Oxford and Cambridge current students

[sandybayley]

Nearly filled up the old one...

Hey @ofteninaspin that's great news about your DH! Is your DS back in college now?

Great news often

So pleased to hear of normality. Just booked to have lunch with DS1 in Oxford in a couple of weeks. Might even meet the GF 😊

@Malbecfan, DS returned to college at the start of term. Four out of six of his household are now back. He has exams next week and then hopefully some “normal” social stuff and plenty of tennis in the remaining weeks of term.

Thanks everyone. Can’t say it hasn’t been stressful but DH has been networking solidly for two months and his diligence has paid off more quickly than we hoped.

@hobbema

IN Cambridge, IN a hotel, eating IN a restaurant tonight with a 3 DC for DS 21st . Beside myself. Bikes with big wooden baskets on the front seem to be everywhere.

ooooo that sounds so nice. Have a great evening!

We are going up for lunch in a couple of weeks. I can't wait!

Often that's great news!

Good luck with exams everyone. dds seem late. 3 weeks before they start. I'm anxious that it's going to get all noisy and partyish before they start. Maybe it's good that households can't mix there yet.

How fabulous @hobbema I've just booked hotel for 9th week, so looking forward to it.

@OhYouBadBadKitten - I would hope that students would be respectful of others (especially finalists) who haven't finished exams yet. Does her college have a "quiet period"?

Exams do seem to be spread over a long period of time. DS starts on 9 June and finishes on 21 June; he was initially thinking that everyone might have gone home by then, but he has now bought a ticket to a garden party the following weekend.

I don't know about a quiet period. Hopefully they will all pipe down late at night.

Really hope the noise is kept under control during exam time, Kitten.

Noise is apparently a bit of an issue at DD’s O college this year. It’s a large first year and they don’t have anywhere to socialise except out in the quad or in college rooms.

@Ironoaks DD's exams are 1st, 2nd & 3rd June. She was hoping to escape after that for a couple of days and indeed still might, but bf's plans have been changed by one of my workplaces - confusing!

@hobbema, if you don't mind me asking, where did you eat? We need somewhere and will need to book. I quite like Efes on King St if anyone with DC at C and liking Turkish food wants a recommendation.

Loch Fyne , just because it was a big birthday. Lovely, surprisingly quiet, as was the Mill pub beforehand. Cambridge was looking just gorgeous, we had a lovely looping walk around after dinner while the DC sat outside Kings which seems to be the place , a few big groups ( not rowdy, just nicely buzzy) on Jesus Green and other than that very serene. Fair number of students in town, some in gowns for Formal Hall ,snippets of conversation in the air, just the idolised way you imagine it really ( except DT tells me it isnt really). Botanic Gardens this morning were also lovely, lots of wildflower meadow areas which I’ve not seen as we always seem to visit in winter. All in all, divine.
Still no clarity re what’s happening with room ballot at DT1 college and sounds like tutor for discipline much firmer this term than in Autumn. Rent strikes going on which DT hasnt joined.She joined a running club when the promised hockey didnt get going and a society. Getting library spaces can be tricky. Fitzbillies buns still never failing to please. The freedom to do all of it felt so heady. Looking forward to hearing more on here .

@ofteninaspin that is fantastic news about your husband's new job.

DD (C) already doing exams, as well as lectures and essays for other papers. She's bearing up well and seems quite positive (but it's only day 2!)

There is a lot of noise in her block at night, every night, often starting up again at 3am. I feel so sorry for her, but what can you do?

PPE and maths prelims at Oxford are in the w/c 21 June. That's really late.

It’s ABBA and The Smiths for DD @CinnamonJellyBeans, same ungodly hour. I hated the Smiths first time around. ABBA tho...

I hope they all create some action for Eurovision on Saturday. It’s ripe for student watching.

This is where DD will earn her reputation for being a slackers course ... no exams and she will have handed in all her work in week 8 I think. To date she has been really considerate when people have their collections & I can categorically say that she is not going to be responsible for ABBA, The Smiths or Eurovision at any time.

