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...

@OhYouBadBadKitten

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.

DS hasn't had to self-isolate (yet) apart from a 3-day quarantine period on arrival one term while he waited for his asymptomatic test day.

I do know something of the arrangements at his college though. Self-isolating students can order groceries to be delivered and/or take-away meals from the college catering service.

I asked ds about covid cases in Oxford. He said that the maths department are having the highest rate of infection of the whole pandemic! I think it's because this term they are having in person lectures for the first time and previously they probably weren't the most sociable group of students . Hopefully they are enjoying all that can be done with the stats though!

Dd is blaming boys.

That was unfortunate. It should have said Bops!

@HewasH2O

Dd is blaming boys.

😂

So far, DS1 and DS2 remain Covid free - fingers crossed. It's interesting seeing the differences between colleges again and between O & C: DS1 (C) has to do weekly LFTs to sing in his choir and attend formals with his choir whereas DS2 (O) has never had to do this for his choir and formals. Yet, DS 1(C) can however go to a friend's formal at a different college and not be asked to do an LFT. All seems very illogical to me.

However, both are really enjoying this term so far and we had a brief family meet-up/meal out in London recently - the easiest halfway point for each of them between each other's location. Both seem to be doing lots of extracurricular stuff but keeping on top of work, though of course it's still early in term.

Someone in our wider family has just received an offer from C, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for them.

I hope those with DCs who've had their struggles are finding that they're settling in this term and managing things. Just getting a place is hard enough (looking at the Aspirants thread this year) but then once you're there, for some subjects, the workload seems brutal and much more pressured than for other subjects.

@HewasH2O

That was unfortunate. It should have said Bops!

@mutterphore C are still AFAIK doing weekly household testing. The LFTs would be belt and braces for in-between those uni-wide tests.

Even though my DD is not in college accommodation this year, every member of her household still has to do U/G term-time tests.

@Ironoaks my DD's experience was similar to your description. When I took her back at the start of April last year, she was given a test to do then told not to go out of her room until she got the test back apart from half an hour in the gardens. The catering team emailed her with the choice of evening meal and that was delivered on a tray outside her room. Luckily the test results came back after 18 hours and she was free to come & go as she pleased. Her flatmate who flew in from Europe had to quarantine for around 10 days.

C are switching to recommended twice weekly LFTs, plus extra before events. Colleges are being sent supplies.

Dd (C) reports that most households in her college have at least 1 case and that she believes this is fairly widely replicated. She’s testing negative on daily lfts at the moment.

The UCU has announced strikes covering 10 weekdays in mid-Feb to early March. According to an article in the Tab, the strike affects lab practicals as as well as lectures. If labs on those dates are cancelled, that's a quarter of DS's practicals for this term.

One of D1's housemates (O) has covid (again). They are all fully vaxxed, so the rest of the house have to test every morning before they go out.

Oh no re: UCU strikes.

Are other departments asking students not to come in if there is covid in their household? There's going to be no one left in lectures at this rate!

There are a lot of cases floating around at O. All 3 members of one of DD's tute groups had been in close contact with positive cases, but their tutor was v keen to continue in person. They persuaded him otherwise.

DD4 should emerge into the community today, having been banged up all week. She says although her tests were glowing red for days she only had a very slight runny nose, no other symptoms. She's asthmatic so I was initially a bit concerned. But why are we bothering to isolate at all any more. It's seems potty to me, not at all merited on a cost benefit basis.

Have they announced yet plans for March onwards? I suppose it has prevented less scrupulous employers putting pressure on their staff to continue to work.

@Goodbyestranger, sorry to hear your DD4 tested positive but I'm glad she should shortly be out of isolation and you must be very relieved that she's been OK with it. Hope she can enjoy herself out and about very very soon.

DD (O) has tested positive along with others in her house. Some events had already been cancelled and lots already gone Beck to online. Thankfully she managed the glitterball last week and other cherished events a couple of weeks off.

I'm expecting to hear from DD (O) that she's tested positive any day now. She seems amazed not to have caught it already, so many around her are getting it this term.

2 people on DS’ corridor (O) have tested positive- feels like a matter of time now.

It's in dds household too now. Probably easier to list the places it isn't. Lovely to chat with her tonight, even if I think her problem sheet was more interesting than me. . She's been accepted for what she wants to do next in life which is very exciting.

@OhYouBadBadKitten - that's good to hear that she has confirmation of what she wants to do next.

Had call from S2 at the weekend. He says he's going to try not to be too disappointed if he doesn't get a first this year

We agreed that he needs to move on from the assumption that he's always going to be top, because everyone around him has always been top...

DD says it’s ‘about 50:50’ with and without Covid in her college at the moment.