Oxford/Cambridge - current students support/chat thread 2022 - cont

[Panicmode1]

@petitebleu - so sorry to hear about your DS. I hope that some time out over Christmas may help to give him some space and time to think about his next steps.

I've booked the hotel but not restaurants @CinnamonJellyBeans

They'll be packed. We've booked them for the night before and graduation night.

D1 isn't graduating until September, her college's July date is too early for this year's finalists (seems crazy to me).

September graduations have a nice vibe JulesJules. July can be a bit muzzy and oppressive and maxed out with tourists.

Oh that's good to hear Goodbye . I'm just hoping the weather doesn't rival the wettest weekend on record - that first weekend of October 2020 when we took her to Oxford for the first time. I've got some photos of DH and D1 looking considerably wetter than drowned rats.

@CinnamonJellyBeans I hadn't thought about booking restaurants as well as hotels for graduations! I'll have to look into this.

DS1 and DS2 happily back at Cambridge and Oxford now and DS1 managed to pull an all-nighter to finish his dissertation (draft 1) just before the deadline.

It feels so weird that this is their final term at university. The time has flown by and I think all three of us are just really grateful that they managed to get places and have really thrived there and enjoyed themselves. There is of course the little matter of finals to get over and one with and then both seem to have lots of social events lined up with DS1 going to three May Balls!

I hope everyone's DCs have very good terms and don't get too stressed by exams.

Any parents of first years - have room ballots happened? I think ds's is supposed to be in a week or two but I was surprised it wasn't before Easter.

I think it depends by college.

@PermanentTemporary Yes. DS (C) v.happy with room and group that he will be with next year.

@JulesJules , DD's graduation ceremony was in September last year. Definitely some advantages over a July ceremony. DD loved catching up with friends she hadn't seen over the summer and the tutors seemed equally delighted to see their former tutees over lunch. The Sheldonian wasn't uncomfortably hot and the afternoon sunshine was perfect for champagne and photographs.

DS's Cambridge graduation at the end of June seems super early to me.

@PermanentTemporary my DS has been given his rankingfrom the ballot but they haven’t actually chosen the rooms yet.

Oh thank you all. Ballot may be unusually late this year at ds's college as they have a new building which I think is opening this term. I suppose there's time enough!

DS room ballot was mid last term which I thought was early, but he's happy with his room and group. Hope your DC is happy with their allocation when it happens @PermanentTemporary

DS ballot last term and he was the last pick and has ended up with really expensive room on a long contract. He’s on full bursary so is having a meeting as really needs to swap to something cheaper. It is newly £3 more than this year so he’s quite worried about it.

DD (Oxford) had her ballot last term and is happy with her room as it's next door to a good friend. DS1 (Oxford) has also had his and has a good room in a shared house for his final year.

@PermanentTemporary DD (Oxford) hasn’t had her room ballot, as yet.
@estherfrewen fingers crossed something is put in place to help your DS- 3K is an eye watering hike!

Bloody hell, @estherfrewen , I wouldn't sleep until that was sorted out. I do fret over finances, and there's no way we'd have £3k spare to support a longer tenancy, much as DD would probably like one. I don't think the prices vary that much in her college, or at least that's what I saw when I looked at costs before she was allocated her first year room. I shan't trouble myself unduly by checking, as she knows next year's allocation will be very similar to her current room, and she's happy with that.

@ProggyMat and @DahliaMacNamara - I know - we were taken aback to say the least. Although the room is more expensive it is really the difference in contact length that makes the big difference. He has got work over the summer but it seems a shame that the money he will earn may just go towards a room. I just hope he gets something sorted with college.

Dd’s college do ‘general building / room type’ and preferred group of friends and the college works it out from there for everyone over the summer, iirc from last year. Certainly low stress and no ability to pick individual rooms.

They must be able to do the standard lease on that room. DD has always had a long lease and it's proved invaluable to her since Covid times, but it's meant that we've paid around 50% more for her accommodation, although she did negotiate an exemption from paying for College meals (& kitchen fees).

@cantkeepawayforever oh that sounds like a good idea. I'll be starting to top up more next year as I went full time at work in 2022, so I'm mainly keen that ds doesn't end up with a hugely expensive outcome- hope it gets sorted @estherfrewen

Thank you so much @PermanentTemporary for the Map Bumps tips... will be very useful if he does end up being involved! And to those asking re room ballots my DS's (C) college did it last term... it was all organised by the students themselves (don't know if that is the same in all colleges).

Hope the room gets sorted out, @estherfrewen IME, Oxford bend over backwards to help students with their financial situation, if the main cost is the length of contract I can't see why they can't just change that.

@ofteninaspin Thank you for that re: September graduations, champagne in the afternoon sunshine sounds ideal!

Dropped stuff off and took ds out to dinner last night and it turns out the system at his college is like you described @cantkeepawayforever and it's already done! More and more adulting done by ds. He seems pretty happy and also knows his exam dates.

Im moving house in a few weeks and I have a sneaking feeling he may never really live at the new house - I feel as if he's mentally moved on.

Same for DD2 - apparently all older rooms are being regraded so she and her friends are hoping for something large and cheap.