Current Oxford/Cambridge students support/chat continued

[Panicmode1]

New thread.....!

Thank you everyone, can confirm the sun is shining!

Good luck with the graduations everybody!
I hope DC manages to make it there in a few years' time!

@JulesJules and @HewasH20 have a fantastic celebration today at the graduations! Something really to celebrate!

I don't know about @JulesJules but we've had a wonderful time. Fizz and canapes, photos, speeches and much toasting of the college pets.

@JulesJules did you spot the poor (daft) student who tried to enter the Sheldonian in white footwear? They were refused entry until one of the staff took pity on them and swapped shoes with them.

We spotted her beforehand and thought she wouldn't be let in. Glad they sorted out the shoes, they must have let her off the bare legs. Lovely afternoon in college with plenty of fizz and so nice to meet some of D1's tutors. She also managed to sneak bf in, bonus!

Been working all day so missed all the graduation chat. I hope all went well and that the weather held off. The wet weather in SW England today is partly my fault as my year 8s were singing in my lessons; not exactly a pleasant sound, but needs must!

We have been given a 20 minute slot for arrival and drop off. Hopefully they won't have much stuff to unload !

Is that Oxford or Cambridge Riverpebble? Several Oxford colleges gave us a slot of twenty mins and there was no pressure in reality. No-one is going to time you unless you're there all day.

DS is about to start Part III (4th year). He doesn't graduate with the MSci until next June, but he has started receiving invitations to MCR events. Isn't the MCR for postgraduates? Is he in some sort of interim state, with a BA that he has completed but not yet been awarded? Should he be going to JCR stuff or MCR stuff? Or both?

Literally had a nightmare last night about DD starting C, dreaming that she didn't know where she was meant to be for lectures/labs, when, which lecture theatre/room; not realising that she had missed meetings with DoS until afterwards; cycling to the department then had trouble finding somewhere to park her bike, then realised she didn't have the bike lock with her, and was then late ....
There's such an overwhelming amount of information and new circumstances to navigate through. She hadn't realised that she needed to book a slot for (individual) matriculation photos until I happened to come across it as I was browsing through freshers info, we just assumed it just happens as part of the process...so we could have missed this, so now wondering what else we are missing...
Anxiety catching up with me I think.

@Ironoaks I think it’s quite common for fourth year undergrads to have a foot in both camps. That was the case for me as a linguist and for my DD as a classicist. Best of both worlds!

@Teriyakieverything I feel you. My DC are averse to reading emails. I’ve no idea how they’ve managed not to miss crucial info. Somehow the bush telegraph fills in gaps.

@pantjog I think part of it is me trying to let go as a parent, having been taxi, issues identifier/resolver and diary coordinator all these years. Compounded by the fact that I cannot help her even if I try as I’m not actually in the loop. Hopefully, as you say, it should all work out fine.

Amazingly enough it does (DS continuing into second year at C - and are they more hopeless than the other sort?). Parental prodding has to continue but we found that concentrating on essential matters worked best. Friday evening is drop off for us.

@pantjog thank you for confirming, that's helpful to know. His disabilities make it harder to navigate social convention and nuance, and neither DH nor I went to Oxbridge, so we have no prior knowledge of this stuff.

Good luck to everyone as they head up/back to uni at the weekend, and glad the graduations were as wonderful and celebratory as they sound to have been!

DS has finally decided he wants to go early on Saturday morning. He's been allocated a college child as has his college wife and I think there are plans afoot for the pub on Sunday evening with them....and he will no doubt be back in a boat as soon as he can be.

I will miss him, but am ready for him to head back. We dropped DD at Nottingham on Saturday for her first year, and have barely heard anything from her, so I hope that's a good sign! So, we will now only have 2 children at home during term time - it's going to be weird being an 'average' family for a bit!!

DS1 is happily settled in his 4th year house in Oxford. DD will return to Oxford on Saturday, I think her grandparents are giving her a lift. DMiL is an Oxford graduate (English at St Anne's) so she's always up for a visit.

We're heading to NYC for 3 days tomorrow and then to Princeton to see DS2 for 'family weekend'. Really looking forward to seeing Princeton for the first time and, of course, DS2.

DD4 is getting a lift back down from Scotland to Oxford on Friday with DS1, who has a dinner there on Saturday. Ferries willing etc. His is a tiny car, not built for motorways or seven hour drives so 🤞

Did I read somewhere that washing powder shouldn’t be in capsule form? Or am I imagining that?!

@OnePlusOneEquals, washing powder capsules were not a problem at my DC's colleges but things do change. DD and her friends had SMOL subscriptions one year.

@HoneyMobster have a great time visiting your DS2 at Princeton and the whole experience over there and best of luck also to your DS1 and DD returning to Oxford.

@goodbyestranger good luck to your DS1 driving your DD4 to Oxford all that way in a tiny car! Hope the ferries run smoothly that day.

@Panicmode1 hope your DS gets on well with his college child and that both her and your DD at Nottingham have a great term.

@Ironoaks very good luck to your DS too for his final year!

@Riverpebble and @Teriyakieverything and all others heading to O and C in the next few days, I hope everyone's DC isn't too nervous and settles in very quickly.

@Clemenc0 , especially good wishes to your DS for his second year at C, what with everything going on at home for your partner. Term will no doubt healthily distract your DS from worrying and I hope everything goes well.

My DS1 and DS2 have now started their Masters Law conversion course and it seems to be going well, although I know both - and especially DS2 - really, really miss university. DS1 still hasn't had any of his degree exams or dissertation marked..........

Oh that's really awful for DS1 @mutterphore - any news at all on when they might expect their marks?

Dd's missing exam result is fundamental to her next steps. They couldn't give her any idea on Friday if/when it will be marked.

Yes, good luck to all embarking on a new year. After a summer spent feeling I would never have a proper conversation with ds, I took him out to dinner tonight before he leaves for C tomorrow, and finally had a proper chat. He seems to be in a good place. We even got a formal hall spot booked for me to visit this term.

@JulesJules the last DS1 heard was further promises that exams would be marked....at some point....possibly.... Then I think on the news there's been more about further strikes. So I don't know if that supersedes the promise of finals exams being marked. It's just appalling.

@HewasH20 I'm so sorry to hear that the missing exam results means your DD can't take the next planned steps. This is so so awful for all of those without a proper degree. DS1 hasn't had a single part of his finals marked at all and his exams ended in early June. I wonder if any of his (and other's) hard work will ever be rewarded, despite him going through all the hoops to get his place at Cambridge and working towards his finals across 3 years, not to mention taking out a student loan.

@PermanentTemporary hope your DS has a very enjoyable term and that you make it to a formal hall as well this term.