one.

Veg. It's a medic thing. They need loads and at least one of them needs to be done over several weeks. She will have a sore arm.

Thanks needmoresleep