Oxbridge 2021: another 6 months of fretting

[DahliaMacNamara]

Will they make the grades? How will grades be awarded anyway? What the hell are Cambridge up to with that nasty little clause?

In addition to the coffee, DD has a surprisingly large collection of teas, herbal and green mostly. She detests milk in hot drinks (unless it's cappuccino or hot chocolate) so simply never bothered buying milk.

I’ve just through of something - a nice (jolly/tasteful according to preference) rug. In fact it’s essential! Stepping out of bed onto some icy linoleum or hairy carpet tiles isn’t pleasant...

(Although maybe at goodbye’s DD’s college they have the finest Wilton shagpile !!)

That’s a great idea @IrmaFayLear - another thing to add to the IKEA list.

An overseas student in DD's college arrived in October and immediately kitted out their room with John Lewis's finest soft furnishings, a TV, crockery etc. Four weeks later they decided to return to their home country. They left everything behind except their clothes and IT equipment, with a note to DD's staircase to help themselves. DD had a £170 rug, £120 throw, a washing up bowl & a bath mat. Everything still had the labels on, so I'm sure some people just returned things to JL. They decided to leave the huge TV for the porters as it was enormous. Rugs and throws are definitely a good idea.

Those fleecey throws from Wilko are good. DS1 has a couple.

I was mortified when he took his onesie in October but at least he'd upgraded from the one that made him look like Baloo the Bear from the Jungle Book.

New to the thread. My daughter has an offer for Lincoln College. We are based in Northern Ireland. Does anyone have any idea if students from NI are classed as 'overseas' students for storage access? We were hoping to buy things like a mini fridge but won't be able to if she can't store things outside of term time.

Students from NI always get to leave their stuff in college over the vacs.

And yes you'll need to provide your own mini fridge at Lincoln!

Another thought.... all being well, do you think students will need to be vaccinated prior to going to university in the autumn? Or, rather, will they be required to have a vaccination? I have read nothing about this or indeed any plans for upcoming students or indeed existing ones.

Hi everyone - all UK State school offer holders for maths at Cambridge should have received an email about some webinars to help with STEP preparation. Any one who is a UK State school offer holder who has not for the email, or has any questions should email [email protected].

If the webinar times clash with something else, then please still sign up as this will make it easier to send out any extra resources!

Re being vaccinated prior to going to university, the current aim is for all adults to have had their first dose by 31st July, I think? So that would capture the vast majority of UK domiciled students, at least.

Oh, that’s good, although I’m a bit worried in DD’s case as she is the youngest you can possibly be for the year....

Irma, dd too, she won't be an adult by July 31st!

I'm more concerned about the timing of the second dose. In my experience it takes a long old time for medical records to catch up with you, and young people suddenly being able to socialise again with other young people are liable to be distracted.

X-posted with the late August birthdayers, for whom, yikes.

they might not allow dd in!

Those with late 18th birthdays will hopefully be caught in their age group cohort. DH was given a free flu jab 5 months in advance of his 65th birthday as the date fell within the vaccination ‘season’ . Similar has just happened with COVID vaccination- he has been given one before actual birthday .

@goodbyestranger

And yes you'll need to provide your own mini fridge at Lincoln!

Do colleges tend to allow major electrical items, then? My older DC (different uni) was firmly told not to bring any such thing - no fridges, no kettles in rooms etc.

Well I certainly know that one DC at Lincoln got a mini fridge dispensation FlyingSquid. On the other hand, at Oriel, one of my DC and the friends he shared a set with had a weekly tussle with the authorities in respect of a microwave. It kept being confiscated then returned provided it wasn't used, which it was, so it was confiscated for a week etc. That went on for the whole of second year. Meanwhile DD4 had a fridge and microwave in her room, courtesy of the college. So - luck of the draw, as so much seems to be with colleges.

*has not had.

@Gertygypsey - my Ds was at Lincoln. Short vacs they could store e.g. a mini fridge & were allowed a kettle. Over the summer no - had to take everything back unless overseas student. So ( & I would advise to phone the college or someone from the JCR at Lincoln ) but when he was there There were storage rooms or the JCR organised some space, But this was 5 years ago, Ds's advice is just ring the college or someone at the JCR - they are very very helpful

Oh and by the way - I think @goodbyestranger 's DD has lucked out there - fantastic . But would you turn a place down because no microwave - no - but lovely to have it. DS had a room on Turl St - freezing at the front - warm at the back - he joked that it would form a weather front and it would rain in his room. & @IrmaFayLear I sent Ds with the cheapest throws to go over chairs ( and they were very cheap - you cannot believe how cheap they were ) - we did consider a rug - but lovely as it sounds - more stuff to take and so he made do with college carpet.

On the vaccine front...
I have no particular knowledge about university students and what the advice will be regarding them but I would have thought that there might be calls for a specific group towards the summer. A few years ago the cohort who hadn't been offered meningitis C vaccines as children all got called before they went to uni and, a few years before that, the same thing happened with those who had only had a single MMR vaccine as children.
If it's still two doses by then (I think it will be though it looks as though they're trying to get single dose for the annual vaccine) then it may be that they will do a second dose at university? The information re the vaccines was slow to be added to notes in the first few weeks but is now much faster (unless you're in Wales) so it could work.
They would have to register at a uni practice though. I was wondering whether DD would bother, given that she will be 24 weeks there and 28 weeks at home and can easily get enough of her regular medication not to need to see anyone whilst she's at uni for that. But if she ends up needing her second vaccine there then she would have to.

Ds is an August b’day and for some reason he fell off the meningitis booster list . I only found out because ds mentioned that his friends had all had jabs. I flew with ds down to the surgery...

Re registering with a doctor at university, ds fell ill in the second year and needed a GP’s attention there. This was a pain because then he wasn’t registered at home GP any more.

On another point, at his college ds had a chest in which to store items in the holidays - quite a large chest (about big enough for a body!) but no one was allowed any further storage.

@IrmaFayLear Ha ha - could he have written an Agatha Christie about the chap who might have got better marks than he & stick in a trunk ( I think it was the Clapham Murders where that happened.

But yes My DS was of the time when Men C wasn't good enough so we too whipped down to GP ( before he went ) to get the MenGCWY ( or whatever it was called. )

DC had to register at Oxford GP . But very quick after graduating to register back at local GP. Local Gp said - in emergency as he lives here -holidays we will treat him but day to day needs to be university GP / medical centre.