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AIBU?

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Original poster

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

443 replies

Thesearepearls · 23/07/2018 21:12

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?

OP posts:
hammeringinmyhead · 23/07/2018 21:42

I went to Durham which has catered halls. They kick you out into houses in second year and you go back in if you want in third year. It's normal not to cook.

ADishBestEatenCold · 23/07/2018 21:42

Opps, cross-post ... just saw this.

"I don't particularly want to name the (admittedly ancient) university or college on this thread"

PestymcPestFace · 23/07/2018 21:44

Maybe JRM went to the same place?

He will only be at uni half the year, he can cook when he is home.

He can also learn to be resourceful and learn how to bend the rules, including googling what a remoska is. If you do it for him he ain't gonna learn much.

TheLastSaola · 23/07/2018 21:45

Oxbridge terms are 8 weeks, 9 including 0th week. That leaves half the year for as much cooking as he could possibly want.

If he’s juggling Oxbridge work load with choral singing (I’m guessing) he wouldn’t have much time to cook anyway.

Total none issue.

titchy · 23/07/2018 21:45

there exists a university where people actually cannot cook.

No there really isn't. No one is going to hold a gun to his head and prevent him moving into a house share in year 2 and 3. Plus as several people have pointed out, you CAN cook, you just need to be a bit alternative about it. Besides uni Oxford is only 10 week terms so he'll be home creating havoc in your kitchen before you know it. Dunno why he didn't apply to another college though...

hammeringinmyhead · 23/07/2018 21:46

Actually even Durham has a self-catering college for those who want to lug stuff miles from Tesco with no car...

LadyPeacock · 23/07/2018 21:47

You have no issue with naming the universities your children go to as you have named your DD's.

You just don't want people to point out that you are wrong, which is very likely.

Johnnycomelately1 · 23/07/2018 21:47

I know dinner in hall is mandatory in a few Oxbridge colleges, some students are able to live in college for all 3 years, hall provides three meals a day and cooking facilities in those colleges can be extremely limited, so this is a feasible, if unusual, scenario.

That said, my friend who loves windsurfing also went to Cambridge and just had to windsurf in the holidays. It's really not a huge deal.

twoshedsjackson · 23/07/2018 21:49

I gave my goddaughter a Remolska as a "going to uni" present; it looks a bit like a plug-in deep frying pan. With the racks etc included, you can use it for slow-cooking, baking, frying; I enjoyed the results when she tried out various recipes from the book that came with it. Also, when I was having a kitchen fitted, I was given a slow cooker on long loan, and was able to adapt a lot of recipes. If he's an enthusiastic cook, he may even enjoy the challenge!

pippitysqueakity · 23/07/2018 21:51

St Andrews? Quite common there to just stay in catered halls for whole time. Although would be 4years....

LadyPeacock · 23/07/2018 21:51

I know dinner in hall is mandatory in a few Oxbridge colleges.

There is no college I know of that will send you down if you eat off a kebab van instead of in the hall.

HannahHut · 23/07/2018 21:53

Why is he attending university of he wants to be a chef? Might as well save the money and go to culinary school.

Devilishpyjamas · 23/07/2018 21:53

Most Oxford colleges have some form of cooking facilities. Usually a variety of accommodation with different types of cooking facilities.
Presume Cambridge is the same. He’ll be fine.

Redundancy1 · 23/07/2018 21:53

I genuinely didn't know that halls were "compulsory" in any uni in the whole world. Why is that? What happens if you gave personal reasons for wanting to live out from day 1?
It's just literally not allowed? Confused

ButchyRestingFace · 23/07/2018 21:54

Why are you willing to name your daughter's university but not your son's? Confused

PamsterWheel · 23/07/2018 21:54

Eh? Surely he can move out of halls after 1st year. Effectively, it's no cooking for 9 months. If the course and uni is that great surely not THAT big a deal unless he REALLY does want to be a chef in which case why bother with uni.

If he's UK based and it's halls for 3 years he must (?) be Oxbridge in which case give over.

wellBeehivedWoman · 23/07/2018 21:55

So it's either an oxbridge college where you have to stay in halls (do they exist?) in which case terms are only 8 weeks so he can cook the remaining 28 weeks of the year or it's another university in which case you must have misunderstood as they just don't insist on halls for 3 years.

Saffzy · 23/07/2018 21:56

Just get him a halogen oven

JessicaJonesJacket · 23/07/2018 21:57

St Andrews' has the option to stay in shared flats with kitchens so it can't be St Andrews'.

Nothisispatrick · 23/07/2018 21:57

What's it got to do with eating disorders? Confused

NastyCats · 23/07/2018 21:58

My college in Oxford had one kitchen for use by the first and third years who.lived in. It was tiny, rubbish and you had to sign a key in and out. We did not even have access to fridges for milk, etc.

Even if he lives in for the whole of his course it is just a few terms out of all his life. He can cook in the vacs. The important thing is it is the right course for him academically.

titchy · 23/07/2018 21:58

I know dinner in hall is mandatory in a few Oxbridge colleges

Indeed. Why a cooking-loving teen would apply to one is weird.

NemoRocksMyWorld · 23/07/2018 21:58

I went to Cambridge. Some rooms had facilities some didn't. In third year we had no facilities (but my best friend and I were in this beautiful main court set- I loved it). We kept a microwave oven, a hob, a George foreman and a vegetable steamer in an old trunk in our room (this was hugely illegal, and not very fire safe). We cooked Sunday dinner for 15 every week with that equipment.... It was so much fun!

Ps..... Totally not encouraging dicey attitude to fire safety, but I was alot younger and less sensible....

Blostma · 23/07/2018 21:58

I visited a few Ox colleges like that. The one I remember most clearly was St Katz, where you could only fit one person in the kitchen at a time. They did halls for all years. There were more, I just don’t remember their kitchens so clearly.

donkeysandzebras · 23/07/2018 22:00

20yrs ago at my college at Cambridge you had to eat in hall every night for all three years but what they really meant was that you had to pay for dinner for three years but what you actually ate was up to you. We didn't have a microwave but did have two hot plates which allowed you to do quite a lot and I really didn't know how to cook then. The only exceptions to the paying for dinner thing were those with multiple allergies which seemed less common then so the kitchens didn't cater for them.
As others have said, Oxbridge terms are only 8 weeks and your DS may well come home for a weekend during term and get a chance to cook then.

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