Current Oxford/Cambridge students support/chat continued

[Panicmode1]

New thread.....!

@PepeLePew it's lovely that your DD has settled in so well and I hope she finds enough time for pleasure and leisure alongside work.

@Ironoaks great to hear that DS has a good room and I hope he enjoys this term and this year.

@CurlyhairedAssassin your DS1 sounds like he's really thriving at C and it's the right place for him. Good luck supporting your DS2 with all his uni. applications and I hope he lands up exactly where he wants to be.

@DahliaMacNamara best of luck with your journey to O today. Your DD sounds a bit like my DS1 who used to leave packing to the very very last moment and then forget items which had to be sent on to him.

@pantjog your DD2's room sounds very quintessentially Oxford and I hope she has a fantastic year.

@ofteninaspin it's great to hear that your DS is enjoying his graduate job despite missing C. Both of mine really really miss university now but feel they did everything possible to make the most of their time there.

@Panicmode1 good luck to your DS securing an internship and I hope he has a productive term.

@goodbyestranger thanks for the good wishes for my sons. It's so difficult at this next stage as securing a TCs seems much much harder than getting into Oxbridge.

DS2 waited 6 months to hear back from a Vac Scheme only, recently, to be told no. As he'd done everything in his power to make a good impression, seemed to get on really well with everyone, including several partners at the firm, kept asking for more work while he was there and getting great feedback on everything he completed, he's not sure what else he could have done nor can do in the future with his applications. They told him there were over 900 applicants just for 30 places on one that year's Vac Schemes, so the odds are so slim. I wonder if law firms want some thing very specific these days and he's not it?

Both he and DS1 are now getting into this round of Vac SCheme/ TC applications alongside their law course. Maybe they need to qualify and have a few years working as paralegals for a TC to be possible but if anyone has any hints and tips with TC applications, please let me know!!

That sounds like a tough bit of competition, @mutterphore . Good luck to both your DC.
DD was dropped off at a fairly quiet time earlier this morning, and everyone's back where they're meant to be now. On with the process of restoring DD's room into somewhere a visitor might stay without wanting to call Environmental Health. Can I just go back to sleep now?

@mutterphore are your boys getting any sort of guidance from their GDL tutors? It may be that they would be the best people to offer tips, as they know them and might be able to give targeted advice based on their individual performance and the areas of law they are hoping to go into.

Haha I'm also in the process of deconstructing every bedroom in the house after the departure of four DC and one DC partner Dahlia. Procrastinating with MN :)

Very sorry to hear about your DS2's disappointment after the long wait. I never read the applications of the two DC who trained at Magic Circle firms but I assume that that's where your two are applying? DD1 read Law but DS2 read History, never intended law but did some banking/ financial internships while at Oxford, got a banking offer then decided around this time of year after graduating to try for Magic Circle firms. He then got a couple of offers around Christmas and I can only think that they liked his 'commercial awareness'. Maybe your two DSs could apply sideways for a banking internship? DS certainly had no law experience, if only because he hadn't intended law so never applied before graduating and although not especially numerate he did know a bit about economics and finance. I can't think of anything much else!

Sorry, second para was for mutterphore.

Dropped DD off for her first year at O this morning. Porters were so lovely and welcoming and it all went smoothly.
It feels very selfish to say it but quite disappointed with her room; small and dark with the tiniest window (probably for the best as she looks out onto a pebble dashed wall and a couple of dumpsters). We bought her a mini fridge, as advised by college parents, and the only place it would fit was under her desk.
We laughed about it and DD was fine but it def wasn’t the space I imagined for all of the time she’ll spend in there working.
I believe it means she’ll get a better room next year?? Has anyone else found this to be the case?

It really depends on the college @PottersClay. My DDs have both had fairly small rooms in their colleges — at least by comparison with the palatial suites at my own college! But I can report with complete certainty that the size of the room doesn’t correlate with how much fun they have… and in any case they may choose to do their studying elsewhere. Don’t worry.

PS Correction: spoke to my DS (3rd year at C) and he said that there have been lots of cases of drinks being spiked and people being needled (is that the word?). Alas. Apparently some clubs now serve drinks in spike-proof cups.

We are going tomorrow, that's us with an empty nest then.

@PottersClay at some Cambridge colleges (including DS's) they reverse the ballot the following year, so the last (to choose a room) shall be first, and the first, last.

I don't know if Oxford does similar, but from the sounds of it she has pulled the short straw this year, so next year's room will hopefully be an improvement.

Thanks @pantjog In my head I know it's a trivial thing but just wanted to see her settled in a welcoming room. I haven't heard from her since we left her 7 hours ago so you are right; she isn't in her room and she is having plenty of fun!

I think it's unlikely that a duff first year room will affect the second year room. A lot of Oxford colleges invert the second and third year ballot, but not all. But the first year seems to be stand alone. Again colleges differ and so some don't ask which band first years would like to be in whereas others do, but this had no impact on the second year room. I think your DD may just have to accept she's dipped out this year.

@PottersClay when we dropped DS at O last year, his room was tiny. It was dark, dingy and cramped. He was totally fine about it but I felt really sad for him each time we took him back. I completely understand your disappointment.
Dropped him today for his second year and his room is amazing! It's so much bigger, fresher feeling, lighter.
In his college, they do a reverse banding ... turns out his room was the lowest band last year so he got a highest band room this year.

