Oxford and Cambridge current students discussion thread

[sandybayley]

Starting a new one as we filled it up!

Can't believe DS1 will be home in 2 weeks. Must remember to adjust the Ocado shop for when he's back. I suspect we may end up with a few days of his favourite meals 😊

I'm just as angry and upset this morning.

OhYouBadBadKitten - me too! I keep hearing on the news about plans to reopen pubs and people wanting to book holidays and yet so many of our DCs may now be facing another 7 months stuck at home. it just feels so unfair!

Students have paid so gov isn’t getting involved 🤷‍♀️

@Unescorted you are right about your dd probably getting a jab sooner in Oxford. My ds has been offered a jab by his gp as he is in group 6 but isn’t there to have it. He is registered temporarily with the local gp at home. They say they have him on the group 6 list but it will be a few weeks before he gets to the top of the list and is called. And we aren’t even in an especially slow area.

@Ironoaks @SnapSnapDragon That is small-minded and outrageous! Where’s the critical thinking and ability to analyse risk? At one time these guys wrote the book on that.

...when our DC first drafted personal statements etc, whoever would have thought that their earned university experience would depend on the smooth running of a public service? I don’t think many people in Britain understood that their civil liberties depend on the NHS not being overwhelmed. I hope all the DC manage to stay positive but these are hard times for them.

One of the drawbacks of the Oxbridge colleges is that they can foster dependency on college accommodation with the constraints that may entail. At other universities students would be just getting on with finding private accommodation after their first year and making their own decisions. OYBBK Is that not an option in Cambridge between a group of your DD’s friends if they are not paying for their college accommodation?

She has apparently looked at that as an option Send
The difficulty is that they simply have no idea what is happening and if at all possible she would like to return to her lovely room when it opens. Especially at this point in the year with third year exams coming up. The stress of leaping into dealing with landlords etc would be awful.

I guess there comes a point when you just have to deal with the hand that is dealt and make the most of it.

My DC were horrified at the news that no decision will be taken regarding universities until after the Easter holidays. For DD, who was hoping desperately to get back to college during the Easter vac to revise for finals, is really struggling with motivation. I have never seen her struggle like this before. She is normally so buoyant and energetic but she is missing the frenetic juggling of work, sport and social life and is, quite frankly, bored with her family and studying in one space.
DS is doing better than DD, mainly because he doesn’t know what he is missing and hopes that for first years there is time ahead to catch up with college life. He is putting in long hours with problem sheets and essays and starting to panic about project work that he can never find time to get on with.

Cambridge have posted a 'we are talking about the implications and will update you later this week' message on their website.

dd was also intending to stay over there this Easter hols so that she could focus on 3rd year revision.

I don't understand why secondary students have been prioritised over university students. The more able students can manage perfectly well with online work and book work and the less able students can be differentiated for quite easily.

University students need 1:1 interaction with their lecturers and supo partners to facilitate their learning. Also, they only get 3 (4) years at university and will never get this time back (or their money back).

I think Boris has bowed down to parent pressure. If there is one thing lockdown has taught me it's that loads of parents hate being with their own kids.

It’s because uni students don’t impact on the economy (bar local bars etc!). School kids need to get back so parents can work.

Yep students are an easy target

University students need 1:1 interaction with their lecturers and supo partners to facilitate their learning
They don’t need 1:1 interaction. That is a learning luxury heavily subsided by Oxford and Cambridge. I feel very sorry though for students missing out on the social side particularly when their colleges are being jobsworth.

Hi, longish term lurker here.

My dc is a first year student at Oxford who returned in January. Only about a dozen other students at her college have returned, none of which are from her household but fortunately one person from her tutor group is back.

There is no catering in hall, so she's had to make do with a very small and fairly poorly equipped kitchen (no working fridge for the first few days) and I had to arrange a delivery of a basic pot/pan set from Argos which were apparently good quality compared to those provided.

