Oxford balls are ridiculously expensive and socially discriminatory

[funnyperson]

Well just that, really. Assuming that a student is sociable enough to have friends at different colleges, it is nice to be able to think of going to a number of different balls, especially in the summer. Except that the 'cheap' ball tickets are £85 and more usually £120. A young student recently won free tickets to two balls, totalling £210. Given that the balls are the main college social events this is sad. Min budget for tickets to go to, say, 5 balls a year including the Union ball but excluding a law society ball would be £700. The rich, in short, only dance with the rich.

[funnyperson]

The college disco with the rugby club getting drunk doesn't cut it or compare in my opinion.
My own university ball/dinner was at the Savoy and I still remember the moment 50 butlers came in, each with the flambe baked alaska , the flames of which were mirrored round the room. It was magical and very unlike the rather grim drunk stuff in college which I avoided after freshers week.

[funnyperson]

I think balls should be in the student's budget plan-probably at least £250 per year to include dress, when setting the yearly budget.

I think its ok to talk about clothes or even go shopping with one's daughter- it is one of the joys of having a (pretty) daughter. Of course what happens in reality is she gets given the money and gets on with it and I might see a photo if I'm lucky.

Anyway this thread is too intense, and doesn't reflect reality, though it has been lovely hearing about other people's memories and experience, and some great advice.

[LittleBearPad]

Um. It does sound as though the uni ball you went to was pretty different to the norm though.

[GrendelsMum]

Gosh, that sounds fantastic!

I'm afraid it was quite a lot posher than any of the balls I ever went to at Cambridge.

[FreckledLeopard]

I only went to my College Ball. As did most of my friends. Otherwise we just went to bops or house parties or any other usual thing. Sure there were rich people at Oxford, but there were certainly a lot of normal people. And universities like Bristol or Exeter are probably richer than Oxbridge.

[funnyperson]

Just thought I would mention that my ticket at the Savoy was very heavily subsidised for students and cost about £20. All the girls wore high street clothes.

[LittleBearPad]

Which university was it and when was it. The ball tickets these days are no more expensive than when I last went in the early 2000s. Not bad considering inflation since then.

[funnyperson]

London. In the golden age of course.