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.

DD has had a household consisting of her staircase, which is all first years like herself. The staircase has around twelve to fourteen rooms (can't remember exactly), and they're supposed to be divided into two households but share loos, showers, kitchen etc so it's fairly nominal. What is a single room household? All students keeping themselves to themselves? If so, that sounds ghastly. I must have that wrong.

With the end of iso in sight, unfortunately another member of the household has been in contact with someone who has tested positive. She thinks this means she will have to start a new 14 days iso along with the rest of her household.

If the person with the positive test is not a member of their household, only the individual identified as the contact has to self isolate, unless they themselves develop symptoms and test positive.
Guidance for contacts of people with confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection who do not live with the person - GOV.UK
www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person

Obviously, the whole household of the person with the positive test has to self isolate in line with the other set of self isolation rules...
Stay at home: guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection - GOV.UK
www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

Thanks, yes I was a bit confused by the new iso, with the whole household now isolating - I think it's because the contact was in household B - they have two households A and B but they share bathrooms and kitchen as goodbye describes.

D1 is a bit fed up of her desk, even though she's loving her subjects. I'm glad she has greenery and squirrels to see out of her window. There are welfare reps they can call, but otherwise it's up to households and other friends - they are picking up shopping, checking pidges and dropping off chocolate for each other.

I think she's ok but will be glad to come home at the end of term. I think they've all showed incredible resilience, and there hasn't been much fun or social activity to balance the isolation and hard work.

If they all share the same kitchen and washing facilities, I'm not sure how they are not just one household, though? It's sort of the definition of a 'household'.

I know MarchingFrogs - they have to keep to their households (of 6) when eating in hall etc, but really they're in a household of 12. Perhaps they split it because of the rule of six.

Anyway, D1 says they all think it's better to s/i now rather than wait a week and then have to do it if another one of them gets symptoms, by which time it will be perilously close to the end of term and could interfere with travelling home plans.

MarchingFrogs since that's how plenty of staircases in Oxford colleges are configured, I guess that's the best that can be done. The provision of showers and kitchens weren't designed around Covid 'bubbles'.

Exactly JulesJules, they're in their smaller households when out and about but given the shared facilities they all seem to be one larger household within the staircase.

I'm still puzzled by the idea of a single room household. Anyone?

I'm still puzzled by the idea of a single room household. Anyone?

My guess would be, either a studio flat, or, in the context, a single ensuite room on a corridor / staircase with no kitchen facilities at all available?

DS is in a bubble of 11, not split into A and B. They seem to have a lot of fun together - when I last spoke to him on Friday he was preparing for a black tie formal. He has an en-suite and doesn't use the kitchen so I guess he could argue to be in a one person bubble but I don't think he'd like that at all. For the colleges where people aren't eating together or socialising it would make sense for students to request to be in one person bubbles if possible, to minimise the risk of isolation.

No isolation for DS yet (apart from a 24 hour false alarm in freshers week) despite an active social life. I hope he doesn't get CV just in time to bring it home..

DS could technically be in a single room household (ensuite, no shared kitchen but kitchenette in room - microwave, kettle, fridge), but each half a corridor of 6 rooms on either side of the main stairwell has been classified as a household so those 6 mix freely together without distancing and would all have to isolate if one got sick.

Oooh @goodbyestranger when we eventually get our fibre broadband I will look out for DS3. I have the first 2 series of The Crown on DVD @ErrolTheDragon and I have really enjoyed them. Sadly our broadband is too rubbish to watch anything online. However, Openreach has promised to upgrade us to full fibre BEFORE Christmas. I don't actually think it will happen, but I'm saving myself from disappointment.

One person in DD's lab has tested positive for Covid. DD is fed up but is not in at the same time as the positive person. DD also had another negative test at the end of the week so has been told she can continue her lab work.

@Ontopofthesunset

DS could technically be in a single room household (ensuite, no shared kitchen but kitchenette in room - microwave, kettle, fridge), but each half a corridor of 6 rooms on either side of the main stairwell has been classified as a household so those 6 mix freely together without distancing and would all have to isolate if one got sick.

What they said.

So not a compulsory single person life in that case which is less weird than I thought.

These distinctions are paper thin....

dd is technically in a household of two, but given the other member is entirely invisible apart from the mess they leave in the gyp at odd times she might as well be in a household of one.

Malbecfan thank you. I watched episodes one, two and three last night in the hope of spotting DS3 but nothing so I WhatsApped him and apparently I have to keep going until episode eight . We've only been able to watch stuff online for about a year, so perhaps it's coming to your place sometime soon (in West Country terms ....).

(We were promised it for several years before it actually happened I think).

lol @goodbyestranger. Not holding my breath. Hope all your DC are well & happy. I'm not sure we will be able to have another garden gathering when they are home, but fingers crossed that they can meet up, probably at the beach....

DS seems to be over the worst with Covid-19. When I spoke to him today (one by-product of his isolation is that he's been much more communicative to his family!) he seemed more keen to talk about the subject of his current essay than his health. We're relieved!

Now we just need to eke out of him what date the college expect him to depart at the end of term...

DadDadDad, I'm very pleased to hear that your DS is recovering from Covid now and has his mind on other things - as you say, a good sign.

I think/hope I'm now clear about which dates I can collect DS1 and DS2. DS2 has agreed with college to stay on an extra day so there isn't a clash with travel dates.

I now need to find out what date DS2 returns to Oxford (already have a date for DS1 to Cambridge) - but he's still waiting to hear back from college. Of course this is all assuming that neither tests positive for Covid and there aren't further changes in government/university rules and regs.

Thanks, mutterphore, it's great to have someone who can compare the O and C experiences, after a previous poster with DSs at both dropped off the thread.

mutterphore given that they can leave their clobber in their college rooms, surely one or other DT can return home by train? I haven't asked my Cambridge DS about dates because I was rather hoping he'd come by train, ditto Oxford DS who is likely as a postgrad to stay on later than DD. But then perhaps I'm a particularly careless mother :)

On the point about leaving stuff in the rooms DD has been informed by her C college that everything has to be taken out and the room left how it was found. They can’t even use the lockable storage ( not that she has any!). It is so that they can deep clean and move those who may stay so that they can deliver services effectively. Hmmm. There was mention of storage of clearly labelled boxes or suitcases but no mention of how they would store hundreds of these. We await further information.

Good to hear, Dadx3 . I've had a couple of long phone chats with D1 in iso, she was telling me about her latest essay - until she had to go and answer the door as her croissants had arrived... I'm not so worried about her now

Good you've got your travel arrangements sorted out, mutterphore, D1 is still waiting to have hers confirmed by college, and also if they will definitely be able to leave their things in their rooms. No idea about date she has to be back in O either - I think it's usually around the Wednesday of 0 week.

I'm just sorting out a couple of things to send her for Oxmas, I think chocolate, some battery operated fairy lights and the worst taste card I can find.

Goodbye, they both say they need to bring everything back home with them and they took a HUGE amount of stuff! Also, I think DS1 has had such a good first term that he's more than happy to stay an extra night in Oxford.