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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Oxbridge 2021: another 6 months of fretting

771 replies

DahliaMacNamara · 01/02/2021 10:55

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

OP posts:
whiteroseredrose · 30/06/2021 20:08

My DS also gave up on the mattress topper. It was used for one term. Will see if DD is more keen this yea

Everhopefulmum · 01/07/2021 00:08

Hello everyone - new joiner here.
My DS has an offer for O starting in Oct 2021 - am hoping he will have a good experience despite covid.

Jalfrezi · 01/07/2021 09:18

Welcome @Everhopefulmum
Another Oxford offer holder DD here as well. What is your DS hoping to study?

KaptainKaveman · 02/07/2021 07:24

My dd loves her mattress topper! it's a Silentnight one which I purchased from Amazon, about £25 or so. Nice and thick.

Jalfrezi · 05/07/2021 11:14

Quick question as this is all new to me.
When do students start to choose their first year courses? Is it after results are out and place confirmed or not until they are actually there - maybe in freshers week? Just wondered particularly in relation to making a start on pre reading (as DD is doing a humanities subject).
Has anyone else's DC had any communication yet from their college on this and should we expect it shortly after results day?

Original poster
DahliaMacNamara · 05/07/2021 11:25

Good question, @Jalfrezi, and as a fellow newbie I wish I knew the answer. DD doesn't want to jump the gun in making assumptions about her grades, but at the same time doesn't want to get rusty and would like to hit the ground running. I thought at one point she'd been given a reading list, as she'd presented me with a list of book titles, but they turned out to be based on her own findings, so I've left them for now. Technical books are horrifically expensive and it would be a pricy and time-wasting mistake to get the wrong ones.

OP posts:
JulesJules · 05/07/2021 12:20

Jalfrezi I think it was pretty soon after results day when her offer was confirmed, D1 (Oxford History joint) got details of paper options, reading lists and also two essays to do before term started. Once there, in Freshers week, she had to sort out her timetable i.e. book in tutorials for all her papers around lectures (recorded) and classes (online). This bit was a nightmare, but would have been straightforward if she had been doing single hons. There are some papers which are compulsory, and then there's a huge choice of options mostly in second and third years. Options are balloted if very popular, and also have to have a minimum number of students in order to run the course. Your DD will be able to discuss with her tutor, and hopefully this will be easier for this year as they will have a lot more face to face. It is worth taking a bit of time to look at all the options as it may turn out that some courses will have to be done at a certain time (year/term) to fit them in. DH's advice (did History at C) was to make sure that you didn't rush to do all your favourite things early on, leaving yourself with third year finals on your least favourite! Of course she may find she changes her mind on that anyway.

The course structure is on the History page of the OU website, it lists some of the courses available. In the meantime, Staircase 12 has a resource hub which might be worth looking at if she hasn't already, it's aimed at students thinking of applying, but D1 found it useful before she got more specific information.

Jalfrezi · 05/07/2021 13:09

@JulesJules Thank you so much for your reply. Really informative, especially as DD has an offer for a joint history degree. Slightly 😮at the expectation of 2 essays before even starting! Also good to get a heads up that she will need to be on the ball with organisation on joint degree tutorials and to think ahead in choices for final year. I hadn't thought of that.
I know DD definitely wants to get a head start on reading. I think she's already had a look at the history and classics faculty website for courses usually offered but you never know if there are likely to be changes, particularly with some of the more niche options (one in particular she is keeping fingers crossed will be offered next year). She's also hoping to continue with an advanced Language course as one of her options and I hear these might need to be booked in in advance.

pepperaunt · 05/07/2021 15:53

My DD (NatSci, C) got a rather extensive “suggested reading list” last week!

Everhopefulmum · 05/07/2021 18:27

Thanks @Jalfrezi - he is hoping to study biochemistry, subject to getting his grades!

Chilldonaldchill · 05/07/2021 22:27

DD had to choose her first year courses 2 weeks ago and has been given a very long reading list. (History, C). I'm not sure why they asked them to choose so early.

FlyingSquid · 06/07/2021 13:06

Oh gawd, thanks for reminder to check that DD ever opens her College emails...

AndTheyFlyTheNest · 06/07/2021 15:26

So.... some are receiving reading lists?!

@pepperaunt - would you mind telling me whether your DD received the list from their college, or from the department? (My DS - also NatSci at C) tells me he hasn't rec'd anything....

Thanks!

OhYouBadBadKitten · 06/07/2021 16:31

I don't think dd had a reading list for maths if that is helpful for anyone.

SandyBayley · 06/07/2021 18:02

I don't think DS1 had a reading list for Chemistry at Oxford

pepperaunt · 06/07/2021 19:24

@AndTheyFlyTheNest it was from her college

Hoghgyni · 06/07/2021 19:48

PPE had one list per subject on the College website. The tutor who wrote one of the books helpfully pointed out that they should try to read it but were unlikely to get beyond chapter 3 as it was so complicated.

FlyingSquid · 06/07/2021 22:23

DD does have a reading list.

It’s quite long.

Really very long, in fact, even in the ‘Beginners’ language.

Chilldonaldchill · 06/07/2021 23:10

We're going to Cambridge for a couple of days and DD emailed her college asking if she could have a look in the grounds (obviously never visited it before). They've said no, it's closed to visitors. I get that they wouldn't want hordes of people inside but, given that students will have left, I thought that they might allow offer holders in to the grounds even briefly.
Oh well....

TheNextSteps · 07/07/2021 02:10

That’s frustrating Chill We’re hoping to travel down to Oxford fromScotland to have a look around. I suspected that we wouldn’t be allowed in to most colleges but would like to walk around the exteriors. I should probably check just how restrictive it’s all going to be before setting off.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 07/07/2021 08:34

Some colleges are being stricter than others and it is a shame that offer holders can't look round. But there are quite a lot of students who are staying over the summer, for research or work, or because they are international. dds college still won't allow us as parents to visit her in college grounds, which is a bit frustrating.

AndTheyFlyTheNest · 07/07/2021 09:06

thank you @pepperaunt! Perhaps he hasn't missed anything then!
Shame that even offer holders not allowed into the college. DS was planning to do a trip up after results day, to have a look around, but let's see...

RunnersTipple · 07/07/2021 10:34

That is disappointing @Chilldonaldchill, DS was able to book to visit his (also Cambridge), and the porter spent lots of time chatting and showing him around where he was able to. it might be worth just going along when you are there and seeing if the porter will let you poke your head in. @AndTheyFlyTheNest no reading list for natural sciences here either, so must be a different college to @pepperaunt's DD!

MatureStudent21 · 07/07/2021 11:54

I’ve not had a reading list for jurisprudence at Oxford yet but people from other colleges have.

My college is holding open days for offer holders over the next few weeks so it’s a shame to hear more of them at both universities aren’t also offering this.

Chilldonaldchill · 07/07/2021 18:51

Yes I think we will go to the gate anyway and try and chat to a porter. I don't want her to get a reputation as annoying though (she's not!) so we will just try and look through the gates/over the walls 🤷‍♀️