The novelty has clearly worn off and she is looking forward to coming home at the end of term.

There is almost no-one to talk to, no social life, has to plan meals every day, and there's only so many walks she can go on.

She's glad she was able to go back but there's obviously lots of swings and roundabouts whether our dc stayed at home or were able to return.

Crummles thank you for delurking. That's helpful to me, the grass can often seem greener. It does sound lonely for your dd.

Crummles can I ask is your dc coming home because college is turfing them out at the end of term or because they want to? I thought students who went back were committed to staying until such a time as household mixing and travel could happen - which isn’t for weeks yet. Mine are desperately hoping to be allowed back next term, but the rules around this aren’t clear yet. Surely college can’t make students leave just because it’s the end of term.

Afaik she has to leave regardless, just like in her first term.

I will ask her tomorrow and get back to you.

That’s a bit rotten of them - especially after all the fuss about negative tests to come home at Christmas and the fact that they won’t have conference trade. My finalist had hoped rules would allow him back to his accommodation (which he has an October to June lease for ) during the vacation, to then stay through until after exams etc but they don’t. Seems the colleges apply the rules inconsistently - although nice for your dd if she wants to come home.

DD (C) Fresher found another student trapped in their room, so that's three now. She's bringing them to hall and introducing them to people. DD is hoping to stay there over the Easter holidays. She's worried that if she goes home, she could end up stuck here. In other news, she says the porters have removed the park benches along the backs, as middle aged canoeists were just climbing out of the river to eat their lunch there.

CJB - I skim read that and thought they were locked type of trapped.

From what DD is saying the people who went back are bored and isolated. They are all looking forward to having more people in college next term.

She has also had a holding email from both college and dept. Collaboration is such an important part of her degree so they are working really hard to get them all back to Oxf.

Crummles, that's very helpful to hear about your DD's experiences back at college. Whilst I hope students in college are coping well enough, it does make it easier for students based back at home to know it's by no means a fun, socially-filled experience being back in college.

Let's hope our DCs get clarity about summer term as soon as possible.

Hi again. My dd isn't sure what the situation is regarding having to stay over Easter but hasn't been told that they have to, iyswim.

Something I forgot to mention yesterday is that returning students were put into new households and each household has a set time for using the kitchen. They have 40 minutes at lunchtime and 40 minutes in the evening. This is to allow cleaning in between the different groups.They either eat standing up in the kitchen, in the corridors but also alone in their own rooms more often than not.

Hence me being bombarded every so often with requests for meal ideas don't need much prep!

Sorry I haven't been around for a bit and I was attacked on another thread so I've been swerving MN.

Frank Spencer Gavin Williamson is utterly inept, like the rest of this shitshow government. I have to risk my safety every bloody day from 8th March without a vaccine yet most uni students aren't allowed back to their own rooms as it's unsafe. You couldn't make it up!

No idea what is happening with either of my DDs. DD1 has definitely not been confined to her room. She has been doing lots of college events alongside her studies. DD2 (non O/C) had an 8 hour power cut on Monday. She was seething, particularly as almost everything at her uni is locked up. DD1 I think is planning to come home for Easter but we will plan more nearer the time.

Best wishes to all of you & your DC. It looks like there is a pinprick of light, but the tunnel is bloody long.

Malbec I do the same - I don't want people following me to threads that I like being on. By the same token I can't resist piling in and giving as good as I get.

Cinnamon your dd sounds wonderful! I have a nice picture of her roaming the corridors looking for lonely freshers. They will surely remember her in years to come.
I very hopeful things look ok for a Trinity return though WHY Gavin can't seem to make a decision earlier than 'Easter holidays' is beyond me. DS has no idea about who to ballot with next year. He has put so much effort in to his course this year, plans to use some of the Easter break to revise for prelims so after the 4 weeks teaching next term he can hopefully relax and enjoy Oxford! It will be a scandal if they can't go back.