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 :)

Oooh I hope not more strikes! DD was hammered with them!

Thanks for the wishes kitten. Funny story to tell - yesterday 3 calls, tears , sadness! Boots too tight, borrowed trousers falling down so was poor at skiing so couldn't ski to apres ski.
Anyway, long walk and bus to ski shop, changed boots, but shop wanted skis too, another journey, £100 if she wanted trousers! Home alone, too late for mtg others.
Today 3 videos and pictures. New boots and trousers sorted- she can now ski well and party in style. See hundreds of Oxbridge bods dancing and my DD and her friends having a whale of a time. "Best holiday ever" now! That is my DD in a nutshell!!!! Mostly happy but so tearful when she can't do something. It is good for her! She was terrible at tap dancing years ago too!!! Too used to thriving!

Let's hope home with no broken bones!

I echo Sunndowne in wishing everyone happy hols with their DC. I hope varsity skiing and Kitten's DD's travels have got off to a good start.

I am driving DS2 to Cambridge tomorrow for his interviews on Thursday. Any recommendations for somewhere for lunch? I don't know Cambridge very well (only visited for the open day) and it's going to be wet!

Ah Sunndowne, I missed your update. So glad it's all going well now. Comfortable ski boots can make or break a ski trip!

Atomic or fitzbillies for quick bites. Nice local cafes. Both serve at cambridge parties/balls.
Enjoy Cambridge is lovely. Cafes are central. 2 branches each.

Aromi. Ugggh autocorrect so annoying

Good luck to your ds tomorrow Spin :) We really like the Architect pub. It's a little off the beaten track, but comfy and nice food.

oh bless her Sunndowne, glad she sorted it!

Thank you Kitten. It seems no less stressful second time around! Thank you both for your lunch suggestions .

I'll try that pub too kitten.
Good luck spin. A high octane day ahead! Hope it's a good experience. We had tears that day too!!!
So ski update, she has been vomiting! Thinks it could be altitude sickness but I suspect a bug. Recovered well but had to miss ski lesson. Kind souls took her to easy slopes when she felt better in afternoon. But hey ho, she took it in her stride. That is all I want! And no broken bones!

Good luck to your DS often, slightly envious of the possibility of a trip to Fitzbillies. I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance, DD is considering Oxford like her brother!

Merry Christmas all, lovely to have DC home for a bit. Clutter from all the stuff not so lovely!

Happy Christmas everyone too! I couldn't help myself, I had a bit of a moan about mess yesterday and we are now all cleared up.

Happy Christmas :)

Happy Christmas and New Year to you all!
Hope everyone has had a lovely time with DC at home

Happy new year to you all too.
DD goes back tomorrow then DH (very accomodating) will drive her to a uni friend's party, 30 mins from Cambridge. She will get a train back to her halls on Monday.
As we begin building work, she will work better away from mess. Has been lovely to have everyone around. DD has been working more than last year on her studies and year abroad plans but in a much more relaxed way. She seems on top of all her challenges! Mini dissertation finished.
If you remember that my DD has performance/fear of failing anxiety, you will understand why I'm mightily relieved. She seems to be maturing beautifully and I hope on here I can share how proud I am. Of course, this is the peace before the storm of summer exams but hopefully she'll take them more in her stride as confidence increases.

Happy New Year :)
Its such a lovely thing to see them grow Sunndowne.

It's raced by hasn't it. One more week with dd then shes back off.

Hope you have really enjoyed your DDs Lobster and Kitten and that they are not now too independent so they don't need their DMs at all! My DD some days finds me far too interested in her plans, other days she likes to sound me out! I try my best!!!

Happy New Year too everyone! DS is heading back a week tomorrow, which is DD’s birthday! We’ve had a lovely break and he’s had a much better work/play balance this holiday, after depending last Christians worrying about collections.

Instructions have been given about getting laundry up to date before Saturday vis a vis packing. It's been lovely and she's readyish to go but slightly worried as this term a year ago was so bad.

Getting ready mentally to leave her behind when I come home.

Happy New Year x

Awww. Experience under her belt. Fingers crossed she'll sail through it Rose's.

Heading back with DD in the car. Does anyone else end up sending them back with a massive box of groceries? I did forget to give her some of the Christmas cake though. Bummer.

It's funny how you get used to it isn't it. I do feel a wrench with the transition each time and a feeling of worry, but it's so easy to keep in contact and we will see her soon. I'll still miss her though. The hardest bit this morning was the forlorn looks the cat was giving her. They are inseparable at home.

Has anyone heard of a student being able to miss collections due to illness during the break?

kitten. DS goes back tomorrow and I’ve just done the big food shop for him so he’s stocked up for the first week or so. It’s nice to send them back with a bit of home!

strawberry. Slightly different situation but DS wanted to know if he could change the time of his collection to sit it earlier. He’s the only one at his college doing this paper, he emailed and it was fine to change the time, he’s had a couple of friends who panicked and couldn’t sit theirs in the past and the tutors were very understanding, they just sat it later in the term.

DS delivered back today. Not sure that as much work as planned was done during the holidays, but definitely a good break and rest.

I took DS to a supermarket in Cambridge to stock up. He mostly eats main meals in hall so this was more snacks and lunch stuff.

There is a larger sainsburys on Maddingley road if you've not spotted that, which is handy for stopping at on the way in to dropping them off.