Oxbridge 2020 (thread 10) - the path to the first term (just one slight hurdle to clear first)

[DadDadDad]

For better or worse, there is a bit of a bond of mutual experience between parents whose DC go through the Oxbridge application process. Thank you for your companionship so far - and thank you to others who started the earlier threads in this series.

This thread should take us to the start of the first term (whatever form that takes). All welcome here, but for many of us hopefully this will be the place for practical support as we help prepare these peculiar* young adults to spread their wings.

But the first item on the agenda appears to be the small matter of judgement...

*or for those who chose Oxford, very peculiar.

A surprising number have en suite rooms for first years, according to the Altwrnative Prospectus.
apply.oxfordsu.org/colleges/compare/ensuites/

Alternative, even.

I'm amazed by how many colleges have en suite rooms according to that link. Obviously it makes sense from a conference trade point of view. I'm just a dinosaur (memories of wandering up and down staircases in dressing gown to the distant bathroom when I was an undergrad...)

I was rather sad to discover that the lovely "set" of rooms I enjoyed in my first year had been converted into two rooms, each with its own (shudder) en suite. I really don't like en suites at the best of times, and cheap plastic moulded shower/loo units shoehorned into an otherwise beautiful room is definitely not the best of times.

DD is starting at Cambridge today. She's taking the train. An early start due to musical activities!

Best of luck @fortyducks - still another 11 days for DS1. No en-suite for him but he does have a large room with exposed beams and 16th century tiles in the fireplace. It even has a window seat and amazing views of the city.

He has confirmed that absolutely everything admin is now completed. I'm looking forward to getting an email from his Oxford email address.

Apparently the international students who need to isolate are already 'in'. One girl has arrived from a country that now doesn't need to quarantine (Finland maybe) and is shopping for those in quarantine and leaving stuff outside their doors. It's one way of bonding I suppose!

Has anyone got their money yet? DD has very little money to keep her going before the student loan kicks in. She's had to access some emergency parental funding.

I hate ensuites too - in houses or anywhere else. I agree that they can really spoil a nice room

Not yet. I think it doesn't get paid until the first official day of term? Which is challenging for those starting early.

Do the tuition fees get paid directly to the university/college and the maintenance loans come to the student?

Yes. The maintenance loan should come through within a few days of the student registering at the university.

I'm surprised about the number of en-suites too. When DS1 was shown to his room by the freshers' reps they called various friends in to complain about how lovely his en-suite room was and as each came in they went 'En-suite?!' 'For a fresher?!' There was quite a serious amount of indignation. The room had defects though eg a large church possibly cathedral just outside the window which rang its bells very loudly every quarter of an hour from much too early in the morning.

I used to live opposite Big Ben. Woke me up every quarter hour the first two nights, then I never heard it again.

Ensuite for DS and apparently it will still be cleaned for him this term which is a bonus. He received a list of those in his "household" by email today. All three for his subject are are on the same staircase (and sharing a gyp) along with with three from another subject. The only formal apparently now going ahead is the matriculation dinner.

DS had an email from his college parents today. He has two "mums" which has thrown him a little. Both "mums" are internationals and will arrive in college ten days after DS.

DD has eleven or so on her staircase and they're all different subjects bar two lawyers. So that's quite nice and mixed. Also I think around seven boys: five girls which also seems good and balanced.

DS doesn't have any details about parents or room. According to others on his group chat these details have been sent to their Oxford email addresses. However, there seems to be a problem setting up some of the new accounts. I keep waiting for plans to change but so far all seems to be going ahead re training, meaning he will turn up in college on Sunday and hopefully get room details then!

DS is in a staircase of about 20. All rooms are ensuite. There is a kitchen on each floor, and only 5 or 6 of them share each kitchen. He hasn't been told if his household is the kitchen sharing group or the whole staircase. I'd guess his household for Covid purposes will be the same group as his sample pool for the weekly asymptomatic testing.

He is already in a staircase WhatsApp group and says they have not been grouped by subject. I think this is good as will dilute the PhysNatSci geekiness. Also means he can get to know more people.

In my day we didn't use the terms PhysNatSci and BioNatSci, but when I think about it there was quite a distinction in "types" even then. I'm speaking as a PhysNatSci, by the way!

I was just rummaging around the Oxford website and found this. Worth a read. How are your DCs doing on this? Meningitis vaccination, anyone?

By this, I meant this: www.ox.ac.uk/students/new/arrive

Young people born from 1 September 1999 onwards should have been offered the MenACWY at school. DS was the third year group at his school to get it.

Yes, DS told me that he thinks he had it at school. It was just the wording that made it sound like something additional, but I guess they are writing for international students as well so they can't make any assumptions.

DD1 had MenACWY half way through year 9, despite the fact it was given as part of a group of vaccines termed the "leaving school boosters". This threw me a bit when checking what she'd had, because initially I only looked at my calendars from when she would have been in year 10/11 (yes, I'm a dinosaur and still rely on my trusty kitchen calendar rather than any new-fangled iCal or similar!).