DS has applied to a "no cooking" university. He loves cooking. This is madness, isn't it?

[Thesearepearls]

Just that really. DS's first choice university (we've just done the application for halls) is a no-cooking university. The cooking facilities comprise a toaster, kettle and microwave. There is no cooking allowed for the entirety of his university course.

If you'd asked me what DS would do in a future life I would have given you two choices. The first is singing (he was a cathedral chorister and loves classical music). The second is that he would be a chef. He is absolutely gutted that he won't be able to cook. He cooks for us all the time. He's really keen on it and he is beyond disappointed that the next three years of his academic career will involve zero cooking.

It's total madness isn't it?

I know you're not supposed to mention other threads , but OP has just been bragging on another thread about her ds avoiding "white working class kids" at his private school.

I think OP sounds absolutely obnoxious and has just thought up a subject so she can let the world know her ds is going to Cambridge.

My ds is also there and I hope her precious one does not run into him as he tucks into his hall food whilst desperately trying to conceal his state school origins. Streuth.

I still stoutly maintain that a university in this day and age should allow its undergraduates to cook. And it is flipping ridiculous that they can't

Cambridge University most certainly allows its undergraduates to cook, so it's actually your sweeping generalisation that is flipping ridiculous. Yes, many colleges require that you pay for all meals, but the catering charges are usually very reasonable and nobody is actually forced to eat in hall. Yes, the cooking facilities are sometimes quite limited, but it's very rare to have nothing at all.

If cooking is so important to your son, why on earth did he not choose a college with better facilities? Surely he knew that he would be living in the college, so did he not do some basic research? Also, if he is such a foodie, why did he pick a college with such underwhelming food? Many of the Cambridge colleges have fantastic catering (I should know, I tried most of the formal halls while I was there!😀).

It's silly to post about a "non-cooking" university, when you're actually talking about just one college. Your son just chose badly, now he'll have to cook at home in the very long holidays. He probably won't have much time to cook in term time in any case.

I think the idea of a part time catering job is a great one!

dh lived in a no cooking college. They were only allowed to heat things up. So he hid a mini cooker thingy under his bed. Got busted a few times, once when the cleaner found onion peel in the bin. He told them that he liked onion in his baked beans,

I think they do get very creative. It's a good opportunity to experiment.

Out of the kind of “hardships” first-year students can experience, I wouldn’t count not being able to produce cordon bleu meals on a daily basis as one of them.

(we've just done the application for halls)

So why oh why did you apply to the fully catered halls? It makes no sense.

This is s thread that says nothing other than:

"I have a son who will be studying Physics at Cambridge".

It's pathetic.

I think the idea of a part time catering job is a great one!

Students aren't allowed to have jobs at Cambridge, I don't think.

I went to a catered university and only had toaster/kettle/microwave. In all honestly if you're paying for catering why would students/their parents pay extra for food etc all the time?

I guess the thing is, maybe the OP and OP's DS didn't even consider that there wouldn't be cooking facilities, so didn't check.

There are a couple of things the OP's son can do:

• suck it up, there are only 30 weeks of term anyway so that leaves 22 weeks to cook to his heart's content
• make friends with people in other colleges and cook meals there (might be very popular)

However, the NatSci course at Cambridge is very full on. He might be pleased to have food laid on after spending all day in the lectures/labs.

All my DS wants to do is cook!!

Well if it's so Important, then he should have through my investigated this. IF this will make or break his experience, then he surely would have looked at what facilities are available.

He spends most of his year NOT at uni. He can cook then. My exh was a chef, he loved cooking and cooked at home every day. It's his life passion. However, he could accept not cooking for 8 weeks at a time, for whatever reason.

I don't know if this thread, is a boast or just Batshit. He is going to uni, of course there will be somethings he will miss. For some it will be their 5 aside football team, that they can only play for when they are back. Or can't move their hobby because there just isn't time.

He has a choice. Either go to uni and cook when he is home or not go to that uni. Life's full of tough decisions, but this isn't one of them.

A plus of catering is that you get to have a 'break' every day - rather than eating beans on toast over your laptop doing work, you get to sit and chat and have a breather for your meal. It's more important than you first realise. And there were always healthy options on the menu at my college - wasn't at Cambridge but similar. For example there was always vegetable and fruit options and a salad bar

I guess the thing is, maybe the OP and OP's DS didn't even consider that there wouldn't be cooking facilities, so didn't check.

It's apparently something he can't live without for 8 weeks at a time. If he loved it that much he would have looked at what facilities they had. Or did he just assume it was going to be a fully equipped kitchen with everything he could ever want.

I have a son who will be studying Physics at Cambridge

Add on to that speakout “and is such an incredible, nurturing chef that he will be emotionally devastated he can’t cook for a few week at a stretch!”

I admit I haven’t read the whole thread but if all he wants to do is sing or be a chef then why on earth isn’t he studying one of those somewhere?!

He's wasting time and money going to uni if he seriously wants to be a chef. So perhaps he doesn't want to be a chef and you've decided he does on the basis that he likes to cook. Many of us like to cook. Few of us want to be chefs. Presumably he chose this university for other reasons.

Cambridge students presumably not allowed a job during term time. Oxford students never used to be.

But plenty of time in the holidays to arrange something. If he’s living in College for three years then he’s not likely to be hanging around Cambridge in the holidays & could look for a home catering job of some sort.

He could also try making friends with the head chef. Some of the food at Oxbridge colleges is extraordinary (especially high table). He could learn a lot.

Kids at Cambridge are not allowed to work in termtime so there is no prospect of DS working at a nice restaurant and getting his food thrills from there. Ditto at a homeless charity.

You pay >9k/yr to the institution only to be told by them what you cannot do outside of the institution? They are telling adults what not to do?

Fuck that for a game of soldiers. I'd be getting a PT job/voluntary work and stick two fingers up at them.

I think i’ll bow out now. Thanks for the kindly suggestions, they were gratefully received.

I am trying to be really positive and enthusiastic about the university. There’s a balance though, because I want him to be able to talk about things and so far he’s only told DD that he’s really not looking forward to it at all (although he has intimidated the same to me - in the cooking context).

He doesn't have to go to Cambridge btw. To bastardise a MN saying 'it's an offer not a summons'

Time for a talk with him about life choices?

I used to do occasional days work at Oxford on the sly, but tbh with 8 week terms & a 1:1 tutorial every week, plus labs, it’s can be very intense.

Leaves loads of time to do other things though. Including working. I used to stay in oxford for about ten weeks then go home and work. Or work/travel. The summer in particular is enormously long (June-October).

acat The terms at Cambridge are very intensive. They do not want students being distracted by having to do paid work at fixed times. There are extensive bursaries at many of the older colleges to assist poorer students. The NatSci course in particular is very time intensive.

I don't think they prevent unpaid volunteering though.

Cooking is a hobby for the OP's son. He will have 22 weeks a year to indulge in it. OP needs to stop fussing.

Personally, I think your son is going to really struggle if not being able to cook for 8 weeks at a time is really making him dread uni.

Oh this has made me giggle - and I am sorry if that is inappropriate.

End 1 year exams

Q 1. Discuss Entropy with relation to
a) Quantum mechanics
b) Archimedes
c) Delia Smith

Candidates must on no account refer to cinnamon and should only write on one side of the paper at once.

I think lots of students (and parents) are really nervous about the prospect of university and those nerves can come out in odd ways. One of those ways can be hyperfocussing on one issue, so that it becomes a really big issue in their heads.

I also find it fascinating on these threads to see the true colours of posters.