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Original poster

Oxford / Cambridge - current students support / chat thread

994 replies

DadDadDad · 09/11/2021 07:25

Continuing a thread for anyone who wants to talk about their sons' and daughters' experience being a student in Oxford or Cambridge. (Or nephews, granddaughters, sisters, uncles - or if you or they have now graduated but you want to share your thoughts - all are welcome!)

I have a DS in his second year at Oxford, studying a small humanity in a tiny college.

Over to you...

OP posts:
pantjog · 30/11/2021 09:45

So glad to hear your hopeful news @Cliff1975.

ofteninaspin · 30/11/2021 13:55

So pleased his college are being positive and supportive @Cliff1975.

ofteninaspin · 30/11/2021 14:12

Lovely photos from DD (O) today whose birthday happened to coincide with college Oxmas Formal last night. Very much looking forward to collecting her on Sunday although she will only be home for one night. She is taking her research samples to Kew next week to analyse them using some specialist kit.
Collecting DS (C) on Monday. I suspect he will sleep solidly all the way home and for at least two weeks afterwards. His sparse messages home suggest that he has been making up for a lacklustre first year!

Malbecfan · 30/11/2021 15:07

@Cliff1975 that sounds positive. I really hope you can work through this.

@SandyBayley great news about DD. I was lurking on the other thread so I'm really pleased to read it. I hope all goes well.

Now DD is not an undergraduate, term dates are very different. She has been really busy over the last couple of weeks but says that it will all go quiet at the end of this week. It isn't her work keeping her busy, it's the dance, singing & rowing. She and her housemates had a Bridgemas meal on Saturday evening to which partners were invited and much fun was had. Her bf is collecting her on 18th and she is planning to spend the weekend at his parents' then I'll collect her from there on the Monday, assuming the rules and weather allow it. DD2 comes home 2 weeks today - I can't wait to see her.

JulesJules · 30/11/2021 16:02

Good to see your update @Cliff1975 that sounds really positive.

cornishcornettos · 30/11/2021 18:24

@Cliff1975 so pleased to hear the personal tutor was so positive

@SandyBayley great news and good luck!

@Malbecfan apologies i was offline for a few days and never thanked you for your previous advice a week or so ago re stressed son which was really helpful!

Sunndowne · 30/11/2021 21:30

Dear cliff1975, so nice they recognised his hard work. I'm working on an MA Where a fellow student is being checked for ADHD. With doctor support, she is being given several extended deadlines. He really needs support. So hope he can navigate this with good back up. Much more is understood now about SEN, and keep fighting for him. I did for my son and he now has a First! Was a struggle at times!

Unescorted · 30/11/2021 22:27

That is really encouraging cliffe

Good luck mini SB

Only 4 more sleeps until I can retrieve my bebe. Who needs Christmas?

mutterphore · 01/12/2021 16:26

@Cliff1975, I'm really pleased to hear you had a useful and positive meeting with your DS's tutor and there's a plan for the way ahead. That must be a big relief for you and him and they clearly want to make it work for him and value him, so hopefully, if he can accept this, then it'll spur him on to take all the help on offer and persist. He probably needs a bit of a break from it all first.

@SandyBayley, well done to your DD for getting an interview and for such a challenging subject too. Good luck to her.

DS1 (C) finished writing his last essay of the term, just before the deadline and after a whole night up at a Ball he was helping to run and also participating in! He got back to college at 4.30am and then calmly sat down and finished his essay and sent it off. I have no idea how he manages this kind of thing but it turned out he was the only one at his supervision who'd even done the essay at all, so he got lots of positive feedback and focus (there are 3 of them in his supervisions).

DS2 (O) - the absolutely opposite, had finished all his essays well over a week early and is now well ahead already with the reading and essay prep. for the first two essays for next term. I also have no idea how he manages this either. He's had lots and lots of lovely social events too - Carol Services with his choir, bops and various Formals and celebrations for all his clubs and societies.