That’s interesting Bapple. None of mine have been at a college where first year rooms played into second year rooms. So how does the third year work at your DS college? Is that stand alone rather than affected by second year room?

Sorry to hear that @pottersclay but as others have said, it may mean she does better on a room next year, and she may not spend much time there anyway. DS had a huge room with a double bed, big window and loads of storage last year, but it was outwith the main college buildings, and he spent almost all of his time in the library/lab, or with his friends in their more central college rooms.

This year, he has a tiny room, but is more in the centre of things, and with 6 friends, so I was disappointed for him but he's much happier! His college do a ballot for 2nd and 3rd years, and it is reversed depending on your number the year before..so if you were 1 this year, you will be 360th (or whatever!) next yr. He was mid table, so I guess will be again for 3rd yr. Not sure what happens in the 4th year - he and 4 of his friends are doing 4 yr courses so perhaps they will choose to live out...we will see!

@mutterphore I am so sorry to hear that news for your DS after such a long wait. It feels personal but with 900 applicants for 30 places, it isn't. Still, a blow. I hope he finds something better in the next round. He has tenacity and brains - they count for so much, long term.

@Bapple I think the same will happen to DD. Apparently first year rooms are graded and lowest grade gets highest next year. I would imagine she’s in the lowest grade as they take into account location, size and view. None of which are good!
It’s just a room and it’s perfectly adequate. But I’ll feel happier once I know she has some friends and activities that mean she isn’t in there all day!
@goodbyestranger at DDs college third year rooms are allocated separately to first and second year room banding.

That makes sense PottersClay - I didn’t see how it would work otherwise.

My DC have had a huge range of rooms. Two had to live out in second year, one in third year (all went to the student area in Cowley) and the medic for his final three years. Some colleges have had huge problems with building projects having a seriously detrimental effect on accommodation for certain year groups and the closure of the Florey Building at Queens has been dire (well Florey was dire but so many students living out was even more dire). I’m very glad that DD4 has been able to live in for all four years even though at her college - unfortunately - there’s no reversal of the room ballot so some students have come very low each time and some very high. That doesn’t seem a great system - reversing the ballot is far preferable (DD4 has been trailing around a third from the bottom each time but all her rooms have been fine, if not old quad type thing. She decorates them beautifully. In fact the very best palatial room with wonderful views awarded to any DC was wasted on DS3 who didn’t spend any time making it homely at all (Devon flag and two kettles, one for pasta….)).

@PottersClay this may not be possible at your DD's college or at O, but DS who was C Fresher last year had a nice room allocated, but it was an open college and his ground floor corner room constantly had tourists looking in and it was also noisy due to UGs coming in from nights out right past his window. Once he was a few weeks in and a bit more confident he asked if there were any other rooms and he got a move to another freshers room (they have specific ones) as people had dropped out. DS said at least three had left quite soon after the start of term. Second room was a bit more expensive and no en suite, which first room had had, but much bigger and first floor so v quiet and a lovely view.

May not be an option at your DD's as I say, but you never know !

DD is having a crazy busy freshers. Yesterday, there were various talks and workshops, walking tour of Cambridge and pub quiz. She managed to find the Aldi and the chinese supermarket just down the road, so that will be handy. She was quite shocked at the price of the college meals (she paid £5 for a stew on the first day) , so she doesn't think she'll be able to eat there everyday as her budget is £200 a month to cover breakfast/lunch/dinner and the occasional social coffee out.

Today is matriculation and meetings with DoS and tutors, fresher schedule is such that you need to be at two places at the same time....She's gone and picked the hardest maths module (Maths B) as part of the NatSci, it's great that she is up for the maths challenge, but with the workload I'm wondering whether she's biting off more than she could chew? If any of you wise NatSci parents have any views to share that would be much appreciated.

(Despite my rising the question about clubbing, she's not gone yet...and I'm still pondering over the risks of spiking...but not sharing my worries with her.)

She's gone and picked the hardest maths module (Maths B) as part of the NatSci, it's great that she is up for the maths challenge, but with the workload I'm wondering whether she's biting off more than she could chew?

Is there a difference in content or just in the pace? And did she do FM?

Mine was an engineer - they could choose a 'slow' or 'fast' maths in the first term, which covered the same ground just with different number of lectures. She regretted choosing 'slow' (out of caution/imposter syndrome) because it turned out the lecturer wasn't as good. Obviously this isn't directly relevant to your dd, but in retrospect I think she might have wished to ask some second years for their take.

@ErrolTheDragon From brief Whatsapp, she says Math A and B are similar, but B is faster with 20% more content. DD did do FM and did really well with A star (I think I'm the one who's scared of the Maths, because I never did FM at A level).

Do the Engineers and NatSci's have the same Maths lectures, would you know?

I'm guessing, it should be easy to switch to A once lectures start if she finds it too much? But switching from A to B would not be so easy I imagine.

@Teriyakieverything DS took Maths B in first year. It's good preparation if they want to choose the Mathematics course as one of their options in second year.
If she got A star in Further Maths then she should be fine.

Thanks @Ironoaks !

Do the Engineers and NatSci's have the same Maths lectures, would you know?

I doubt it (and dd was a few years ago).
I'm guessing, it should be easy to switch to A once lectures start if she finds it too much? But switching from A to B would not be so easy I imagine.

I'd have thought so.