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 :)

A belated Happy New Year to all on this thread!
Drove DD back early on Sunday (topped up on snacks at Tesco) and left her to her revision. Collections are on Friday and Saturday.
She had a bike malfunction at 9pm one night this week cycling from a dance class back to her accommodation. She diverted via college and a very kind college porter came out in the wind and rain to fix it her bike. He rode a victory lap around the quad afterwards which must have been quite a sight given that DD's bike is rather small with yellow and blue spotty paintwork!
In other news, DS today received an offer for Cambridge. He has a lot of work to do to achieve the grades but for today we are celebrating.

Congratulations to your lad often celebrate away!!

That's such a funny image with regards to the porter. I've noticed that the porters are lovely to DD when she walks through college, but totally blank us. (Sometimes in my head I pretend I'm an important academic there)

Kitten It's good to know that the Cam college porters are as friendly (to their own students at least!) as the Oxford ones .

Wow, Congratulations @ofteninaspin's DS! That's one at each now, how cool? - you'll be the fountain of all Oxbridge knowledge on here!

DD had one collection today which apparently wasn't too bad, tomorrow will be the killer though, she has 2 back to back so 6 hours of examming

I suppose it will be good preparation for Mods.

I thought we weren't going to see much of her this term as she'll be busy cramming, but she's just invited us to a parents' formal next month so I'm looking forward to that now.
I'm hoping to drag her to the botanical gardens some time soon - I can't believe she's been there nearly 2 years and I haven't been yet!
Now is it worth a visit in February or should I wait for a Trinity visit to go?

Thank you Lobster. The offer is a tough one so our celebrations are low key as there is a long way to go yet!
Good luck to your DD for collections. She will be so glad to get today over with! My DD is very unimpressed to have collections on a Saturday (tomorrow). That hasn't happened before.

A parent's formal invite is a very nice surprise! We had one last year. The Hall looked amazing and the food was superb but the best bit was meeting DD's friends and parents.

You must visit the botanical gardens. A warm summer day is obviously lovely but a cold, frosty day is great too and you can warm up in the glasshouses! We first visited on open day and DD has subsequently had tutorials and lectures there (biology!) but I think it is free to all students with a Bod card? We also love the Natural History Museum. DD had a 9am lecture there every day last year. I found it very reassuring to picture where she was each morning when she started in first year!

congratulations ofteninaspin. I kno wtha tfeeling don't buil dup hopes- A levels to go, but still, wow! 2 offers from Oxbridge, you can feel mighty proud.

Lobster those exams back to back sound grim! presuming collections are exams? :)
Haha Kitten Oh to be an important academic there! Around all that loveliness everyday!

Botanical gardens - Oxford? Cambridge?

I'm going to be away when DD has a dance show. Gutted! Getting DVD

Thank you Sunndowne for your kind words. To be honest, it hasn't quite sunk in yet.

Sorry to hear about the dance show . The Oxford one is next month and I know for a fact that DD hasn't finished her choreography yet .

That is a shame about the dance show Sun. At least there is a DVD, and hopefully another one next year?

DD hasn't been to dance this year because she knew she'd struggle time wise with Mods. She's missing it though. She taught a few classes at her old dance school over the vac and worked backstage at their Christmas show.
Lucky DD Often, having lessons at the museum!
We've visited a few times and DD went to a ball there last year which looked pretty spectacular!
We've been to the Ashmolean too, and the Castle but I still haven't been to the gardens or had a go at punting yet! Plenary of time I suppose, especially as her course is 4 years.

Any other Oxford must-dos that I might have missed?!

We haven't been to the Ashmolean yet. We pondered this fact at length last weekend whilst sitting in a traffic jam outside the Ashmolean trying to reach DD's second year accommodation!

DD has pencilled in a Father's Day punt for June 21st. I shall be consulting Kitten for a weather forecast in six months time!

My other Oxford must-dos seem to involve eating! Actually, so do my Cambridge ones .

That’s great news often, exciting times.

DS only had one collection but can sympathise with those who had two back to back as he had the same last year. He’s settled back in but is having problems with eduroam and can’t get his computer to connect which is a bit of a headache. Worked fine last year and just won’t work this year! He’s working on his first essay/class work and then we’ll have to get it sorted somehow!

How brilliant often. You must be thrilled.

Off to visit dd on Sunday . She has sniffles but is enjoying her house and in a happy place.

Staying over sunday eve and leaving crack of dawn on Monday.

Hope they are all well and happy.

Thank you Roses. I am already holding my breath when I think about another A Level results day.

