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.

Ds doing Compsci seems to have a distressing amount of vacation work but certainly not 5 essays' worth - I think he has some problem sets plus a couple of overdue supervisions his supervisor postponed. I remember thinking I'd prefer to do the work in the vacations and just do everything else in the term, but actually never did anything, hence perhaps the rise of set vacation work.

DC have all been home for one night only before whizzing off to other places. Tonight they’re back for good and it will be glorious to have everyone back again.

They all have mountains of work to do, though none of it is assessed as such. DD1 has only 5 months to go before it’s assessed for real, though.

Can’t remember who it was upthread who mentioned the washing… don’t do it! They’ve been managing to wash their clothes for a whole term — let them continue! My only problem with this arrangement is clothes horse wars when an unnamed child leaves her dry washing on the airer for days on end…

I’m loving the degree-themed Christmas present requests from the DC. DD2 wants a throat steamer and DS1 a soldering iron 😬

DS has submitted applications for three international summer Physics placements; all so competitive that he might as well have bought a lottery ticket.

On a more realistic level, he plans to apply for Cambridge undergraduate research opportunities, which are advertised throughout next term.

I hope he is offered something this year. He found last year a bit demoralising (25 applications, 4 interviews, no offers).
He does have more on his CV this year: 1st in second year, college prize, mentor for STEM outreach to 6th formers, physics coordinator for science outreach to children. Hopefully that will help.

@Ironoaks good luck to your DS. The degree classification question is interesting. DD got a First in all parts, so in a sense it doesn't really matter for her. However, I've just zoomed in on a photo of her certificates and it says Bachelor of Arts on one and Master of Natural Sciences on the other with no mention of the class. Both DH's and my degree certificates state the class (non Oxbridge). @ErrolTheDragon @ofteninaspin and @goodbyestranger do your DC's certificates state the class?

I'm not sure what DDs certificates say - but her 2021 Cambridge MEng cohort were anomalous, they didn't get a grade for their BA. The department was caught between the rock of their policy of awarding firsts/2:1/other in a 30:50:20 ratio and the hard place of 'no detriment' and online exams for which they'd not yet got their proctoring procedure nailed down. So they were all awarded a pass but with details on their transcripts indicating what grade this should equate to. For the MEng it's distinction/merit/pass. (The handful of students who left after 3 years with a barchelors were further assessed somehow and awarded normal grades).

Cambridge degree certificates have historically not stated the degree class - it has occasionally caused issues when having to ‘show certificates’ as proof of qualifications.

Transcripts state it, but not the certificate.

DS is back at last from his first term and a skiing holiday. He looks well; a shade thinner and talkative. Quiet week from Monday before the rest of his former schoolmates in our adjoining villages and further afield get back from their various terms in W3 of December. Showered, shaved and a Turkish haircut in quick succession and he looks about 14 again. Head down in revision from tomorrow.

Yes Malbec, all state the class.

@cantkeepawayforever that seems a lot of work for your DC to have to do across the vacation. Both my DCs are doing essay based subjects and have never had anything like that amount to do during a vacation.

DS2 (O), doing History, tends to keep around a week ahead of his term-time work by doing the first week of term's reading and essay before term starts and so is able to feel ahead of things all term. He has college collections each term but because he has a good memory and is one of those people - unlike me and his brother - who organises every moment of his time very well, revision never seems to interfere with other things. He's got an extended essay to do as part of his finals plus a thesis but is again well ahead of the deadlines for each. Some will be doing those across the vacation, I think.

DS1 (C) doing English, has a short thesis to do for his Tripos 2 finals, which I think he should be getting on with this vacation. His next term is probbaly his busiest yet. However, he seems to have a scarily relaxed attitude to work and somehow things just seem to get done - often almost at the last minute, yet always making the deadline. He does tend to perseverate and procrastinate, so it seems to help him to take it to the deadline and then do adrenaline-fuelled last minute work. If he can keep all work just to term-time, then he will, as he believes vacations should be holidays from work!

I never see their tutor/ supervisor feedback but they'll reveal bits or mutter something like, "Yeah, it was fine". So I think all is going well.

I do think that some courses involve far more work than others and that no matter how on top of things you try to be in term-time, it's impossible not to find you're working just about all of the time and across the vacations as well.

Meanwhile, DS1 and DS2 have been doing lots of applications related to future career possibilities and it's the uncertainty of that next phase of life which at present seems to be taking more focus than finals.

Hope everyone is having a lovely Christmas!

Dropped DD back today. They have thrown the college Christmas tree into a skip around the back 😢Christmas is offically over!

@HewasH20 - nice that your DD is keen to get back early and I hope she and all our DCs have a very good term. Mine are going back next weekend I think. We've been having a lovely family Christmas - easy and relaxing - and I'm enjoying spending lots of time with DS1 and DS2.