Hobbema, that all sounds lovely and it's really good to hear some good experiences happening for all of our DCs.

DS1 (C) has his last exam on 19th June and DS2(O) on 23rd June, so quite late. I do worry about the noise in the corridors, especially for DS1 where no one seems to go to bed until the early hours and there's often shrieking outside his room 3am till 5am and the fire doors slamming with an enormous crash right beside the wall adjacent to his bed.

I hope their exams aren't disturbed by the noise. I get the feeling that no one wants to be 'that student' who complains about noise but I just wish people would be a little more attuned to their neighbours. As everyone will be taking exams in their college rooms, you'd think that there'd be some sort of 'policing' of the corridors by porters just to ensure peace and quiet for the examinees.

Lucky those of you who are 'allowed' to visit their DCs! Mine have forbidden any visits or any kind of contact other than regular catch-up emails each evening. I hope one day I'll be able to see around their colleges but it won't be this year for sure.

DS2 (O) has a Formal Hall booked but DS1 (C) has no one to attend one with at his college, as all the people he knows would mock at the very idea, which is a bit sad. He'd love to have had that experience but at his college, all meals are takeaway on plastic trays to your own room. No one seems to want to dress up or do anything at all 'traditional'. He still hopes they'll have a Matriculation photo but I think is also losing hope for that too. That new suit and the gown I bought for him before he started will probably never get worn at all.

However, DS1 (C) just might be getting his first ever, in-person, inside, face to face supervision next week! It's a bit weird that this is such a longed for event in these present times, when before the pandemic, it would have been completely normal. No sign of going to any other colleges though for a supervision and the 'class' he's doing this term is all online, so no chance of meeting peers from other colleges.

Booking library space still seems really difficult in C for DS1 but DS2 (O) has various slots at different libraries on a daily basis. Poor DS1 (C) has yet even to enter the hallowed halls of the UL.

DD’s final exams consist of four papers, each four hours long, over four days starting next Monday. At least it will all be over very soon!
DD says it feels weird to be taking exams in stuff that she knows in theory but has zero practical experience having not been in a lab for over a year. She heard today that she has got a Summer micro internship in the Oxford Zoology lab. This, along with some work in her tutor’s lab will plug some of the gaps in her CV. Her college is being very supportive of their Biology finalists in providing studentships to cover living costs in Oxford over the summer.

@Flyonawalk - don't worry, the students will deliver on your expectations. I believe DS1's house is planning a Eurovision gathering. It's self contained though so unless other people's DC are 'in the house' they won't cause too much disruption.

You may remember it's my DS who has earmarked the end of year ABBA club night as well.

Well although ds is not actually at O and although all his supervisions and classes are on line he seems to be getting lots of contact time as exams are looming - he has 4 classes or supervisions a week atm some of which are a couple of hours long. He has 5x 3.5 hr papers Mon 21st to Fri 25th

ofteninaspin great news about your husbands new job, very pleased to hear this. And your DD's college sound to be super helpful.

DS has his staircase allocation for next year - some lads he shared with are on the floor below and he knows one other on his floor. And he thinks it's away from the main 'party' crowd.

He's going to be fine when he returns HuaShan.

That’s good news about your DS’s room allocation @HuaShan. It does sound as though it will all work out well for him.

DD heard today that she has been awarded a college scholarship for this year and next for her marks in collections and Prelims. A real confidence boost ahead of finals next week 😊.

Ofteninaspin, well done to your DD on her scholarship! You must be very proud of her. Also good to hear that your DH has another job - especially in these particularly difficult times.

HuaShan, I'm pleased your DS seems to have got a good staircase allocation for next year. He'll settle back in well, I'm sure.

DS1(C) has had his first in-person, indoor, mask-free supervision! He said it was brilliant and much better than online supervisions. I really hope it's possible for all our student DCs to have this more normal experience going forward. DS2's (O) tutorials all all online again this term.