Thread 14? Corona Cohort Yr 12 2021 - 'Vaccinations and Eliminations'

[orangecinnamon]

Just place marking for the New Thread!

Thanks @teta Ds has not heard from the teacher...I hope he doesn't mind.

So funny! We have a pathetic sprinkling down here

Loving the 'fig leaf'!

I may have suggested a different leaf .
Gorgeous lab - looks like it’s about to launch on the left nipple!

☃️🤣 nice one!

@Zandathepanda that's our pup, Nala. We bought her beginning of March (before we knew about lockdown) we have an 8 year old lab too.

Nala has definitely helped us all through lockdown. She's provided us with many hours of fun. I think she thought snow girl was real at first.

Snow girl seems to have put on a lot of weight overnight.

Ican that's wonderful!

Pathetic sprinkling here too Orange and very cold.

Great snowman ICan what a great sense of humour your DS has

Got an online uni tour round the RG unis tomorrow. Don't think DD is interested in most as they don't do her course apart from Southampton although the course isn't quite what she's after she may put it as a choice anyway.

She's doing a MOOC at the mo on First Aid but we had to pay for it as she wasn't interested in any free ones. Her school push for them doing them as enrichment in year 12. She's doing a BSL mini course too that's free but it's not a MOOC but still good to do.

love the snowman - I'm guessing the teacher will keep quiet but hopefully at least sniggered.

@AnneOfCleavage - thanks for the heads up re RG tour. DD is interested a quite a few RG unis so has actuallly agreed to watch. She even said thanks, when I showed her, not a smiley thanks, but it wasn't a no :-)

No snow here on the Wirral (well it's snowed but hasn't settled) nothing new there...

Love the snowman ican

I've just discovered there is a series of Bartlett lectures on Architecture on the UCL YouTube channel. Every Wednesday at 6pm. Its free to view and might be helpful to any future students out there interested in Architecture.

Dd in spite of her depression seems to have got A/A* in her As papers. And seems to have completely perked up!
I don't know whether it was S.A.D. or whatever. I've booked her into counselling though using CBT to see whether it will help in future occasions.

Love the snowgirl! We were booked on to the RG tour as well, but I can't remember where I put the details. Does anyone have a link or know how to access it? Dd doesn't seem at all interested!

@teta both my two have been low in previous years over the winter. Weirdly this is the first year when they've both seemed fine. I tried one of those natural lights but it didn't seem to make much difference. After a year of being on CAMHS waiting list, dd finally got some therapy, but she really hates it! She says it's not what she needs and she just has to get through each session... But she seems much better in herself anyway nowadays. Hope the longer days help your dd.

I need to get onto this RG tour. Would appreciate a link.

I didn't realise that a no of those work ex things are very expensive. Still not heard from Springpod as to which company DS is interning at. Odd.

On another matter, are your offspring meeting friends ? ( one at a time outside ofc). Unfortunately, DS has no friends nearby as his classmates are very spread out. The weather is so awful that nobody can bike here either. Feel sad for him. Want to do something fun over halfterm but not sure what.

Is it this thing I posted about before? russellgroup.vfairs.com/

I am signed up for that although am sceptical that it will be anything more than a marketing thing.

Yes I thought there would be virtual tours & subject talks but seems quite general.

DS is seeing three friends - one for dog walks, one to play frisbee and his GF with whom he is failing to socially distance! It makes it all much less lonely.

Not sure what will happen in half term.

Our university searches have just got really easy - as he wants to do medicine with the "wrong" A levels, there are only 3 courses he can apply for - Newcastle (who will accept any 3), Cardiff and Manchester (where he would have to do the course with a foundation year for people with the wrong A levels).

What Alevels is he doing @Monkey2001?

We did mention medicine to Dd after the GCSE results as she’s very caring and is thinking of careers like Psychology/Psychotherapy. But she said no, she didn’t think she’d want to go through all the general training in order to become a psychiatrist.

DD is also seen by friends for 1-2-1 walks. Mainly with the dog but sometimes without (poor dog can only take so many walks). We're lucky to have nice walks on our door step and lots of cafes so a good time can be had. She's been known to take a thermos of hot chocolate with her on occasion.

She's making the best of it but my god it's dull. DS1 is back to university on Friday and I'm very envious of him for a change of scene. I'll be enjoying my motorway trip there and back as a bit of respite.

Out of interest, what do Newcastle do to make up for the lack of the 'right' A levels? I think it's a fascinating idea.

There was bit of a trend of medical schools trying to recruit students for slightly longer degrees maybe 20 years ago who had arts subjects : some theory that they made more empathetic doctors. Not sure there was any research to back it up. Apparently applications to medicine have gone up this year.

FrequentFlier Like your DS friends are dotted around. DS has met one friend once for a walk since the xmas holidays. He's an only so yes it's tough and if you come up with something fun for half-term do share.

DD not really looking at RG unis as although no predicted grades yet I don’t think they will be AAA or AAB. The only one possible is Southampton so will just do open day for this one at some point but her heart is still set on a conservatoire for music performance (where it’s based on audition rather than grades).

Counting down the days till half term here although DD has an online music course, online youth orchestra and needs to record her piano performance exam but at least it’s a change from the monotony of sixth form Teams.

Ds2 met up with one of his mates for a walk, the same day he built snow girl. So that was a busy day for him, the snow got him outside. There isn't anyone else at 6th form in our village. He came out with me today to build another snowman too....He's not been anywhere really since school. So it was lovely to get him out. But at least he does chat on his Xbox and iPad. He's got a little chat group going where they chat during lessons but the teacher can't hear them.

But ds3 (age11) hasn't spoken to anyone his age since school. I feel quite sad for him really.

@crazycrofter he is currently doing double maths, physics and PE, but is likely to drop further maths and do chem AS next year if he decides for definite on medicine. He would then complete Chem A level in a Y14 if he did not get an offer for a 2022 start. He is really engaged with this decision making process and pleased to not feel in a fog about what to do next.

@Piggywaspushed Newcastle rely heavily on the UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) which apparently has a very good correlation with success in med school exams. There is a great variety of A level requirements across the med schools, fewer than half require both Chemistry and Maths, so there must be many students catching up with one or the other. DS1 did not do Biology, but St Andrews require Chemistry and he thinks their course would be very difficult without Chemistry. Southampton and Leeds really like one A level to be a non science, maybe they think there is a correlation with softer skills like communication.

I must say I think that is all fantastic. I bet they got more rounded students back in the days of 4 subjects to AS. We certainly used to get lots of sciencey boys who chose Eng Lit or history as an AS. Representation of boys in Lit has fallen off a cliff since the disappearance of AS.

Generally, the people who do Physic, Chem , maths at my schools are of a type, and it is not one I can imagine empathising awfully well with panicky, sick people! They also don't, most of them, these days seem to be aiming for medicine. It is more physics, computing etc. They ahve no desire to save the world. Nothing wrong with that at all but I assume the medical wannabes are somewhere!

The two students I know who wanted to be doctors and would be great didn't do well enough at GCSE and so are now looking at alternative careers which is a shame.