They seem to have both really enjoyed this term and with restrictions lifted so much more - (for now but none of us should hold our breath) - they're making up for lost time from their first years. I'm really looking forward to seeing them again soon. Hopefully one day, one of them will invite me to a Formal!

OhYouBadBadKitten · 01/12/2021 16:29

Good luck to MiniSB!

Abetes · 01/12/2021 17:34

Yes, good luck @SandyBayley! I know that the interviews are online this year - are they still doing the four interviews across two colleges format?

merryhouse · 01/12/2021 21:06

That sounds fab, mutterphore - particularly great to see your DS1 enjoying himself and feeling good about the work.

Unescorted we pick up S2 on Sunday! He requested Sun because he wants to go to a society dinner on Saturday, fair enough. Seemed perfectly happy to meet us mid-morning too Grin.

S1 doesn't have service commitments so will meet us to take delivery of Granny's old Christmas tree. He appears to be an adult how did that happen.

SandyBayley · 01/12/2021 21:12

Thanks @Abetes - yes online at two colleges and, I think, 2 interviews at both. Next Friday and then again on the Monday.

I'm rather sad DD won't have DS1's experience of being in Oxford for interviews. He really enjoyed the experience and made friends (now housemates).

JulesJules · 02/12/2021 08:35

D1 staying in Oxford for an extra week before the long train trip home (5.5 hrs) - living out so she doesn't have to bring much home.

Unfortunately the latest thing to break down in the house is the oven, hoping the landlord will replace this quickly.

The room ballot for next year was disappointing, she was near the bottom and couldn't get a room near friends, but they are all in college rather than off site so she was happy about that.

Ironoaks · 02/12/2021 08:58

I can't remember if I mentioned this already, but DS has got a part time job starting in January, mentoring Y12 potential STEM applicants. It's one hour of contact time a fortnight, plus answering queries on a text-based chat.
He has face to face training this weekend, so we'll collect him after that.

Ginpostersyndrome · 02/12/2021 09:17

DD is not coming home for another week because she wants to have a few days of not doing an essay but still being in Cambridge. She still has a few things she's supposed to be doing (seminars) even though term is officially over.

DottyHarmer · 02/12/2021 09:30

No staying up for dd. They have to be out of their rooms with the keys handed in by 10am Shock . Some parents will have to start out at 3am to collect them!

ofteninaspin · 02/12/2021 09:47

DS (C) also has to hand in keys by 10am on his last day. DH has drawn the short straw and has yet to calculate how much contingency to allow for navigating the M25 on a Monday morning!

SandyBayley · 02/12/2021 10:12

I raise you the M25 on Tuesday at 5pm @ofteninaspin 😂

ofteninaspin · 02/12/2021 10:19

Good luck with that @SandyBayley Shock

FlyingSquid · 02/12/2021 11:56

@DottyHarmer

No staying up for dd. They have to be out of their rooms with the keys handed in by 10am Shock . Some parents will have to start out at 3am to collect them!
Same here! I'm picturing DD having to sit on a pile of her belongings in the street, given the lack of nearby parking and the need for all of them to be out by the same deadline.
pepperaunt · 02/12/2021 13:27

Well… it’s happened. DDs neighbour in halls has tested positive for Covid 2 days before she has to be out. Luckily hasn’t seen him in a couple of days so fingers crossed for negative PCR. Wonder what the protocol is?

DahliaMacNamara · 02/12/2021 13:31

DD's college thankfully is more flexible about leaving than they were about arrival times, and DH will collect her at some point on Sunday. She did consider staying on for another week, but decided she couldn't justify the expense.

DottyHarmer · 02/12/2021 13:31

Shock oh dear.

Sunndowne · 02/12/2021 13:34

So exciting isn't it. DD HOME at weekend! Just can't wait to have her around again. Xmas Smile Happy Christmas holidays all!

Good luck to Sandy Bayley's DD. Hope I got thst right.

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