Second year Oxbridge (2019)

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

I guess our dc would be known as Sophomores in the States Slightly scary eh?

This is a place to chat about the slightly strange and somewhat intense world our dc now inhabit during term time. It follows on from www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3381401-Oxbridge-Freshers-2018

If parents of prospective oxbridge dc have any questions, we are happy to try our best to answer from our limited experience and perspective :)

Ah Lobster - it gets particularly tough halfway through term.
A silver lining Sunndowne - although sorry to hear your holiday is cancelled. Thinking our DD’s must know each other through dance!

Looking forward to going to Oxford tomorrow to have dinner with DD.

This term is flying by, DS gets to choose his accommodation for next year this weekend! The workload is certainly heavy at the moment, DS and his friends are definitely all feeling the pressure at the moment. I think he’s quite relieved rugby is cancelled this weekend due to the weather, it gives a few extra hours.

Good news for your DD sunndowne!

I hadn’t thought about accommodation for next year. DD hasn’t said anything so perhaps waiting for results of ballot.
I am rather consumed with DS’s uni options. Durham was to have been his insurance offer but college allocations have thrown him a bit 😐.

My nephew felt the same but is loving the very new college he is in. Nowhere is very far. People very down to earth. Durham a wonderful place.

Final year accommodation all sorted, I’m feeling a bit wistful really, I can’t believe they are nearly finalists. Hats off to us too, I was scrolling through to see if there is another group of Oxbridge hopeful parents who have stuck together for so long! I reckon we hold the record

DD's course is 4 years so not quite so close to the end for us yet!
She organised her 3rd yr accommodation before Christmas - she'll be living "out" again, this time with a bunch of her course mates all from various colleges, which will be nice I think to mix things up a bit.
She'll be back in college for 4th year.

Halfway Hall this week, for her cohort if not technically for her - she's looking forward to going anyway, sounds like a fun night.

Thank you for that insight re Durham Sunndowne. DS is still decided.

That’s sounds like a really good arrangement for your DD for 3rd year, Lobster.
DD spends a lot of time with course mates from college in lectures and labs but hasn’t had much opportunity to get to know other people on her course. 25 students from her cohort are taking a third year module which requires an overseas field course this summer so that might help with wider friendships.
Bake It is ridiculous how quickly this year is flying past! DD’s degree changed from three to four years for the current freshers and DD really wishes she had the extra year!

It is zooming by. It's quite sad really that Second year is often when they really find their feet, then next year it's scary Finals year. dd will hopefully have the choice of either staying on for the fourth year masters part, or going elsewhere for her masters, but I'm not even thinking about that bridge yet!

I posted last term about my DS who is a first year and was struggling with balancing work and throwing too many hours at essays. You all gave very wise advice.
This term he is much happier. He is working less hours, having more fun and is enjoying life. Extra curricular activities have really helped.
Thank you all for your support. It really helped x

Hello all, had well and truly lost you!

Great to hear about interview success for younger siblings and internships. Well done!

Have hardly heard from DS. He was only home for 3 weeks at Christmas, due to church and CU residentials at the beginning and end of the holidays. We have only spoken to him once since we dropped him off, we get the odd message generally about factual stuff or arrangements - he left his gown at home this term the daft bat, but thankfully a schoolfriend who is also in Cambridge was going back later. He messages us when he has a window to call, we don't call him unless very important. DD is going to stay with him this weekend, so at least we will.know he is alive!

Just a quick note to anyone planning to visit this week. Extinction Rebellion are protesting and the police have closed Trumpington Street and the Fen Causeway which are pretty major routes. Would imagine this is impacting the park and ride also. At the moment they say it will be closed all week and diversions put in.

Sorry- that’s Cambridge for those who didn’t recognise the names, although the Fen Causeway is a bit of a giveaway!

That is a good point, I'm seeing dd at the weekend. (half tempted to go up early and join in with XR )

Do it Kitten!

DD has had her timetable for Mods. It's brutal but pretty much as expected - 10 x 4hr exams spread over 2 weeks.
She's got 2 days of double exams which sounds horrible but at least gives her 2 midweek days off. Most of her friends seem to have the classic 1 exam each day.

Apparently up until 15 years ago they all had to be taken in 1 week so students would have had 2 x 4hr exams every day for a week.

In her subject these exams determine whether they are accepted to proceed with "Greats" - the second half of the course.
Apparently only 1 student didn't pass last year and she rusticated so is taking them again this year.
In the past though it sounds as if the cohort could be halved at this point!

Gosh lobster that’s sounds an intense couple of weeks!

Purple good to hear your ds has settled and is finding things easier/more enjoyable this term.
Those who will be finalists next year, have they all decided what the next plan is?

I've been nominated for a nobel peace prize, I just don't know what to do

😪

Purplepooch so glad to hear your DC is juggling the Oxbridge demands well
lobster, your DD will hopefully be proud when she has managed all those assessments.
Nice to hear from you panda, you are so good resisting to call/text. I try!
Often, re: dance, is your DD at Oxford? Am battling those road closures this week for that dance show! Good on you kitten if you protest, at DDs age, I protested at Greenham common and feel rusty now!!! But my DH and DS recently went on the ant- pirogue March ( if that is how you spell it?)
It is great we still keep going, isn't it bake! Love this thread!!

DS hasn’t really thought about life after his degree yet, he’s talked about a law conversion for a while but I really don’t know which direction he will choose. I guess they need to start planning, we did his student finance application for next year today and it was a but scary clicking the third year option!

We are about to start the whole ucas process all over again with DD, it seems like yesterday we were thinking DS might as well give Oxbridge a go, purely for the experience, and here we are!

Love that we’ve stuck together though, maybe we will all meet up at graduations!

Ahh how lovely would that be?
I'm just getting to the end of the UCAS journey with DD2. She decided against oxbridge in the end, which I believe was the right decision for her. We've got an exciting few days re-visiting her top 3 choices for offer holder days, nice that they're in half term so we can make a road trip of it.
Ending in Oxford for the parents' formal at the weekend.

Good Luck to your DD getting started Bake, exciting times!
I've enjoyed the whole process much more the second time - now everything feels slightly less new and scary!

Hello everyone. Sorry to hear about onerous heaps of work. DD doesn't seem overwhelmed by work so I hope she's on top of it.

Seems v happy this year and will soon be home. Colkecting her on 14th :)

So I survived the extinction rebellion barricades and my vexation at trying to find a parking space which had to be fed and moved in dance show interval. Parked 10 /15 mins away as roads closed. And protesters were older than me! Things we can do when we retire!!!!!!! So my minor, can't find venue due to road closures and stress dealing with very unwell hospitalized DM in morning are not really important to global environmental issues but I still felt bah humbug!!!
DD was lovely and today we had a lovely walk in angelsey abbey as advised on here. Back in 2 weeks to see a drama show. In between proof reading those essays that keep on coming. One arrived today. We have similar subject specialisms so all very interesting.

How did it go kitten?

And glad your DD is feeling good Roses.

I do enjoy my escapes to Cambridge and the Porters are very obliging about letting me park in College.

Last time I went I went through the tpurist gate, where you pay to enter, and asked the porter if I may pass as my dd was at the college and I was parked in Cripps. I was thrilled when he chuckled and said "I can see you are entitled to be here". What makes a mummy look like a Cambridge mummy except for bit fat, bit grey, boots and parka . Or he might have thought I was a prof - snorts!