Corona Cohort’s Year 12 adventures

[FoolsAssassin]

We’ve made it into year 12 and rapidly approaching the end of the first half term .

Lots of challenges we could never imagined as we started the year but we’re all keeping on keeping on and this thread is for anyone who would like to jump on board to share the rather unusual journey this is turning out to be.

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@KingscoteStaff - is she back on medicine and not vet sci? How funny. DD is still set on it as well and has been busy editing a school biology magazine and contributing an article on parasites. I'm amazed at how good it looks as they've incorporated obituary from a biology photo competition. That girl definitely knows her own mind.

The mystery of the cheesecake is solved. One of DH's work colleagues lives nearby and his wife made it for us. I am so touched. I will need to 'pay it forward' next time I hear of a family in SI.

Obituary? Photos!

Obituary 😁how lovely of your DH’s colleague Sandybayley I know there’s loads of people going on about how selfish people are but there are some lovely people around too.

Great grades Heifer! Strange how just a few marks can make such a difference in PE but you hear of how it’s difficult to get good grades. I thought that is to do with level of sport you play but maybe marking system is weird too !

Although in some ways this term seems to have gone on forever in others it has flown by. I had hoped DS would be having driving lessons by now but maybe for the best as he has a lot on . They are doing a
secret Santa he has big plans for, hopefully they can do a few other bits and pieces. Am also hoping their induction activities can finally happen in the summer as feel hopeful things will be a lot more normal for them by then.

I saw this book recommended on another thread that might be helpful to anyone with DC thinking of doing maths but undecided at the moment:

www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Study-Mathematics-Vicky-Neale/dp/191301911X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_pl_foot_top?tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8

DS is getting it in his stocking, lucky lad !

You know that situation where the thing that annoys you the most about your child is a fault you hate in yourself? Well that's what happening with me and DD. I've spent my whole life postponing final decisions because I didn't want to 'cut off any options' - whether it was deciding between houses or specialisms or paint colours. I now see DD doing exactly the same thing with potential degree subjects. She's always been interested in Medicine and has a particular interest in ethics, but is also devoted to animals and the outdoors, but now is fascinated by the lab work in her Chem A level... She has to make a decision, but when? She's currently preparing for 3 different PSs!

@FoolsAssassin - it was Biology that 3 marks seem to go from grade D to B :-) PE is A and not sure if she can get higher tbh as her sport is hockey and it seems impossible to get top marks - stories of an international who got 15/18 for hockey skills! (I can't remember the exact mark but that was the jist (from another PE teacher at a different school so not just DD story :-)

@KingscoteStaff not a bad way for your DD to spend the holidays. Perhaps you need to get her to work somewhere else useful in a couple of years time :-)

I bet even though you see your procrastining traits in your DD you have no patience with it. DD is currently picking me up on some annoying speech habbit's I've picked up since living here! I would definitely had said something to hear but am fed up of hearing it about me!

Re Driving Lessons, DD has suprised me and doesn't want me to book them just yet? isn't sure what to do, and who to go with! I think she wants to go with DH first but I've said if we don't book now she might love driving and then have to wait ages until she can get lessons, but I also don't want to pressure her (don't they have enough school pressure).. Will gently ask again if she would like me to book them for her and see how she responds.

Oops, my brain is like a sieve Heifer! That is a bit strange with the biology. DS’s instructor has a long waiting list which is currently actually quite handy as he isn’t in a hurry to start.

Think quite a few of us can relate to that Kingscote! She sound very diligent though which is great.

DS sat with me and looked at unis today. Quite interesting watching young people on uni websites because they don't navigate them at all! Just stare at them!

Anyway, he found liberal arts interesting but a bit confusing but I think he likes the pot pourri idea. He likes the sound of social policy the most. Might get him some actual prospectuses to leaf through!

DGH keeps trying to put him off and telling him to do 'proper subject' because of job prospects. i did then point out to (teacher) H that the most likely path for a history or MFL grad was teaching. That shut him up! I think eh still thinks Economics is a 'proper' subject but sociology isn't. I think I managed to convince him that social policy has sums in it.. .

DGH = DH, not some kind of strange hybrid relative...

My ILs once took DS1 to an Open Day. Had a coffee, went to the restaurant. Out within the hour...

Ds wants to do history at university but thinks it only leads to jobs like teaching. He thinks ds1 had a better idea doing biology at university. But ds2 has never particularly enjoyed science.

I managed to get ds out in the car today. He drove to our village hall and back (about a mile) he's getting the hang of the clutch. We did lots of start stops. But he slams the breaks on so hard. We didn't meet any other cars as it's fairly quiet here. A little journey is better than nothing. I hope it's not ages until the instructor can fit him in. But I fear lockdown again come January. It's great when they can drive, as no public transport and hardly any children in our village.

