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...

AFAIK in Cambridge, students graduate en masse as a college, all on the same day.

In Oxford, you book your date and do it when it suits you, usually with a group of friends, on one of the "degree days".

Thats pretty much it Pantjog, although there are other days you can select through the summer if you don't want to graduate on the set day. It works well for say the maths students who don't know if they are graduating or staying on for their MMath until they have the results from the final exams.

Yes sorry - I only found out how Oxford graduation works this week. I didn't realise it would be so complicated. I also Didn't realise it was different at Cambridge.
The university released a list of about 12 dates at the weekend that graduations would happen on for this year, from July to next May. Then each college signs up for 4 or 5 of those dates, and students book one of the dates that their college offers.
The college dates don't become available until booking opens though (which was the same time this morning for everybody) so there's a scramble to coordinate with friends at different colleges with different travel/work commitments etc.
It all became very tense today - especially when the website crashed! DD1 and her "gang" of 8, all from different colleges, congregated together at her flat to try and synchronise- they were lucky and most have managed to book the same date together.

I then immediately booked hotel rooms for DH and I and DD2 after a heads up from another parent that they book up extremely fast. She wasn't wrong - most rooms at central hotels were gone within an hour!

Wow. I'd never heard of that before. Thanks for the explanations.

Thank you all for explaining graduation. Interesting. I had already booked a hotel. not a swanky one, prices shoot up in that period and am bringing ma-in-law and she would hate waste of money on that!!! Am excited. My DS's graduation was a lovely, memorable day.

Thanks for tip about bad weather too. I'll be there this weekend. Will be sure to tell DD , avoid the bike. Does thinking about your DC's safety ever stop?

I'm amazed about the graduation thing, trying to coordinate booking your own with friends sounds so stressful. I'm sure when I graduated (not Oxford) we just got told the date and time and it was organised by department. Is this third years booking for this summer?

@HesMyLobster, I'm glad your DD and friends managed to book together. DD and friends also managed to coordinate but I gather it got rather fraught when the website crashed! I wonder which dates are the most popular? I do hope it is more straightforward at Cambridge?

I am starting to worry about the weather this weekend. DD will be driving some of her dance squad to Cambridge in a hire car.

DD is 4th year as she's doing Classics which is a 4 year course, but yes, it's this year's finalists booking.
@ofteninaspin glad your DD managed to book with friends too - sounds like they had a very similar experience!
The options at DD's college were 1 date each in July, September or May - September was the most popular option with DD's friends - and the one she booked thank goodness as we'll (hopefully!) be away in July. May 2023 just seems too far in the future, but I suppose is a good option for DC going straight to jobs or travelling.

@FlyingSquid, I'm glad your DD is now out of isolation but sorry she felt so ill. I hope her college will be understanding about her catching up on work, poor thing. She probably needs rest and relaxation and some social contact rather than work!

@Ofteninaspin and @HesMyLobster, good to hear from you both and it's very exciting to think your DDs are now booking their graduation ceremony dates! Presumably this time parents will be able to attend properly rather than just watch live on a screen? I really hope so.

Although it's ages away, I'm already worrying that DS1 (C) and DS2(O) will have clashing graduation dates, although this would be very bad luck if it worked out like that and it sounds as if DS2 at O would have more choice.

@Hobbema, it's lovely to hear that your DD has had a much better term than this time last year. I well remember the devastation for mine last year when they were told they had to do the whole term from home. It was so sad and also really really difficult that all three of us were trying to work in close proximity. I just remember endless family walks between work commitments, to break up the monotony of the day. It's so much better now, although we're not 'out of the woods' yet. DD1 and DD2 are both having really happy and busy terms.

For those of you with DCs about to graduate and then possibly move away from the family home, how does that feel - especially if you're a solo parent and all your DCs will have then flown the nest? I can't yet quite imagine life without the cycle of them going away for the term and then coming home again for a long vacation. Of course it may well be that mine - and others - have to return home to live whilst sorting out the next stage of life/ a career but still....

@HesMyLobster, DD and friends (and all the parents!) opted for September too.
@mutterphore, yes, happily two guests can attend the ceremony.

I've done a number of Oxford graduations - eight to date, hoping for two more - and all have had three guest tickets rather than two.

mutterphore I've brought up the DC myself for the past twelve years and have just made the new normal of not having DC at home an adventure, in the vain hope of keeping myself with a relatively not too decrepit frame of mind.The current shape of that is living on a Scottish island looking from my kitchen over the Mull of Kintyre, currently not visible a) due to the dark but b) due to Storm Dudley, which has meant that it's been missing all day, as though it's been towed away.

That may well be the antithesis of an adventure for some, I appreciate that :)

@Goodbyestranger, I'm incredibly impressed that you were solo-parenting for the last 12 years all 8 DCs and all who've done so very well! Wow!

Your Scottish island adventure is my idea of heaven actually as there's nothing I like better than nature and the wilds of the north (I'm originally from up north though not as far as Scotland but had some best ever family holidays there when growing up). I'm probably going to have to keep working indefinitely but I'm sure I can have some adventures along the way. What a very good way of looking at life when the DCs finally fly the nest completely.

I hope Storm Dudley doesn't disrupt you for long!

mutterphore twins would have scuppered me at the outset, so I'm hugely in awe of you too, bringing yours up on your own from the time they were dots.

I still have power, so I'm currently winning!

Info from DD's college is two tickets guaranteed and then a waiting list for extra tickets if your college has a surplus.

Ah maybe all mine got lucky with a third ticket then ofteninaspin or maybe it's a post Covid change.

dd seems to be given two tickets. I'll have to sit on her bfs shoulders and us wear a very long coat.

From university website....."Due to building works on the Sheldonian, the University has confirmed that students attending ceremonies from July 2019 onwards will receive two (2) tickets......"

Ha *kitten" . DD's BF will have to wait outside with DD's brother!

DS has to walk to West Cambridge for a practical tomorrow. He doesn't weigh very much, so I hope he doesn't get blown away.

Cambridge looks to get gusts of between 70-85mph. Theres an outside chance of stronger. Worst winds between around 10am and 3pm.

Also a bit concerned for very petite DD, who has classes/labs scheduled in several locations around campus tomorrow (NatSci C)

I'm a few miles outside Cambridge, and the wind is beginning to pick up now - nothing I would consider particularly dangerous at the moment, but we'll see how it develops in the next few hours.

My DD is working from home this morning, heading in to demo labs for 1st years this afternoon. She is also petite & a former NatSci student @pepperaunt. Hopefully the cycle route will be ok...