Oxbridge... How has it changed since the eighties?

[cathyandclaire]

DH and many of our friends studied in Oxford/ Cambridge in the eighties. They were bright all rounders from mixed backgrounds comprehensive/grammar/ public school and all studied/ partied and played lots of sport. They had fun. They handed in dodgy essays occasionally but really pulled out their fingers for exams and got mostly 2.1 with the odd one above or below.

Dd is applying at the moment and we are hearing stories of intolerable stress, relentless workloads and students failing to cope, breaking down and having little time to enjoy university life outside of their studies.

So, is it much, much harder than it was? Or are these stories from very high achievers who can't cope when surrounded by equals or even superiors?
Is it still possible to work and play hard, take advantage of extracurriculars and still get an ok degree from Oxbridge?

exex - I knew plenty of people who did bar work and a few who picked up money working in music like me (none of the people actually DOING music though, I think it was frowned on for them, they had to do so much 'for free' that they had no time left). I think had I tried to expand my career as a data entry temp into term time that would definitely have been frowned upon (and rightly so). Nobody minded that British Gas owned my soul in the holidays though.