Oxford and Cambridge current students

[sandybayley]

Nearly filled up the old one...

A little earlier, Pant. Got my PGCE in '92.

Heard from DD on Sunday, asking if we had a photo of her passport? Turns out she just needed ID for an outdoor club (and she found it) so sounds like there were lots of fun, outdoor events on Sunday! Hurray

Just googled "Outdoor club Cambridge May 2021' to nose in on what event it was and came across this! It WASN'T this!

Fingernailnibbler - that's hilarious!

Regarding accommodation, neither DS1 nor DS2 has heard yet about when they're supposed to do room balloting. Both their colleges however provide in college accommodation for all three years and I think they have some idea of who they'd like to be with in a household, which is good. Both seem to be working hard and are happy.

I'm kicking myself for not realising that term may extend well beyond the official end of term dates, as I had to move our cancelled UK holiday from last year over to this because of the pandemic and it coincides with the end of 9th week.

As a result, it looks like I'll be picking up DS2 (O) only the day before our holiday - and the day after his last Prelim. and DS1 (C) about 2 to 3 days before. I'm worried that more social events for students will continue beyond then and they'll miss out.

Does anyone know what to expect - especially this year - beyond 25th June at both O and C - for Freshers (rather than final year students)? Is it likely that things will only start taking off after exams are over - or this year, will the opportunities be very limited anyway (I know there are no May Balls)?

According to their website, C's full term finishes on 18 June. DS has an exam on 21 June, so hopefully he'll be allowed to stay for that at least.

As it's his first year, I don't know how long the post-exam revelry lasts in a "normal" year. I have heard that May Week takes place in June, but I don't know when in June it would normally be.

I don't have time right now but ask the DC to check the dates for which they have paid for their rooms. DD always used to say e.g. I've paid to the 21st so can you collect me on 19th, 20th or 21st?

I have found DD's college to be really good about working around my commitments. She has told them "my mum's a teacher and can't just take time off to collect me and because she's coming from Devon, it's hard to stick to a time window. Is that ok?" They have always been really understanding. Having written that, I have no idea when I am collecting her this term. Her sister is coming back during half term, but her final term is really short. I suppose, at a push, DD2 could collect DD1, but DD1 has so much stuff that it needs the mum-taxi.

DD has exams in 9th week and so have the maths students. Most people in her college seem to be staying on until 30 June. They seem to be planning a lot of reverse freshers events across the whole uni.

@Malbecfan that's a good thought; I'll ask DS to check.

Dropped DS off at C today. Bumped in to a few of his friends, which was nice. I really, really hope that the Very Cambridge Torture (of almost complete isolation, meals alone, very few social opportunities plus impossible workload) will not apply this term.

And if they persist with online teaching next term, by which time even the teenagers will be vaccinated...

@PantTwizzler - I think your DS1 is going to be pleasantly surprised by how much better things are. My DS is not a gusher but there was a palpable sense of excitement when we spoke via WhatsApp of how much better things are this term. Admittedly it was a low base!

He's been lucky enough to be offered 2 weeks of very lucrative work at a major sporting event but is now considering turning it down to partake in the fresher events @Hoghgyni referred to. I think that's an insane decision given he could make a huge amount in a fortnight and he doesn't have anything else lined up yet. I've told him to accept the job for now and am hoping he'll see sense.

PantTwizzler, very good luck to your DS for this term. I hope it's better for him than the first term. I think student life varies a lot depending on college.

DS1 (C) has settled happily into his own routine but the social possibilities still seem far fewer at his college than for DS2 (O). At DS1's college, people still only eat alone in their rooms - no eating in hall allowed - so it's plastic trays and lots of 'motorway cafe' type food again. He's started to work in his college library as other libraries are all booked up for a bit still - but he never sees any first years in there and he says most stay in their rooms all day. People seem to be working very hard and if anything happens, socially, it's usually around midnight and involving a lot of alcohol - not DS1's idea of fun.

DS2 (O) however, has lots going on at the college level and beyond which involve more organised social contact and hall is open at certain times of day to eat in. He's managed to book lots of slots in different libraries and breaks up his day by going from one to another.

If lots of Freshers' events are happening after the end of 9th week, they'll both miss these because of our holiday. Hoghyni, are the events your DD mentioned part of a structured list of Freshers events at C or just 'talked about and hoped for'? I don't know if our holiday will be disrupted by either of my sons wanting to travel back to uni. for an event or if they're just ad hoc, informal get-togethers that might not appeal to them.

@mutterphore that's really sad about your C DS's college. DD's has a marquee on the hallowed lawn and they can eat there. They do a good brunch on a Sunday and she has definitely been partaking this term.

Malbec it is the same for DD.

The reverse Freshers events were open for bookings over Easter when it was very much hoped for but not certain. I think there is an assumption that they are now going ahead.

