Current Oxford/Cambridge students support/chat continued

[Panicmode1]

New thread.....!

First year DS just got his exam results and is very happy - not a first, and more or less ranked where he expected - but he'd decided he was going to sacrifice killing himself for a first in order to be able to have more fun - and row a bit! He said "just pleased I get to go back for a second year 😂". As are we!

(I see Keir Starmer weighed into the marking row this morning...I'm sure that will help resolve things 😉)

This is a good inclusive thread Malbec - don't leave!

Wow congrats to ofteninaspin's DS!

I'm assuming that I have only a year to go with my remaining two at Oxford. Dropped DD1 off in 2008 and there have been between one and three DC there ever since. It's been good.

We've been lucky.

@goodbyestranger @Malbecfan I agree - great to have 'multi generational' input to these threads so hope to hear from @HewasH20 from time to time.

I'm 2/3 through with DC1 and DC2 starts in October for a 4 year course after their gap year...

@ofteninaspin congratulations to your brilliant DS on his Tripos dissertation prize! That's very good news!

@Catsrcool69 good luck to your DD with her graduation scheme and thanks for your continuing attempts to get the government involved in the ongoing marking strikes.

@PettsWoodParadise I'm hoping this thread might even last as long as the "2017" non-Oxbridge thread where parents have continued to keep in touch with how their progeny have been doing in the working world.

@Panicmode1 well done to your DS on his first year exam results and his very sensible approach to university life.

It's starting to feel a bit more weird when people ask me about DS1 and DS2 and I have to say that they've left university but not yet exactly graduated and no sign of exams being marked in the foreseeable future. Even DS2 (O) says he doesn't yet know which marking 'tier' he's in - ie provisional, unmarked, fully marked etc.

I also found it bizarre to receive, recently, the usual alumnae magazines for O and C and there being absolutely no mention whatsoever about this years' cohort ending uni. without a degree, yet they're still asking for money from alumnae as usual! It's as if the whole situation is being ignored completely.

From a university perspective though there is absolutely no reason to give the marking strikes any air time, as that simply gives the lecturers the chance to gain public support and the publicity they need. I've heard on the grapevine that some students have been raising awareness of the marking strike at their graduation ceremonies, but they're preaching to the converted anyway.

@ofteninaspin Super dooper good news.

I'm very surprised at the lack of protest that there has been by the students themselves so far and presume that is why universities have been able to get away with the situation with relatively little adverse press so far. Students have a lot of power to influence by withdrawing their support for open days and (going forward) interview days, student led tutoring etc, social media campaigns etc.Young people were very effective with regards to Black Lives Matter, Me Too, LGBTQ rights etc so they know how to do it. They could definitely make a lot more noise than they are doing. I'm very surprised when it is something so personal to them.

@ofteninaspin - congratulations to your DS!

They are protesting though, but in support of the UCU. Not sure if you're just dropping in @User27680416 or if you have a DC who has a delay to their results.

Hi I’m heading off to C for open day tomorrow with DD who wants to read AMES (Arabic). There aren’t many Arabic DOSs. Does it matter if she applies to a college without one? Or should we focus on tours of those with them?
Any views gratefully received.

@HewasH20 I have a dd waiting for results (not finals but marks that will count towards her final degree). She is under the impression that they will be marked as usual at the moment. I appreciate that students are in support of the UCU but am just surprised that they are not exerting more pressure on university management, their MPs and the government to negotiate a settlement to enable their work to be marked and their degrees properly awarded.

Perhaps they are simply supporting their lecturer's right to strike, especially as humanities students appear to be worst affected.

It does appear to be the parents who are most jittery about this. The universities cannot afford not to award properly classified degrees, so they will all get marked. Hopefully those doing their finals will be prioritised. I still intend to don my frock and take loads of photos at DD's graduation, although I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for a nice UCU brooch to pin to my jacket!

@ofteninaspin that's wonderful news. Congratulations to your DS - what amazing DC you have!

@Delphigirl I don't think I would worry too much about that. If it's a small department, not every college will have a DoS in that speciality. To be honest, DoS was something we completely ignored. Neither DH nor I were ever given the option of applying to Oxbridge, so we were pretty clueless about it all. As long as your DC likes a college and that college offers the course, go for it. If it's any consolation, my DD supervises (takes tutorials) at a couple of different colleges as her department isn't massive. I don't think her college has a specialist Materials Science fellow/academic but it doesn't seem to have made any difference to her.

@Delphigirl - the DoS is there to provide academic guidance, I don't think there needs to be an exact match of their field of interest.
DS is studying physics with an interest in biophysics. His DoS for the past two years has been a polar geographer/physicist.

I wouldn't recommend choosing a college based on individual fellows; they might move on anyway.

Thanks @Malbecfan and @ironoaks, that’s really helpful!

OTOH @Delphigirl if there are some colleges which seem to take more than one student (!) for AMES it would be worth concentrating on those. I know that not all colleges offer all subjects but beyond that, some subjects are bigger at some colleges and that is generally helpful.

Thanks @pantjog. There are a few so will add those to the list!

Oh my god it is hot… we are wilting and giving up having only seen a few colleges - almost all the Cs (Clare corpus christs) and both Ps Peterhouse and pembroke
but did a lot in the AMES faculty too (where we sat next to…. A girl from DDs school. Sigh. )

But I doubt DD will apply. She has announced it is all like a big boarding school set in a ghost town which I feel is a bit unfair as the town is heaving, but mostly with open day visitors. Still, that’s the point of open days I guess… to make snap judgments and stick to them 🤣

@Delphigirl Interesting reaction and viewpoint on your DD's part. I remember DS deciding on a degree at C early in the first year of 6th form. We said why C? He just identified it as one of the best 5 places to study mathematics in Britain and later that it seemed such a 'cool idea'. On this rather arbitrary basis and a coin flip or 3 on which college to choose (we knew to avoid Trinity), an application, interview and offer followed. After an unconvincing visit to Bristol U. as an alternative I simply said that we had to go and visit as I felt the intentions re C were a little uninformed. No open days had been organised - too soon post-CV19. We went one Saturday morning early in May - it is our closest university after all. It was a ravishing day and all was quiet and beautiful. There were also two memorably charming and helpful porters. That did it. Decision crystallised and ambition alight. That was the 'snap' in his case and he stuck with it and started there last October. I wish your DD the very best of luck whatever/ wherever she decides on. I am enchanted that AMES is her thing. I spent the first 25 years of my life in the ME.

Aww @Malbecfan, all our DC are amazing.
My DC are from an ordinary non Oxbridge family. They were lucky to find courses they loved at colleges that were right for them. I’m sure sport has helped them too - stops the academic stuff getting too intense.
@Delphigirl, your post reminded me of the very hot day DS and I attended the 2020 entry Cambridge open day. DS hadn’t decided on a course at that point and attended various subject lectures whilst I wilted in various college gardens and cafes.

DS hasn't actually been to a Cambridge University open day.

He went to the open day at Oxford, planned to apply there, and decided he should visit Cambridge just to rule it out as an option. He went to a college open day half way through Y12, and liked what he saw. He was then invited on a subject-specific residential summer school at Cambridge which included a couple of lectures and lab practicals and also a brief tour of some other colleges (a large one, a small one, an ancient one and a modern one). All of this just confirmed his decision.

Just found this thread and saying hello as DD2 off to Cambridge in the Autumn having just got her IB results :)

That’s so tremendous @hertsessex, you and she must be thrilled! So lovely to have that confirmed so early too, compared to A levels. Fab!