Oxbridge Freshers 2018

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

old thread

A chat/support thread for parents of undergrads who have entered the quite frankly slightly odd world of Oxbridge.

Apparently we are parents to undergrads now

DS said that there seem to be a lot of people from Switzerland and the USA

I wonder if it's course-specific at all - my DD said there are lots of EU Europeans (hope that hasn't changed over the course of this year) and Asians (Korean, Chinese...) but not many Americans.

So generally a mix of accents.

My DDs three new friends are all from up North I know anecdotally. Not mentioned regions/backgrounds at all. However, I knew stats favoured the southerners.

Well dd is mixed. Northern father; home counties mother. Her set mate is from where dh is from and went to the same school as his sisters. All good.

I still get surprised at dds southern accent

First weekend without her. It sounds odd. She seems ok though. Was heading off to Starbucks at 9 because breakfast not until 11. Starting first essay today. Saw two schoolfriends yesterday which was nice.

It did feel a bit odd doing the weekend shop without thinking about what dd would like, walking past her favourite things. Cheaper though!
We are fairly used to not seeing her at weekends, but I'm aware that I'm going to miss sharing Doctor Who with her tomorrow.

I don't think she's that keen on Saturday morning lectures!

It’s still very strange and odd things make me feel quite emotional! I feel a bit disloyal not buying things in the supermarket or getting an extra plate out etc. I’ll be glad when I get used to the new normal and that hollow feeling goes!

Sending a little card and a starbucks voucher.

We are looking forward to chicken with tomatoes, olives, red wine, onions tonight. DD doesn't like cooked tomatoes. Silver linings

Bakeandyam I am with you at the moment. The longest and most surreal five days.!

hubble hoping that next week will be better, with freshers out of the way a bit of normal routine and work to focus on. Feeling daft that I feel like this but I can’t help it!

Ohtheroses, we had warm goats cheese salad last night, “ oh fab, grown up food “ said dh !

Not such a good day today, I think this weekend will be tough as not enough to do to keep busy .
Dd also intimidated by her kitchen, rest of her area is largely a group of 2nd year friends who cook and eat together. I’m sure they are perfectly nice to her but she feels awkward.
Just keep repeating to her that this is the worst bit !

Missing DS so watching reruns of Lewis. Not really helping!

Spoke to her earlier. Seems fine. Has got 4th on cast list part and is thrilled. Has been working on first essay today; presently in library. Likes the people from her college who are on her course and her staircase people. Seems to be coping. Says her MH is fine.

Snap whiteroseredrose did exact same thing!

Whiterose and Hubble that made me smile! DH and I have watched almost the entire box set of Morse over the past 2 weeks!
Moving on to Lewis next.

I think DD2 is missing her sister more than anyone so I'm keeping myself so busy trying to keep her busy that I haven't had chance to miss DD1 yet!

so yep, we've been watching re-runs of American detective show 'The Mentalist' - every night to stop the quiet! Totally get the box sets!

We have also been out for Saturday night dinner rather than stay home to bring DD late home from her restaurant job.

Insomnia lurking here? I sleep like a log usually but have had bouts of insomnia all week - can't quite settle and feel relaxed about her being away!

Have we all been watching Lewis? That’s so funny, maybe it makes us feel closer to them if we can see where they are! I can add Endeavour to the list too, there seem to be plenty of reruns on so we should all be ok for a while.

I can second the insomnia thing, although for me I seem to wake up early and then start over thinking, I’ve found its better once I get up.

Due a phone call this morning so hopefully will find out what he's been doing. I got him to agree to a weekly chat on a Sunday so trying not to give too much hassle in between times. Very hard!!

Bake Endeavour will definitely be on my list too!
Also just started watching A Discovery of Witches - DD's college is where the main character lives - I can practically see her bedroom in some scenes! It does make me feel closer to her somehow.

I think a weekly chat is a great way to go about things whiteroseredrose. I also think scheduling it for a Sunday morning is cruel and unusual!

Not heard of Discovery of Witches, what’s it about? Is it oxford or Cambridge (please say Oxford!). DS is off to the library to do some work, so it’s good to have something to focus on now I think.

Ha, we watched reruns of Lewis etc last year, and eat lots of fish and lamb in termtime. This year we've finally got to the point of getting Netflix

Gosh all this tv watching! As I was away, with DH for some of it from Thurs to Sunday last week, after a 55 hour work week, I've spent almost all weekend catching up with laundry, food shopping, pruning my wardribe with the switch from summer to winter, cooking forward for next week and have a cpl of beds to be planted up for winter this afternoon.

Hoping dd will do some laundry today. In DH's day, they could pay the scouts extra to do it. He left home hopeless and never improved so I guess it's good times have changed. Even at Sussex in the late 70s though the cleaners came in daily to do beds, bins and floors.

Offering belated support here, as I was in your shoes last year. DD1 is now a college parent to 3; she emailed them all before they arrived and gave them a list of Cambridge abbreviations (like plodge). She has met them all, helped some of them unpack and has been to freshers bop with them. Funnily enough, 2 of them are older than she is!

Lectures started last Thursday in Cambridge and DD is already busy. Once they get in the swing of things, I'm sure they will be fine.

@Errol you are a bit behind the times. The Master now has 2 bassets, YoYo and Isla. Isla is apparently YoYo's great niece.