Have a lovely visit on Sunday. It's great that your DD is happy and settled and I hope the sniffles are short lived.

DD has a mild cold that she just can't quite shake off. I doubt this week's 6am outdoor photoshoot for the dance show trailer will have helped .

I like the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford. It's the very old fashioned sort of museum packed full of really odd stuff. The covered market is good to visit too (unless you are veggie, then the butcher's might be a bit much.

Oh the roses, so pleased your DD in a good place. Tough old call this Oxbridge degree.

Any nice places you recommend in Cambridge kitten? Maybe I've not been yet!

So DD is good but we had very reasonable tears this week!!! She prepared 4 hrs for an interview, emailed when they did not skype, eventually called. " oh we sent an email 8 days ago to rearrange time" DD didn't have it . Then looked in spam and found it. Same recipient had been sending to and fro for 2 weeks, no problem before. Director now busy, new time suggested was no longer an option. My DD apologised profusely and said how keen she was so they've given her a time for next week.
They don't know she had given a day up preparing, was her favourite internship available and had been nervous all day.

Sunndowne, thank goodness her preparation won't go to waste and I hope the interview goes well next week.

Bake, have your DS's problems with eduroam been resolved?

DD was so excited to get the project she wanted for Trinity term but is now finding the supervisor she has to work with very disorganised. She suspects this might turn out to be a case of "be careful what you wish for"!

The Scott Polar museum is small, but interesting and surprisingly emotional. The American cemetery if you have a car. The botanical gardens in nice weather (has a little weather station) ermm....
I actually prefer Oxford to visit

your poor dd Sunndowne :( bloody spam filters. I hope she gets it.
dd had an interview for an internship. Fingers crossed...

Gosh Sun that does sound traumatic - very glad to hear they're giving her another chance. Fingers crossed for her, and for Kitten's DD too.

I had serious fomo today - DH had a last minute meeting in Oxford and managed to meet DD for lunch.
Of course I'm delighted for them that he was able to see her, but my heart aches a bit this evening.
I have a visit booked in for the end of February but that seems such a long way off still (especially as January has been about 3 years long!)
I might have to find an excuse to pop down for a couple of hours one evening next week.

Very glad to hear they're all happy and settled this year. I love hearing about what they're all up to.

Fingers crossed for her Sun

I'm embarassed to say that I enjoy going for the shops - all the nice little independent dress shops .

Eduroam is all fixed now! It’s lovely to hear how they are all getting on ow they are wise old second years. often we are about to start the Oxbridge process all over again so I feel for you! I’m not sure my nerves can stand it all over again.

DS has had an horrendous week with two big essays and a classwork to prepare for, only had two hours sleep last night but got good essay feedback so all worth It! He doesn’t seem in any rush for a visit, too busy with work, rugby, gym and socialising. They are already talking about accommodation for next year, the time is rushing by so quickly!

Yes, we are on our 2nd stint. DS is 25 now and applying for PhDs. I prefer Cambridge to Oxford but never got to know it as well as DS is alpha and couldn't be pinned down and DH went so tended to want to be more involved and did the picking up, etc. Funny really because DS is more like me and dd is more like DH

Ooh. Lots of posts and news. Thank you for those visiting tips Kitten. Good luck with internship.
often , so disappointing if a tutor is not quite so good. A lecturer in a topic my DD is really interested in talks above students heads so much so that lecture theatre has emptied. Luckily, as expected most people who teach her are brilliant. Good luck to your DD.
lobster you've made me feel remiss, work has been so busy hadn't thought about visiting and am away at half term. She is surprisingly still really disappointed I'm not getting to that dance show.(mum is boring now.) I will get to her drama show though. Pop down and see your DD, I will now too spurred on by you!

What is Eduroam? Your DS is brilliant keeping to that high standard bake. It really takes effort doesn't it.
I like all the little shops roses and I have a recently graduated DS. Yep, DS has affinity with me and DH is the best for keeping DD chill!

I'll keep you posted on internships. A lot riding on it because it's for year abroad. Fingers crossed. more interviews to go.

Although mine is yr 3 I sometimes follow you lot in a quiet moment. So just dropping in to say, if anyone is visiting Cambridge at this time of year by car, the mis-named Anglesey Abbey has the most wonderfully scented winter garden - and its on the news today thanks to a rare 15th C sculpture discovered hiding on top of a wardrobe. I expect it's nice at other times of year but I can only vouch for February.

Ooh I'm going tomorrow Errol and I love gardens. Thank you.

Sounds fab. Will check it out.