Oxford / Cambridge - current students support / chat thread 2022

[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!)

Some of us on this thread go back to I think to late 2019 when our DCs were going through the admission process. A lot's happened since!

Over to you...

Many thanks for starting the new thread @DadDadDad - much appreciated. I have been following these threads since 2020 I think, and I'm very pleased they're continuing.

DD1 (Oxford, humanities subject, 2nd year) has no exams this term but is very busy with academic work, social life and extracurricular stuff. She's already sad that she's more than half way through her degree! I only receive a reply to about 1 in 5 of my messages to her, so information is slightly sketchy, but I believe she has a 3 week internship sorted in July, then a job in her college for the whole of August. Hopefully she'll manage the odd weekend trip back home! DD2 is in the middle of GCSEs here - trying to motivate her to keep going with the revision is a thankless task...she's a "crammer" but I'm not sure she's going to do herself justice...

From the end of the last thread, I struggled to follow the rowing chat (eights, blades, spoons, bumps, klaxons etc) - DD1 is not part of that scene! But it was great to read everyone's updates. I wanted to send best wishes to @Servant - hoping your son has made an uneventful recovery.

Thanks for the continuation of this thread, @DadDadDad - that's great! Hope your DS is enjoying life and has had a good term so far.

Thank you for the new thread @DadDadDad

(For the benefit of new joiners): DS is coming towards the end of his second year studying physical natural sciences at Cambridge.

He is not a rower. If the chat veers towards D&D, I might be able to contribute.

DD O 2nd year PPE. Scrapes through somehow.

I don't generally say much on the threads now but I'll happily plonk myself here, in case I've anything half useful or vaguely interesting to say. It's nice to keep up with you all anyway.

Checking in, thanks @DadDadDad .
DS (Oxford 2nd year Maths) has nearly 2 weeks of exams at the end of term, 9 papers in all, 1 a day. Exams to date have been open book but timed, except his last collections which were in person and closed book, so he's had a bit of practice. He always says that Maths students generally don't mind exams (or can't as they wouldn't survive??)

He's got a summer internship which he's excited about and is planning already for his Y3 Dissertation. He's still not terribly engaged with Oxford life, but chuntering along reasonably happily and has a nice group to share with next year.

DS1 is Oxford STEM 2nd year. Fun cricket and rugby player plus a dip into rowing this year.

DD is (hopefully) due to start Oxford Medicine in October. Likely to sing, play hockey and go to a lot of parties if she has time!

Marking my place. Thanks Dad.

Thanks for the new thread @DadDadDad

Don’t post much, but follow with interest. Dd is a first year in a subject with No Exams, which just seems to mean she spends all her holidays on assessed work…. Also longer terms, so not home until mid July.

Thanks for joining me on this thread, everyone!

Hopefully over the coming months we'll hear more from @BenedictSlumberpatch about the fate of St Benet's, as it sounds like its students might get redistributed to other Oxford colleges. www.oxfordstudent.com/2022/05/16/breaking-news-st-benets-hall-announces-that-university-will-not-renew-its-official-licence/

Signing in. I was getting jittery as the last thread approached the 1,000 mark.

DD (first year STEM, O) has a standard exam timetable in the second half of June. I admit I had reservations about the short Oxford terms, but as it is she gets there as soon as her college hints at being open and stays until she's pretty much ushered out through the gates, so I don't think it's made all that much difference.

Thanks for the new thread, I'm a relative newby and appreciative of the support and guidance of those a little further down the line:

DC1 - First year (O) after a gap year - submitted Prelims practicals and fieldwork today - 20 mins late due to his computer crashing but .... given his challenges combined with spending all last week rowing .... I am just least received it is in. He will have a slight penalty but not too much it seems. Prelim exams (4 x timed open book) start a week tomorrow.

DC2- Offer holder (O) deferring until 2023 - mid A Levels, 4 down, 5 exams left.

Evening all. I have DD1, 3rd year at O, Classics
DS1, intermitting, returning to C in October for 2nd year of engineering (TBC because he is so much happier when he’s not there, alas)
DD2 who has an offer to read Music (with choral scholarship) at O in October… A levels permitting.

Morning, lovely, a new thread, thank you Dad. I missed the last bit of the old one due to other stuff going on.DD (C) 2nd year History, has 5 x 5 hour exams for Part 1 over next few days, tough. She also, unexpectedly took up rowing this term and is obsessed, much to amusement of her sibs who both rowed at school and will probably go to May bumps to support. Am a big fan of rowing for my DC but its a terrible spectator sport!

DS1 STEM (O) finding the course tough but enjoys the social life - almost exclusively college socials as he finds the workload too demanding to join any clubs/ sports. Hoping that might change in future years.
Does anyone know when they get results for prelims?
Thank you for this lovely supportive thread

Checking in. DD 3rd year STEM(O) has exams starting next week. Seems calm(ish) although we did have to post the mortar board when it was realised it WAS part of sub fusc even though you can't wear it indoors and only carry it...

She and housemates seem to have found a balance. Punting to de- stress during revision, although they ended up rescuing another punt. Who knew my tiny 5 foot DD could manoeuvre a hefty punt!? She didn't get this skill from me despite us living just outside C for 25 years!

So, today's update is that the Hall will effectively not exist after the summer. The process of working out where students will be distributed has already started.

www.oxfordstudent.com/2022/06/02/st-benets-hall-to-be-vacated/

Sorry to hear this @BenedictSlumberpatch
I really feel for the current students and staff.

Horribly stressful for everyone involved.

So sorry to hear this Benedict how miserable for everyone. I hope they manage to sort everyone out soon with new colleges/accommodation. Is your DS living out next year too (iirc is living out this year near Iffley Rd, as is my D1)

@BenedictSlumberpatch I do hope your DC hears soon where they are being transferred to, must be v discombobulating.

I'm beginning to think that many of you regulars have seen through my name-change, but I'll keep it in case anyone casually searches for St Benet's.... 😉

DC is living out this year, and I think had put their name down for a room in the main St Giles building for next year. But they have back-up living out accommodation sorted. I think they are hoping they might get swept up by a rich college and offered a nice room...

They'll be queuing to snap him up.

Fingers crossed for a good outcome for your DS and his friends Benedict.

A quick visit to DD (O) yesterday for a late afternoon punt (the river was very busy) and dinner. If nothing else, DD will leave Oxford this summer as a very practised punter!