DS2 (O) has 4 interviews lined up for various career related aspirations but sadly, so far, DS1 (C) has none. I hope he at least gets to the interview stage soon and although he's now made quite a few applications, he's not done nearly so many as DS2, so just needs to keep going.

Does anyone know the official 'travel date' for returning to Cambridge? DS1 needs to apply for extra days residence before that date but as he doesn't know yet the official return date, can't do this yet and his accommodation office is notoriously bad at replying at all.

@mutterphore DD is with me now. According to her, term starts on Thursday 19th Jan so students have to be back by Tuesday 17th. In reality most will go back the weekend before, so 14th/15th.

DD is about to be dropped off at the station as she is going to her BF's and he will drive her back to C before going onto his place. She will have been at home for precisely 15 nights in 2022 😢Not sure when I will see her again as getting my school holidays and her lab work to line up is proving to be a challenge. She will be back in the lab on Tuesday.

DD4 is going back to Oxford around the 10th she says. DS4 went back on Wednesday for New Year but he lives in a house not college. The other older DC who could come up (6/8) have been leaving Scotland for London with varying degrees of difficulties due to general train issues, wind related ferry issues and today (DS1 and DS2) severe flooding issues in the Central Belt. No trains out of Glasgow heading south but DS1 was flying, so is at Glasgow Airport and DS2 complete with his huge set of golf clubs has just managed to board a sold out train in Edinburgh so I imagine his fellow standing passengers are giving him pretty short shrift as his irons and woods poke them each time the train jolts. At least no-one is stuck. No seats left on any plane or National Express from either Glasgow or Edinburgh - extraordinary.

Ds wants to go back early for rowing training but is not getting on with finding out whether he's allowed to go back to his room early and how to do that. The softie is driving me mad.

@mutterphore full term starts on Tuesday 17 January (and lectures start on Thursday 19 January) so I think they are supposed to be back by then.

Thanks. That's helpful about start dates for Cambridge.

@goodbyestranger that sounds like a very challenging return journey for some of your DCs! I hope they get back OK.

@PermanentTemporary , DS2 is also returning early for rowing training and also hasn't got confirmation about whether or not he can return to his college room or will be housed elsewhere initially. That would be a bit of a hassle as he's the one of my two who takes massive amounts of luggage back with him and he'd have to move it all from a different room to his own room once he's allowed back. Hopefully, he'll be able to access his own room immediately.

DS1 doesn't have that problem with returning early as guests hosted for conferences etc are put in the best rooms that students aren't allowed to use and that are always just used by conference attendees. No conference delegate would be put in a room like DS1's, although he's perfectly happy there himself.

I'm another one with a DS wanting to go back early for rowing, but with no plan on when. It has been lovely having him home although we have barely seen him, as when he hasn't been catching up on work or revising for exams when he goes back, he's been out with friends.

I hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas and wishing you all a Happy New Year ....and 2023 to come!

Happy New Year All...

DS1 went back for NY in O and is now down in London on the Tideway for his college rowing training - they sleep on the floors of a couple of Alumni for four days...

Lovely having DS1 home for a few weeks especially as DC2 stayed in France. He had a better term both socially and academically but still somewhat chaotic - has improved support from a new tutor but conversations with GP inconclusive on a diagnosis - NHS say they will not progress testing and DS decided he doesn't want to progress it despite us offering to pay for an Ed Assessment. He has now said chaotic is how he is and ....... he doesn't want a job where he would have to use MS Teams so he doesn't plan to engage with corporate life and systems! He very much lives in the 'Now' but is a happy person and seems to muddle through even though he knows his disorganisation costs him dearly...

Ds did ring his C plodge eventually about early access and was told to email his tutor. Astoundingly he actually did so. He's fixed up to go back midweek. Now just to prod him to buy a railcard and book a ticket😬

I'm suddenly longing for him to be gone. This here/gone business is quite tough emotionally isn't it?

We just got confirmation of room this week for rowing too. Hope weather stays mild altho seems like river conditions not great. I nod and agree but not really sure what the issue is!

We had an impromptu visit to Cambridge over the new year, DD said there was more of a current than usual. But at least it's not frozen as it was a couple of weeks ago!

Two of mine are going back early for rowing camps, one of them tomorrow 😥
I think the river is “closed” @Takox which means that the water is too high/stream is too fast, making conditions dangerous so rowing is prohibited. A frequent problem it seems as the river was closed for most of DD1’s first two terms (in 2019/20). Her college is rowing elsewhere for their camp. I’m not sure what DD2’s college is doing.

None of them has done enough work over the vac. Usual story in this house!

DD has emailed her college about an early return - possibly the only bit of admin she ever does unprompted. So I expect she'll be back in Oxford by the weekend. I haven't probed too deeply about the completion of holiday work, in case I don't like the answer.