Oxford and Cambridge current students - discussion thread for anyone with daughters, sons etc there for Michaelmas 2020 (and not just freshers!)

[DadDadDad]

A continuation thread for those attending Oxbridge for the first time this term, but it makes sense to throw it open to anyone with a DC there (or other family member, or maybe you're a student yourself or teach / work there - all welcome!) Share your thoughts and questions on college life, courses, etc. A certain virus has made it a bit different for everyone this year...

I have a DS who is a fresher at a small Oxford college in a small subject. We will be taking him there in just over a week.

We had a very quick visit too - to drop off birthday presents. It had to be quick as dd is heavily involved in one of the societies and had some organising to do.

She's really pleased with how college are coping. I think she misses being able to go to the occasional formal but that's ok. She is pretty much fine, on top of stuff and having some carefully thought out social life. She's aware though that others are finding it much harder. I think the hardwork that Oxbridge requires, without mitigation of a social life can be a pretty dangerous path to follow for some.

Hobbema, this is of course only a tiny limited subsection of a college and probably just bad luck for DS1. It seems that the supervisor is very supportive to the point of saying you don't actually have to do an essay if you don't want to!

DS1 is keen however to produce his but others maybe relieved that they don't need to - or at least can apparently delay producing them and for that module, there are only 6 essays this term.

I too am surprised, as an alumna of both C and O, where my experience was far more along the lines of - even if you have to stay up all night, you just have to get the essays done. In my day, the supervision/tutorial was focused on the essay but DS1 is supposed to hand his in at the end of the supervision, so the actual essay is never discussed. They just get written feedback at a later date.

My feeling is that the college likes to 'ease them in' and there are lots of contextual students there. So for them it's a gentle way to start. However, DS1 is obviously a year older than many and went to a school where there was a lot of healthy academic competition which he always enjoyed.

He's 'hungry' for the kind of fellow student that DS2 is finding easily in O at his college. I'm sure he could find these somewhere at his own college but there's currently far less chance because of all the college restrictions, the lack of opportunity to meet any new people now at the college and the lack of face to face contact at any societies he's joined.

I've encouraged him to try to maintain some kind of informal online chat with two people he met from other colleges who are in a subsection of one of the societies he joined and who felt like a 'breath of fresh air' to him when they met. However, as he barely knows them yet, it won't be easy. He's still very pleased he's at C but just needs to connect with more people on his wavelength.

He really likes his two supervisors, however - one being his DOS - and seems to be doing well academically. I hope at some point in the future, he can get supervisions from other colleges too, even just online, so he can see what the expectations might be like elsewhere - as that will be the ultimate 'competition' for his final exams.

@OhYouBadBadKitten, so pleased you were able to manage a quick visit to see your DD ahead of her birthday.
With Oxford in Tier 2 we literally dropped a package on the doorstep of DD's house and headed to a park for a drizzly catch up and a takeaway tea.
We took DS for his first tea at Fitzbillies after his football match on Saturday and then met up again in the evening for his favourite pizza. So glad we managed to do "normal" stuff with him albeit very last minute.

I'm glad you got there for visits too often. Its reassuring to see them in the flesh isn't it! A lot of driving for you!

The main thing about Cambridge to Oxford or vice versa is those roundabouts....

Oh goodness yes @goodbyestranger, the roundabouts!! I had no idea there were so many on that route.

@OhYouBadBadKitten, it was so reassuring to see both DC and worth all the driving. Looking forward to seeing Cambridge on a dry day sometime in the future!

@mutterphore, DS hands in his essays before supervisions. One of his supervisors said that if an essay isn’t up to scratch he assumes either that the student hasn’t done the work or he hasn’t taught them well enough and both scenarios are unacceptable!

DD’s essay, submitted the day before, is the basis of her supervision/ torture session; she cant see how it would work otherwise; its baffling.

Also, when exactly is Bridgemas? DH says it wasnt a thing in his day ( an by implication is therefore not really a thing now!!). Do all colleges do it?

