Thread 15 - Corona Cohort Year 12, 2021 Lateral Flow & Driving Tests

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Piggy, I wanted to go to Birmingham to do Russian. In those days, Birmingham was considered the best, for all languages. I never got the 3 B's to get in.

Depleted Ds1 doesn't really know what he wants to do, really. Grades for Southampton are high for Business. He's gonna have to pull his socks up. He in considering trying to do an accountancy apprenticeship. That too is hard to get on.

I was the last of the uni years for no fees. And I didn't take a student loan because I had bar jobs, and I swept the streets at 5.30am. The thought of Ds1 lumbering him with £10's of £1000's of £'s to go to Uni, when mine was free, makes me sad.

Just coming in to say Harper Adams is very popular around here. We're in a very rural county so there are lots of agricultural courses, as well as Engineering/land/surveying, plus Veterinary Nursing & Medicine . It was voted the best university a year or so ago apparently. Lots of non-academic kids go there & seem to do very well.

Aren't you all glad that ours are only year 12? Not 13 and going to uni in sept? For those having gone last September, what a crap experience? Isolation and no real lectures with smelly old Professors I loved Uni. But not what is currently on offer!

Fools, I too would recommend a gap year to anyone. I had the best time ever, in Italy, Turkey and Greece, Israel, Egypt, and finally Moscow then the Trans Siberian Railway.

Post Covid, and now that it's not green to fly anywhere, I fear youngsters will not get such opportunities.

@Fferny1 Harper Adams looked great. It would have suited ds1 especially as he does clay pigeon shooting and they do stuff like that there. He also enjoyed driving a tractor on the farm. So even though he wouldn't have been doing a farming degree it would have been great for him to see tractors working the land. I know it's a very popular place for agricultural degrees and land management. Definitely one to consider for people interested in agriculture. But I wasn't sure it was the best place for a biology degree especially as it was new to them.

@Monkey2001 I think it's unlikely he'd meet the medical requirements (physical and mental) for the army, he is quite severely dyspraxic and prone to panic/anxiety.

While I think a gap year would probably be a good idea too (he could work in a garden centre or similar) if there's no element of education his EHCP gets ended and while there is any possibility of further level 3 study eg apprenticeship it is important to hang onto it.

Thank you all for your thoughts.

My DS started uni this year and has had a decent experience. Not the normal Freshers, but he's had fun. Started off with some face to face teaching, but when it went online a lot was live rather than recorded. He managed group work in the beginning so got to know some course mates. The uni grouped flat mates on same/similar courses which helped too. He'd already returned before the latest lockdown and has been having a good time with flatmates which he couldn't have done with friends if he'd stayed at home. Hopefully, it will be more normal next year.

Same @Seeline - DS1 started at university this year and although it's not what he'd have hoped for it's not been as bad as some describe it. He got f2f teaching a n his first term, got back at the beginning of Feb and has even been in labs. He's enjoyed being away from home and met a nice girlfriend.

He's quite lucky that he's doing a 4 year course so has 3 years of normality to look forward to. It really could have been much worse....

Fair enough Sandy snd Seeline. I know quite a few of you have older siblings at uni.
I didn't mean to make it sound so bleak. I know for some it hasn't been that bad. Not all have isolation stickers on their Dorm /halls window, having not left their room for months!

First year experience here was excellent teaching and fun in first semester, but St Andrews have been very strict so none of the friends he made were allowed back, he has not been allowed to see his long term girlfriend in Sheffield since January, only allowed to socialise with his very small bubble and all communal spaces closed. Flats have worked better than halls.

Well, I have persuaded DS that we should look at other agricultural colleges than just the local ones (which between them only really have one suitable course apart from apprenticeships). He should apply even if he ends up deferring or doing something else instead. I went to a useful webinar this week about support for disabled students going to university and have made a shortlist of all the local 6th form open days for DD, it's going to be a busy summer term.

That’s good progress ExponentiallyDepleted

Thanks, I have been moping a bit, it has been helpful offloading here and getting a few thoughts from others today. I have also made a list of possible places for us to approach for work experience for both DCs.

@ExponentiallyDepleted it's difficult isn't it? Ds doesn't take a lot of notice of my suggestions. He did want to go to university, now he doesn't. I've been told off for interfering by a family member. I guess I'll just hope ds makes a good decision.

I still can't get him to work through the 4 in 1 app. His theory test is in 2 weeks. He says he needs to revise for school exams and won't have time. I've been nagging him for ages. He said he started it and it was all about motorway driving. He says he hasn't driven on a motorway. So no point 😡 if he fails it'll be a very long time before we can book another theory.

I must have taken my frustrations out on my dyson as I managed to snap it in half yesterday. Completely unrepairable.

Not a good morning so far here. DH forgot to makes dd's coffee this morning so she's gone to 2 exams without any coffee and any breakfast.

Then when I got back from the 40 min. drop off ds2 messaged me to say he had forgotten his glasses & lanyard 🤯.
Let's hope he can read his exam papers then....

My DS wouldn't revise for the theory test either! failed each time by one or two marks...

In my opinion, interfering = being a parent.

As a teacher, I wish more parents would interfere !

My DS has his theory test in three weeks, very little revision done here either.

I agree with you @piggy. Parents are here to interfere. But there's a limit as well as to how much they can do. Some kids just need to make their own mistakes.

Glasses dropped off at school, after a message from Ds saying " he needs to see" 😄

at iwant's dyson.
Glad it's not just me then. My 'interfering' gets me nowhere. Ds2 hates it when I (rarely) email his HoY.
Theory test in 3 weeks here aswell. Minimal revision done so far!

Oh Fferney, glad you could get them to him , not the best Monday. Fingers crossed for DD 🌷

@Oblomov21 I can't believe the dyson broke. Literally snapped at the back. They don't make things to last these days.

Well I'm glad others "interfere" I just think if ds wants to look for an apprenticeship then that's fine. But I also think he should have a plan B. I also think if he goes to university he should do something he enjoys rather than something he thinks will lead to a job that pays more. Just my opinion. But then I followed my heart, left school with hardly any qualifications because I couldn't be bothered, I worked with horses, I took lots of horse exams instead. I enjoyed it at the time, but it was such a stupid decision and a waste of 6 years of my life and now I only have horse based qualifications. I ignored all the adults telling me to get on with my school work, go onto further education. Then if I still want to do horses then do so after 6th form. But I wouldn't listen. So I guess I shouldn't complain about ds for wanting to do things his way. But all 3 of my boys know I really regret my decisions. I don't want them to make the wrong decision.

I don't know what to say about ds and his theory. If it weren't for covid then I'd let him fail and learn the hard way. But with covid we are fortunate to have the theory booked, if he fails we may not get another until autumn.

We had to rebook and couldnt get another until June.

Worse than the dyson breaking...I told dh to break it up so it fits in the bin. Which he did, he finished snapping it in half and cut the electric cord up. I've just looked at the book that came with it, it had a 5 year warranty. It was only 3 years old 😞😞

Oh no @icanbewhatiwant how frustrating. The rotating head just broke on ours and we can't find the receipt or guarantee anywhere, pretty sure it's less than 5 years old too

@ExponentiallyDepleted I'm not happy now. You can just tell the dyson the serial number. They'll repair it. But dh has finished outs off. Not his fault, I said it was 2 year warranty 🙈

My dishwasher is blocked (again), my toilet flush is broken and my bathroom ceiling is covered in mould. I hope that helps to ease your pain...