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 is safely dispatched. She managed to choose a room that is as far from the car park as possible, so my arms feel quite stretched. She spotted a few people from her course also arriving, so it sounds like things might be picking up.

Her gyp is tiny - but the person she is sharing it with seems to be a very neat and tidy (and quiet - I accidentally terrified her by existing I think) soul. There is just about space to sit and eat. Also has decent fridge, freezer and cupboard space, so I think she has fallen on her feet.

Good to hear everyone’s news of DCs arriving and finding ways to settle in. Have to say, the porters at DS’s college were super friendly and allowed one person to accompany and unpack with no time restrictions. He’s not had much in the way of communication from his college family since arriving but I guess it varies hugely from family to family.

DS has been finding his feet and has been lucky to have had a formal matriculation and formal dinner - although it was socially distanced and within households for eating. He has photos and says he will send them on at some point, have a feeling I could be waiting a while.

He seems to think that everything is going to be pretty much online which is quite disappointing. It’s all a bit underwhelming. He says all the people on his corridor are very nice.

Like your DS Coleoptera his bubble have nowhere to gather and eat and it seems most of their catered meals are collected in brown paper bags and eaten in their household corridor - not ideal - although I suppose it will bond them closer together if nothing else!

Good luck to all those still to move in, I really do feel for freshers this year. It’s not easy, the spontaneity of life has been somewhat replaced with ordered, socially distanced queues and enforced social bubbles - for the time being at least. Let’s hope things move on and they can experience life as it should be. I’ve been surprised walking around Cambridge just how many people are wearing masks out in the open. DS has been asked to sign a pledge and has been given lots of info about college fines for breaking any rules relating to Covid.

@Coleoptera - congratulations to your DT on passing his test first time round. That's great news.

DD's provisional licence finally arrived today, but only for ID purposes. Congratulations to Coleoptera's DT2 as we could be waiting a while for similar news here.

DD's provisional licence finally arrived today, but only for ID purposes.

That's what DS uses his for. He has no plans to learn how to drive in the near future.

Hello, just noticed this thread, not read all of it yet. Hopefully with oxbridge starting later than elsewhere the students will have taken note of the chaos elsewhere and manage to strike some sort of balance between socialisation and precautions.

Afaik my 4th year MEng DD is fine, having got a house with friends instead of staying in her college.

Reading some of the thread in reverse...
I’ve been surprised walking around Cambridge just how many people are wearing masks out in the open.

DH took DD back in early August and commented then that most people in the streets there were wearing masks, in contrast to our area ... one of the NW regions now under local lockdown ...

That's interesting, Errol. I live close to Cambridge and we've had a fairly low rate of cases (compared to much of the country). I've not been elsewhere, but it feels like people take it seriously here, and observe the distancing and mask rules.

Why? Well, relying a bit on stereotypes, it is a relatively educated population (with science and medicine featuring prominently - bio-tech, Addenbrooke's - I'm not far from the Sanger Centre where the human genome was mapped), embracing Europe (heavily Remain-voting - (remember the Remainer / Brexiteer labels that we all used to talk about? ) so possibly keeping themselves informed on second waves etc.

But maybe it's just that we are easily able to work from home and we've just been lucky. It's all speculation on my part!

Hmm, bit of stereotyping going on there I think DadDadDad. I saw plenty of Cambridge undergrads wandering round DS's college maskless, despite the very clear college rules that masks are to be worn at all times. Maybe they were Brexit voters who somehow slipped through the net? Or maybe transmission of the virus is a bit more complicated... (Here in London the numbers are still relatively low this time round -- but then again most of London did vote Remain )

I've been in and out of town (C) a few times this week and I'd say its about 30% mask wearing in the streets rising to nigh on 100% in shops.

It's still quite quiet, there are definitely students trickling back but very little overt socialising. Lacrosse try outs on Jesus Green, people rowing a bit, but not much sign of gathering in pubs.

The other thing that is undoubtedly in C's favour re COVID rates, is its relative affluence and low levels of co-morbidities.

That said, I am fairly sure that we will see an uptick in cases in about four weeks time; I just hope the university takes better care of students that need to isolate than others we have seen!

@PantTwizzler - I did concede they were stereotypes - at best, I'm suggesting some hypotheses that could be tested for correlation with case rates. I did see a headline that suggested there are more cases "up north" because the weather's worse and people are indoors more. East Anglia is one of the driest parts of the country, so there might be something in that.

There was a funny thread yesterday on why covid seemed averse to the East of England (by which they seemed to mean east Anglia) ... some very funny hypotheses including it being stuck behind an agricultural lorry or the roadworks on Histon road etc.

That was a funny thread!

Think dd found hall a lonely experience tonight - they aren't allowed to share tables with people from other households.

Here you go

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4038225-Why-does-covid-hate-the-East-of-England-Wrong-answers-only-please

Or maybe it's the ventilation! Cold wind blowing straight from the Urals with no hills to trap the air, so the virus just gets whisked away...

That was mentioned - lazy wind, can't be bothered to go round you so it goes through you.

I know I’m going a bit upthread here but for those with freshers, I feel you have slightly unrealistic expectations of their college parents! It is a lovely system whereby it gives new starters a friendly couple of faces and the occasional opportunity to ask questions and get a bit of advice, but the parents will probably only touch in a handful of times, it’s not a daily mentoring service. Some parents and children will of course strike up a closer relationship, but my DDs experience was a couple of coffees in the first term and a packet of maltesers once or twice left with a friendly note in her pigeon hole. She enjoyed returning the favour last year when she got to be mum, but again, it was a relatively low key affair I think. And freshers start earlier than the other year groups, so it’s definitely to be expected that they won’t have met their parents in person yet.

How big are your dcs households? dd has ended up in a household of 2. I'd thought it would be the staircase. They aren't allowed to mix households.

I think DD will be one of 8 sharing a kitchen so is expecting that group to be her household. Two is quite intense!

Fair enough Dad, possibly an overreaction on my part to the incursion of the B word on to our friendly thread...

DS reports that there is a household self-isolating a couple of staircases along from him... already.

DS's household is 4. Most are 8. Some are 2. At least the risk of having to self-isolate is smaller in the smaller group.

DadDadDad - I think we might live very close...

Feels weird as DD still here until Next Thursday then back to Oxford. She's in a 6 and we have seen some (shaky) video of the flat as others are now there.
College sending daily updates with infection info. One group with a positive case isolating - but not in college or the residence DD is living in. So seems to be being managed well.
Loved the other thread - I've driven past a sugar beet harvesting field all week where they've been hard at work. Car filthy...

I find being a household of two quite intense and that's with dh.

I think I'd feel the same way @OhYouBadBadKitten ! I have a few years until it comes to that thank goodness.

DS has 11 in his bubble. Some on his corridor, some on the floor above. If there are positive cases I wonder if households will try to ensure they all get it, so they're not in and out of quarantine. Probably not the most sensible thing but I bet people will be tempted.