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...

Well done to your children pantjog and dad cubed. DD2 also got her A level results today. They were very good. Much better than she had hoped. So she's also off to uni in September. We're going to have zero money now, but it's worth it.

Where are the Oxbridge 2022 parents? Come and join us!

I'm here for DD Medicine at Oxford 2022 but also a current parent of DS

Hello! New to the thread with DD joining Cambridge for HSPS. Is there a reading list issued ahead of term?

Benedict how is DS feeling about the imminent college move now having had chance to reflect over the summer.

Great news for Dx3, honeymobster, pantjog and all the new names joining us.

DD will be going into her 3rd year at O studying PPE. We tend not to reveal Colleges as each intake is so small.

Well done to pantjog DD. The internship for DS sounds cool - sounds positive.

I never thought I'd be joining this thread but DD has got a place at C to study maths. Although DH and I met at uni we have no knowledge of oxbridge so hoping I might pick up few tips to help her on her way.

Anyone who can pass STEP with your DD'S results demands huge congratulations!

Hello all! Joining the chat as DS has a place to do MML at Cambridge. I'm so excited for him!

Hi, @HewasH2O - DC has not said much more. They have sorted out accommodation (after a lot of thought, they are not going with the Trinity housing offer, for various reasons that I won't go into). I think mainly focussed on getting through the final year of study, and also deciding what to do after graduation. The new college is a bit of a blank canvas which will probably only fall into focus once term starts. (Can blank canvases fall into focus?).

Congratulations to miniCosmic & petitePetite it is such an exciting time. I have no experience about Camb. DD is at the other one, but welcome to the thread....it is very useful for understanding what the actual f. is going on for those of us who have no idea about all the ceremony & tradition.

Rothko had thoughts on blank canvasses. And many books have been written on the subject.

Hello, joining as ds has a place for Compsci at C starting this year. Feeling a bit overwhelmed but there's time to get our heads round it I guess.

Congratulations to all those with DCs with places at Oxbridge! It must have been a very exciting day for lots of you and for those with older DCs already at Oxbridge, how lovely that another DC will be joining them in October too! Well done too on the sheer stamina of parents supporting their DCs!

For those just joining the thread, I have DS1 at C and DS2 at O and we leanred today that another young relative will be joining DS1 at C in October too - so it's really good news.

DS1 and DS2 are having a great summer but are also looking forward to returning for their final years. It's going to be a very busy late summer/ early autumn as they both need to do various applications for the next stage of post-uni life alongside studying too. It seems no time at all since they both started at Oxbridge and scarily soon that they'll be leaving!

Welcome and congratulations to all parents of new students, and the old hands in for another session with another DC. I must admit I still occasionally get the odd moment when I can't believe that DD is at Oxford. She's about to begin her second year.

Congratulations to the new joiners and their DC. This is a very supportive board.
I was in your position in 2017 - that DD is now about to start the 2nd year of her PhD at C and will be supervising some freshers again. I have another DD also studying Nat Sci elsewhere. Feel free to ask anything.

Welcome to the new joiners and congratulations to your offspring!

DS is heading into his 3rd year at C. studying (physical) natural sciences. He did well in his 2nd year exams and today received a letter with details about a scholarship and a prize he has been awarded. There is a ceremony, tea in the Master's Lodge, a feast and embossing of a book.

In other good news, he had a zoom appointment with the specialist this morning and they are happy for him to continue with the medication that he needs in order to function. This should hopefully keep the Cambridge GP at bay (who thinks that DS is too underweight and might keel over at any moment if they continue prescribing it).

Very happy to hear everyone's exciting news of various uni places being taken up; well done to all! - and Dadx3, I can confirm from
personal experience that Edinburgh is an absolutely awesome place to be a student 😁

Joining the thread for DD who has a place at Oxford for engineering. Anyone know Start of term as I will need to give her a lift with her stuff and I had thought it would be 8th Oct but she says she thinks it is a week earlier for freshers. Also something about sub fusc?? Not googled it yet so no clue. Also can they work in the holidays I think they can't in term time but I am not sure what to expect? thanks for any advice

Holiday work is fine. Make sure she leaves enough time to revise for Collections, the exams at the start of term from January.
There are also opportunities to work with the university during term time. Also fine, as it's generally sporadic, and nothing like as time consuming as several shifts a week in a pub or shop. You might find the start and end of terms more fluid than you might have expected. DD tends to arrive at her college as soon as they're opening up, and leaves at throwing out time, so spends between 9 and 11 weeks a term in Oxford. The start of the very first term might be college or subject dependent - I remember that a friend of DD's had a later date than her last year. That information will seep out, so you won't be left guessing.
She'll need a plain formal white blouse and black skirt or trousers, plus formal black shoes for the sub fusc. DD bought her gown and ribbons on a trip to Oxford, so I wasn't involved in that. DD wanted a skirt rather than trousers, and the hardest thing was finding one she didn't dismiss as for schoolgirls or old women.

Congratulations to the DC of all the new joiners! An exciting time for you all. Congratulations too to @Ironoaks's DS on his scholarship.

DD (Oxford) graduates next month after a four year MBiol and is starting a grad job in Cambridge in October. DS (Cambridge) is coming home this weekend after completing a two months summer internship in London. He will be going into his third and final year in October.

All the stuff about start of term will be emailed to freshers soon but most colleges ask non internationals to arrive on what will be Sunday 2nd October. The exceptions are really the colleges where parking is difficult and needs to be staggered, so around Merton St and Turl St primarily.

Hello am new to the thread but a very long term user of Mumsnet but under a new name for a new era! DS is starting at O at one of the colleges mentioned but understand we are supposed to keep the college quiet on here? I suspect I will have a lot of questions as have not paid attention to this at all due to complex situation with DD and now it has happened and feel ill prepared. And am already feeling sad that we may not be able to both (DH and me) take DS there due to logistics with DD. DS has already got me ordering books from the list that arrived from the college yesterday!