@mutterphore, I appreciate that college meals have probably already been paid for, but unless Cambridge has seceded from the rest of England and imposed another more stringent lockdown , are there not cafes etc open with outdoor seating, where your DS and his friends could go to eat together occasionally? Or take their meals away to a park or somewhere to eat together as a group, if the college forbids this within its grounds?

DS1 can either eat in the marquee or take food back to his house of 8. They seem to congregate in the hall and eat together. He took a picnic chair back for this purpose.

The 'reverse freshers' stuff seems to be planned from 21 June when restrictions lift. Along with the rest of the country the 'nearly not freshers' have plans...

Mutterphore DD has been on her college at Oxford all year, not Cambridge. They had a couple of formals before Easter, she's been taking part in organised sports events most days as she's in a college team for one and uni team for another. They have tables booked in bars or socials in the barquee most days. No idea yet what's planned for the end of term, as she's cross about the clash with her prelims. I think the boat club events are in the week of 6th June (whichever one that is).

There is plenty of inter-college sport going on at Oxford, cricket and football definitely. DS1 had been enjoying nets and matches and post-match socialising. I'm sure Cambridge will be doing the same?

MarchingFrogs, DS1 gets on well enough with his household but I wouldn't say they were actually 'friends' and they seem to keep different hours to him - being largely night-owls who sleep most of the day.

So part of the issue for him has been that people aren't really around or out and about during the daytime to want to eat together, nor does he have anyone who might like to do the things he enjoys - such as walking into town to buy food from cafes and just talk and get to know one another. In fact he's actually laughed at me when I suggested if there were anyone who might like to do this at his college! I'm sure it's a lot to do with the lack of opportunity still to meet anyone other than those in his household or along his corridor.

He'd love to meet up with people during the day to chat or have deeper discussions with, have coffee with etc but after hoping for the whole of the first term that this might be possible, he's not met anyone at his college, into that kind of thing. So he's now just following his own rhythm, getting up at a reasonable time, going for a run, exercising, walking into town, working in the college library or his room.

By contrast, DS2 (O) not only has better opportunities to meet and get to know like-minded people over meals and structured activities but those he meets are much more on his wavelength too, which is lucky. He's described really interesting, in depth connections with people, whereas DS1 has found conversations with others from his college limited to things he's not really into - like gaming, engineering, poker - a complete anathema to DS1.

DS1 has joined come university-wide societies but so far there's still nothing much happening in person. So there's been little opportunity to develop a further connection with a few more like-minded people he met from other colleges, in the first term. As his English seminar class is also online this term, he's also lost that opportunity to meet others doing his subject but from different colleges. It's quite sad really as everyone is also getting more busy now anyway, with work and so there seem to be fewer possibilities to get to know people outside of his college and household.

Disappointing to hear that 'reverse fresher's events' are all planned for after DS1 and DS2 will be coming home to go on holiday. Terrible timing! Does anyone know what these events are and if they're happening both at Cambridge and at Oxford?

MarchingFrogs is right. Tell him to find a picnic blanket and start eating outside with his friends. Don't they have any kind of marquee or shelter in the grounds?

Cross post!

I think it's whatever the college JCRs put on. There's a netball social tonight. Mixed, without the netball. All invited.

Hoghyni, sorry I keep getting muddled up about who's DC is at O and whose is at C. Things seem better at O than C in terms of organised social events and also DS2 has rowing and choir that bring him into regular contact with others so that friendships can develop further.

DS1 hasn't got involved in sport other than some racket sports but only at a limited level and has never pursued the usual cricket/ rugby team sports. He's thought of joining a choir - being the more musical one of my two - but was completely turned off his college choir who only did things remotely - so he'd have had to sing in his college room in the first term! No way would he do that - and everything performed, was 'jazzed up' into modern versions, whereas DS2 had more of what DS1 wanted - traditional music, chapel setting (DS1's college has no chapel) formal practices where you're expected to dress up - and all in person too!

I still struggle with the difference between colleges and between O and C. On the other hand, at C, DS1 has had and expects to have in person supervisions this term whilst at O, DS2 has learned that all his tutorials will be online. I guess he could meet up with his tutor for a beer in the college grounds but not face to face teaching?!

Hoghyni, they took down the college marquee at DS1's C college so now there's no easy means to meet outside whereas DS2 has lots of spaces for this.

Don't get me started on DS1's JCR! We've had many a laugh about the contrast between his and DS2's! What DS2's college JCR had planned for freshers is far and away better than the tiny, limited and totally off-putting activities offered at DS1's college.

As usual, I have to add a 'rider' that this is subjective experience and others at the same C college may have found things very different.

Most of the invitations come through via Insta or FB group chats. Is he on the chats for music, his sports and English?

DD has had a grand total of 1 F2F session from all 3 of her subjects. She did meet one of her tutors last week though for a walk around the grounds, which she said was a bit weird to actually find out how tall etc he is!