Oxbridge applications 2019 (part two).

[Justanothermile]

New thread, I hope it's okay to start one.

Good luck today for those still waiting for interview news, which includes us.

Congratulations to those already with dates.

Evening all, i've heard that dinner was lovely and there is a treasure hunt tonight. No interview until Thursday though. It's going to be a long wait! Good luck to all and thank you for this thread.

DD has declined the complimentary food that was on offer for her with her room at Cambridge. She was lucky enough to be there for 2 nights in Magdalene in the Spring when she won a place on their outreach residential programme and said that their food is 'terrible'. So we're travelling down together and she's going to stay in their room but not partake of their food.

I have heard that parents aren't welcome in or around the accommodation and are encouraged to leave the students to it when they get there. I haven't read anything to this effect officially in the info that they've sent. They have said there's a place for parents to wait while the interviews are on, but nothing about what can or can't be done the night before in terms of helping her unpack (only if she wanted me to, obv) or being able to sort out her room then going off somewhere for some dinner or to chill out before she settles in for the night.

Would strongly advise you not to go in the college with her. Parents don't as a rule and it might make her stand out for all the wrong reasons and even more so if she is not eating with others.

Interesting about the food...ds partook of the lunch yesterday when he was at Cambridge and said it was quite good. And the hall reminded him of a smaller version of Hogwarts! But it is a different college - Emmanuel.

Her interviews are both in the morning. We will be getting something to eat on the way down there, then we will part ways I think so she can find her way and I can find my hotel!

In the morning she rarely eats breakfast anyway, so she can take a 'packed breakfast' to have to set herself up for the morning.

Then both of her interviews are in that morning, so by lunchtime she'll be on her way out of there. Hopefully not a wreck!

When she want to the residential they had an evening where they partook of the 'fine dining' evening and she also said it was reminiscent of Hogwarts. :)

DS is happily installed in college. 3 interviews tomorrow. He was swept off by a student as soon as he arrived and there seem to be a small army of them to escort applicants to interviews and generally look after them. He is nervous and excited in equal measure. So proud of my baby!

goodbyestranger can you really take a guess from that little info? I’m impressed... i didn’t even know her course was an option until she told me she was applying for it. Thanks to everyone for the advice. I’ve told her to keep quiet unless it gets to it - I’m just hoping they see that a 12-13 hour journey justifies being a little rigid. She spent the whole of Monday travelling and will spend the whole of Friday travelling and says so far she’s met people from London, Cambridge, Peterborough and Surrey so she’s definitely the outlier distance wise!

She seems to be enjoying it so far - says the buildings are so pretty and grand it’s intimidating though. The people have been mostly nice, a few socially awkward (she had a difficult meal time trying to draw conversation from a girl who was not giving anything back and seemed a bit competitive) but on the whole everyone friendly. Food she reports was okay...

Re parents and cambridge colleges, there may be some individual college variation but college my dd applied to made it really clear in the invitation that parents were not allowed inside any of the college buildings but could be in the areas open to the public. This meant that a turn around the garden ie outside area was allowed. As it was a sunny day I did a wee walk around and then left and nervously walked around Cambridge. DD could not face staying in college the night before, shame I know,but she felt it would be too stressful. She is a real introvert.

At my DDs Cambridge college parents were able to wait in a parents room and there were plenty who did so according to my husband. It was friendly and relaxed.

I'm wondering if she will balk at the thought of staying there overnight if given the choice as she'd a very socially introverted person too. There's room in my hotel room if she feels that way but I'm hoping she takes the plunge. After all, she's stayed 2 nights in their accommodation already.

So Dd was released at around 4 yesterday and abley got the train home including crossing London on the Tube alone at rush hr! The experience has clearly been really good for her, especially given how anxious she was about staying away from home, and she said she really enjoyed the interviews. So for us the waiting begins again! Can only think that the best thing to do is put “it” to the very back of our minds and enjoy Christmas. Good luck everyone!

I'm staying in a hotel as dds are both in the morning. No chance of staying in the car for me as the email made it clear that there's no parking available at her college. I'm hoping I can leave the car at the hotel and walk the 25 mins to the college. Dhe currently wants me to meet up with her befire she goes for her interviews but I don't know if that's feasible.

Dd had hers yesterday. She stayed over in college on Monday to avoid a stressful trip through morning rush hour as she had a test and 2 interviews, while we stayed in a hotel. Fellow guests included several parent/dc and there seemed to be plenty of parents wandering around and meeting up afterwards.

Interviewers did refer to her ps , although we overheard others complain theirs ignored it! Went ok overall although test was not quite as samples. Felt a bit flat by the time we got home, she had worked so hard in preparation and does not feel she was able to bring in the extent of her reading into the questions asked as the discussion was mainly problem based. Back to a busy week at school which will hopefully distract her a bit.

Pandasandpeas I think I can - combination of what's interviewing on those days plus what's tiny and niche plus.... a friend of one of my DSs has just completed the course :)

Have spoken to DD who seems fine. Apparently the interview yesterday was friendly and relaxed and there weren’t any questions she felt she couldn’t answer. Good to hear! She’s got the second interview today. She says the food is ok and the room is comfortable but the other interviewees are cliquey which seems a bit quick (but may just be DD’s own slight frostiness). They’ll probably hear about further interviews (if any) tomorrow.

DrMadeline Depending on your hotel, I hope you have booked parking, cars are not encouraged in Oxford!

I would gently suggest that you don't meet your DD during her stay. Literally no-one has their parents there. Most come by train, and stay over at their first college. Time off should be spent in the JCR, and taking part in all of the fun things that are organised by the college reps. I understand your DD is obviously quite overwhelmed, but she needs to get involved with college life and see if she really likes the experience and would enjoy being there as a student.

DrMadline Ignore me....... I have just re-read your posts..... Cambridge Magdalane, not Oxford Magdalen.

Same applies to parking in Cambridge. Not all hotels have parking or surcharge.

If they are offering parents parking at the college, DrMadeleine, I doubt they are checking if you stay in the 'parents room' or take a walk, go for a coffee or whatever - you can probably check with the porters. It's not all that far from Magdalen into town.

FWIW, we always use a hotel outside the A14 mainly because it has loads of parking and some spaces big enough for the bike carrier. When DH took DD for interview they used taxis to get into town from there. Nowadays as she's at a hill college we can find parking on roads round there (and it's a pleasant enough walk)

UBER taxi fare 4.6 multiplier from Cambridge station to college - ah well

(Oxford) DS's friend was told there would be a Thursday lunchtime meeting (after first round of interviews) to discuss allocations for further interviews at other colleges. He has three today, so will probably be kicking his heels for most of tomorrow.

Apparently College put on a great breakfast - the full English - set them up for the day! First interview for niche subject in the department went well. Two more in College today for his other subject. Trying to keep myself busy while I wait for news.....

Panttwizzler - I too was desperately impressed with how quickly some people were at ease chatting away in groups. I couldn’t do that. It seemed to me a complete waste of time to get to know people I probably wouldn’t see again. To that end, compared to OlderthanaverageforMN’s advice, I was doing it all wrong! Time off was spent meeting up with people I knew from school and lamenting how badly things were going. I did not visit the JCR, or the college bar, or take part in the quiz night. No point getting attached to something I didn’t think I’d be doing the following year.

There were definitely no parents hanging around the college though.

I was doing it all wrong!

Nah. The only 'wrong' thing, imo, is to get worried about what other people are doing. The applicant should do what they feel most comfortable with (or least uncomfortable with!).