@hobbema

Also, when exactly is Bridgemas? DH says it wasnt a thing in his day ( an by implication is therefore not really a thing now!!). Do all colleges do it?

25th Nov.

Afaik bridgemas is currently only a Cambridge tradition.

@ofteninaspin

Oh goodness yes *@goodbyestranger*, the roundabouts!! I had no idea there were so many on that route.

Are you talking about Milton Keynes? Google Maps endlessly saying "in half a mile, at the roundabout take the second exit to stay on H8".

Last year I made dd a Bridgemas card. (Bridge in a snowy scene)
I guess I ought to make a start on this years.

The stories of preparedness (or otherwise) for supervisions reminded me of one that I had at C many (many) years ago. We had been asked to read Kelsen’s Pure Theory of Law in the fortnight between supervisions. But we had to read it in the original German. None of us spoke German so we laughed and assumed the supervisor was joking. Not so! We turned up and he asked each one on turn if we had read it. We all said obviously not - taking refuge in numbers - but that we had read some of it in English. At which point he said he was not prepared to supervise students who couldn’t be bothered and told us to leave immediately! We concluded that he was either lazy and didn’t fancy working that day or very eccentric. The postscript was that 5 years later I was working as a commissioning editor at a publishing company when a certain academic sent in a book proposal and I had to take him out for lunch for him to “sell” the idea to me. Boot very much on the other foot!

It’s Oxmas at the Other Place, same date.

@ofteninaspin - lease enlighten me as to how to mark Oxmas?

Do I send a card of an Ox at Christmas? I have a hilarious photo of DS1 as an Ox in the nativity which I could photoshop for my own amusement. Or i could just nod politely if the subject is raised.

[quote sandybayley]@ofteninaspin - lease enlighten me as to how to mark Oxmas?

Do I send a card of an Ox at Christmas? I have a hilarious photo of DS1 as an Ox in the nativity which I could photoshop for my own amusement. Or i could just nod politely if the subject is raised.[/quote]
Sounds perfect.

Haha @sandybayley, I will leave it to you to decide!

Oxmas is rather lovely: Christmas trees, mulled wine, carols in the quad (with the benefit this year of outdoor heaters in some quads!) and Christmas dinner.

DD was rather disappointed when she came home after her first term (on Dec 1st or 2nd) that we didn't have a Christmas tree up. I have never been that keen on putting up a tree too far in advance (cat climbing the tree, needles to vacuum up etc) but I think I might just break with tradition this year.....

I love your supervision story @chitchattery.

DS (O) was just remarking to me today that he finds it surprising that he's handed two quite chunky pieces of work in but hasn't had them back yet. I think he's looking forward to hearing back so he knows whether he's on the right track. I am pleased to note that he's working hard, although he has decided he needs to step it up because he hasn't found time to do the extra reading that has been suggested.

In other news, he is now married. I have yet to be introduced to the blushing bride despite the fact that they are already planning children.

Had a good Skype with DS today, he's pretty fed up as he is in the middle of self isolating as one of his household tested positive and by the time he gets out it will he lockdown. He had just started to socialise a bit, had joined a gym. I had to laugh though when he started taking about a strange marking system for each problem A, A- B+ etc. Hs was very bemused that I was quite familiar with this old fashioned system!

Lol @HuaShan
My essays were marked α β γ — even for Finals!

C brought out new colour-coded levels last week and someone has created this in response.

@mutterphore what is a contextual student at C? They all need extremely high grades to get in and these are not lowered beneath the minimum A*AA.

I have been hugely impressed by the pastoral care at C.
I guess given the COVID-19 challenges young people are living with, lightening the workload a little is reasonable I think.

That's excellent Ironoaks

what is a contextual student at C?

'Contextual' at Cambridge is only the new summer pool ones - applicants who didn't get an offer in January but then did achieve the standard required grades for that subject are now offered places, instead of them going to offer holders who didn't quite make the required grades (eg got the A* in the wrong subject). I didn't think there were all that many of them.