@KingscoteStaff I would say she’s still very ahead of the game - my friend’s year 13 still isn’t sure what courses to apply for! I appreciate she needs to apply for medicine by October but that’s ages away!

Dd has shown no interest in looking at unis yet, after quite a bit of discussion last year. I’m guessing she feels she spent March-June deciding between different sixth forms and has only just settled in so doesn’t want to start on the next decision yet!

History degrees are as good as any other academic degree @icanbewhatiwant. All the usual graduate schemes are open to them (I did accountancy). There’s also things like archivist (my sister did that after a history degree) or museum curator.

Driving is still some way off for us as Dd is a summer born!

Dd knows exactly which colleges and which universities! It’s only the beginning of year 12 . This is possibly worse than not knowing because of her medical issues. The plan is to take a year out to recover more. She also reckons the covid backlog will have gone by then. I have no idea about what to do about UCAS forms and deferring but there’s almost a year before we have to worry. Far too early. I haven’t even thought about Christmas yet!

I tried to persuade DS to take a look at one of the virtual open days this weekend. Absolutely no interest whatsoever. Hasn't got a scooby. Did do some maths homework !

@crazycrofter - I'm afraid with medicine you do need to start thinking early. There's work experience, subject combination, admissions tests etc to consider. DD has been thinking about what she needs to do and where it might lead her since last January. She did have work experience lined up in a hospital in June but sadly that's been postponed. Hopefully it will happen in 2021.

Yes, I’m sure you’re right. I was thinking work experience won’t be possible this year but maybe it will by the summer?

@crazycrofter thanks. Yes I'm sure a history degree is as good as any other. Ds enjoys history...I don't think he's interested enough to want to work in a museum or similar though. He wants to do history with philosophy or he's also seen history with American studies he likes the look of, but only because a teacher told them he'd done a year in America with his degree and it was the best year of his life. So ds decided he'd like to do a year in America. But it's early days yet. He doesn't need to decide yet. Ds1 didn't want to go to university when he was in year 12. He changed his mind in year 13. So it was all a rush.

Does he do English? American Studies degrees have a Lit content.

Quite a lot of history degrees now offer years abroad and years on placements.

DS himself has toyed with history. Virtually every uni offers it, so God knows how you even narrow it down. I was going to start a thread but you just get the usual suspect answers!

Ds1 still has no idea on subject. He's asking me if Business would allow he to get onto an ACA Trainee Accountant programmes with one of the biggies. I said I thought it would/might.

I never ever tell anyone I Mumsnet. He last night asked me to look up this very Mumsnet thread (so clearly you are all famous) to check student loans. Clearly his clogs are turning, be it slowly!

I too might try and persuade him to defer. Like Zanda, I think it might be better a year later? Half the fun of being at Uni this bloomin covid is killing. I went travelling for a year to Israel, Egypt, Russia, before Uni. And I would always encourage a child to do that. But will such travelling even be possible?

I started off doing American Studies, alongside History and Geography but switched to a straight History degree after year 1. Piggy is right - American Studies is half lit. I didn’t really feel confident on that, having not done Eng Lit at A Level.

A lot of Unis do a 'with year abroad' option with American Universities. Uni web pages are traditionally a bit rubbish but the info will be there...somewhere.

I loved doing History with OU. It did improve my critical thinking and analysis an awful lot!

@Oblomov20 I worked for a 'big four' for nearly 20 years, until last year. I didn't do my training contract with them though - I did it with a small local firm and then moved straight after. I'd recommend that route as you get a good overall training (and avoid those boring audits!). But in answer to his question, he can do any degree he wants. I've only been involved in recruiting experienced hires, so I'm not sure what they look for for training contracts, but they seemed to me to mainly come from the top tier unis, with a huge variety of degrees. However, lots of our experienced hires (usually 2-3 years out of uni) came from less prestigious universities. The best person I ever worked with had a Sports Science degree from one of the 'new' universities!

I am an accountant. Nowadays I work as a support tutor for an accountancy training provider, answering emails and live chats from students studying for their exams.

I did an ACA on a graduate scheme at a mid tier firm - I did a chemistry degree but there was a wide variety of experience. I remember someone who’d done American studies. Generally the ones who’d done some accountancy in their degree had an advantage for about 2 weeks and then it all evened out.

I think we had to have a certain amount of UCAS points but it’s a while ago so I can’t quite remember!

@Oblomov20 - DH read geography and then got a training contract at one of the big firms. In those days I think it was the big six though! I think geography graduates are quite common amongst accountants. These days he's still an accountant but specialises in financial reporting.

I know quite a few of you are, that's why I mentioned it. Thank you. Both.

Sandy, Big 6, blimey that takes me right back!