Oxford / Cambridge - current students support / chat thread

[DadDadDad]

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...

The incidence of invasive meningococcal disease in 15-24 year olds is less than 5/100,000.

However, it makes sense for young people to be aware of the symptoms and the importance of seeking help promptly.

Thank you.

I thought that DS3, born in 1997, also had ACWY vaccine. I must be misremembering.

Have just spoken to DD4 who has tested positive for Covid so exposure to anything worse is currently limited.

As far as her collections went, in response to the question above, she says no results yet but no great expectations due to the banjo player who was playing for the duration just below her window.

@goodbyestranger

Thank you.

I thought that DS3, born in 1997, also had ACWY vaccine. I must be misremembering.

Have just spoken to DD4 who has tested positive for Covid so exposure to anything worse is currently limited.

DS1 was also born in 1997 (took A levels in 2015). Their year was invited to get the ACWY vaccine through their GP practice in the summer of 2015. I remember reading about it, the surgery saying they knew nothing about it, DS1 managing to get himself 'done' there anyway (so someone must have known about the supplies having arrived) and then a while later getting the letter telling him that he was now eligible and should make an appointment...

...DD was year 10 in 2015/16 and had the ACWY as part of her 'booster suite' at school in the spring term, then the schedule changed here and DS2 had his the following year in year 9.

Sorry to read about DD4 goodbye. I hope it's mild for her.

To those asking about careers a couple of days ago: I follow DD's college on FB. They posted yesterday about Cambridge Careers Service starting careers fairs with Arts being highlighted. Sorry I can't remember the details but a quick google has found this. www.careers.cam.ac.uk/whats-on I'm sure Oxford will do something similar. DD found them really helpful.

Yes MarchingFrogs that's what happened I now remember. The school pointed us in the direction of the GP's surgery who said no can do. You've brought it all back. Then they relented, eventually, when they were given the edict (or discovered it). With DS4, born summer of 1999, the surgery said no can do until he turned 18, but he was due to be away from before his birthday until October when he started uni. We got round it because a sensible practice nurse intervened, but it took some doing.

Thanks Malbec. Just a slightly runny nose at the moment but she does have asthma. She only took a lft yesterday in order to go to a party. In fact she breathed all over DS4 on Friday because DD2 had gone up to Oxford from London so they all met up.

Embarrassed to be asking this... DS had online collections and I'm quite sure didn't stick to the timed conditions and treated it as an open book test. So the results won't be reflective of how he's doing. He said well it's more to test understanding at this stage. So... did others' DCs have online collections and did they also do this? Ofc I'm not thinking of reporting him but I am disapproving...

DD’s were in person, so no help there.

He’s right that they ‘don’t count’ but you’re also right that it won’t truly reflect how he’s doing.

DS’ collections were also in person.

I think it depends on the subject. As long as the student doesn't kid themself that they are a genius and become complacent. It's usually fairly obvious who took full advantage of the circumstances and who did their collections more stringently.

D1's collections have been online but timed as if in exam conditions.

DD had one online (accompanied by banjo) and one in person. I would have thought that they were told very clearly what conditions they needed to self-impose and so if they followed instructions, the result can be reliable and if not, not reliable. Simples.

Banjo??

Yes banjo FlyingSquid. Admittedly a bit niche. One which played in the street directly below DD4's window but in an annoying not serenading way. When I asked her why she hadn't applied her noise cancelling headphones she said they were out of charge. So: unimpressed by the lack of planning. I gave her the headphones two or three Christmas's ago precisely to guard against obvious risks such as a banjo player taking up position below an Oxford college window for the whole duration of an online collection. I mean really -no charge? Very weak.

DD did most of her end of year 1 exams( 6 hrs open book etc) with drilling in the basement below her room @goodbyestranger. I naively assumed that given where they are studying that having guaranteed quiet for exams would be a given. Another casualty of the wretched plague I suppose. Hope your DD4 recovering from her brush with it.
Such a lot of Cambridge no’s over on the aspirants thread this morning. I’m too far removed from what is actually happening with A level exams in real life, the tone seems to be that offer = in, is that right?

Well, 'standard' Cambridge offers of A*AA will be well within the predicted grades of most people with successful applications, but there will be a higher likelihood of missed grades this year than last, I should imagine.

I suspect that the number of offers given will also be returning to a more 'normal' ratio of offers: expected admissions, whereas last year my understanding was that colleges / subjects gave fewer offers (or anticipated a bulge year) to reflect the TAG situation.

I don't know what the presence of post-A -level applicants with extremely high grades in hand will do to the overall admissions economy for this year, either.

There seems to be a flurry of maths offers, but they still have the grim prospect of STEP ahead of them.

I think I heard/read somewhere that half of all Cambridge Maths offer holders don't meet the STEP requirement. @OhYouBadBadKitten might know the actual stats?

I remember Chicken DD from two years ago. Brilliant A level results, but she missed STEP. I think & went to St Andrew's.

@ofteninaspin

I think I heard/read somewhere that half of all Cambridge Maths offer holders don't meet the STEP requirement. *@OhYouBadBadKitten* might know the actual stats?

It is about that. Some colleges will drop the requirement by a grade for students they would like, a few go into the summer pool , but it is a very harsh cut and I know extremely able students who didn't get in.

It seems that omicron is sweeping through Cambridge at the moment. I think most colleges had rather fewer outbreaks of covid previously than might be expected, which might explain why it is coming in such large numbers all of a sudden.

@OhYouBadBadKitten

It seems that omicron is sweeping through Cambridge at the moment. I think most colleges had rather fewer outbreaks of covid previously than might be expected, which might explain why it is coming in such large numbers all of a sudden.

They haven't published any data from their asymptomatic testing programme yet this term. They planned to stop the programme after week 2 of this term, which seems a bit premature. I can imagine it must be expensive though.

It was the thought of them suspending the testing programme that has actually reassured me somewhat about where we are with covid.

dd knows of one college badly hit. I wonder how they are coping with trying to ensure none of the isolating people go hungry.