Oxbridge 2023 entrants - getting ready!

[Riverpebble]

Congrats to everybody who has had their places confirmed

Checking in! I'm excited!! Congratulations to all.

Hi - my DC2 is also starting at Oxford this year after a year out - we are just discussing dresses as a displacement from her reading list and my work 😊

Theism for the new thread @Riverpebble

Emotionally exhausted today and work is a relief! DD got an email fairly late yesterday from her college but it didn’t have any detail just saying welcome and more info to come. She has a friend staying over for next few days and plans to do some admin Sunday morning once the friend has left. She has never been on Facebook but will join (through gritted teeth) as seems to be the college platform of choice for socials etc.

Relieved it’s all over, the results stressing part anyway. Now I feel like I have to learn a whole new vocabulary to understand what needs to happen next!

Checking in! Mentally exhausting day yesterday, but just so happy for him. He’s done well, just done if his friends have had not so great results unfortunately.
A year if sats, A levels and GCSE’s in our house - can’t wait for Thursday next week to be over and done with!

*some!!

So happy to be here! Yesterday was surreal. I don't think it's fully sunk in yet. Congratulations to everyone!

@PettsWoodParadise not sure if your DD is Oxford or Cambridge but certainly Oxford runs many societies and college stuff via Facebook according to my DS. He went from hating FB to sending out his 21st birdie invites by FB

sorry typo- 'birthday invites' (DS finished Year 2, DD starting in Oct)

Yes ! I've already learnt some new words.

We're a low income family and I'm wondering how it will go with fitting in.

Checking in as DD made her offer (by the skin of her teeth!! 😬)

Checking in. I'm assuming we need printed out funding letters ( maintenance loans and tuition fee loans) for matriculation . I've heard gowns useful as well for various things (from another thread).

May suggest to DS some maths catch up maybe good (engineering so assume high maths component). Will ask if he was sent reading etc to do. Anything else.....

DD has had an email from college with all the admin required so we now have a moving in date and time! It’s a long way so heading down the day before to stay over. Is it safe to leave stuff in car overnight at peach tree hotels or should we unload it all to the hotel?

We’ve got moving in date of Sunday 1st October by 2pm at the latest.
currently looking at collapsible storage boxes and big duffel bags - anything that is basically flat when not needed!

According to college freshers page moving in date for DD (C) is 27th Sep and they give them three days free accomodation compared to regular UG who will join a few days later. Each room has lockable storage but that won't be found out until they move in.

There will be a full cohort of 2nd years to help the freshers move in. They will carry pretty much everything up all the stairs for you.

DD didn't have to provide proof of any funding to her College or her A levels or GCSE results or similar, but that was in the Covid year.

If they don't already have one, a provisional driving licence is invaluable for ID for pubs, clubs and fresher's events.

I would suggest that they fill in the paperwork to register with the Oxford or Cambridge GP their College will suggest.

Don't worry about stuffing the car to the rafters with mini fridges etc. Many Colleges provide them. No need for a printer as everything can be charged to their Bod Card (or Cambridge equivalent).

Many Colleges organise welcome events on drop off day in the afternoon for the freshers, so you may find yourself waved off after lunch if not before.

Do come and join the very long running Current Students Thread. We are lovely, except for the odd disruptor with a chip on their shoulder. https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/higher_education/4840176-current-oxfordcambridge-students-supportchat-continued?page=16&reply=128548017

@Riverpebble DD is about to graduate next month. She went through the UNIQ and widening participation route. Her College had one of the lowest state school intakes, but that was still in the region of 2/3. The private school intake will all ask everyone which school they went too, but they stop asking after a few days when they realise that most people haven't heard of the schools they went to either 😂Your DC will be absolutely fine.

Anyone going to Murray Edwards in Cambridge? DD’s a bit miffed that she’s had several emails from UCAS but diddly squat from the college!

DD is on a FB group for her C college @BiancaBlank but not Medwards. They had got a brief congratulations email but not much else. One of them was concerned they hadn't yet had a reading list (DD is delighted to have finally found her tribe who worry about such things!!!!) and got in touch with their DoS who they met at the offer holder day the DoS has said they will send something through by the end of the week. DD is making a special pilgrimmage to the Picadilly Waterstones to buy at least a few texts in advance and have an afternoon out.

DD only joined the FB group after results day as she didn't want to jinx things and shortly after joining the admin was taking off quite a lot of people so wonder if this is an unusual year that fewer have met their offers, or is fairly normal. Her WhatsApp group of 7 on her course at her college only one other has said she made it. They may add others from the WP August pool but they won't have the contact details for those yet.

Iirc DDs main prep for Cambridge engineering a few years ago was playing with Lego as the icebreaker team project activity in the first week was Lego robotics.
(But yeah, definitely 'assume high maths component'!)

Her college (ME) did a pre-freshers intro for a few days for her subject too, not sure if many do that/still do it now.

@PettsWoodParadise That’s definitely not DD’s tribe 😂. She did get emailed a spreadsheet with pre-reading to do for various subjects a while ago (before results day) but has thus far not engaged with it at all.

She was in contact with a couple of other prospective vet students from other colleges at one point, but I think that all petered out. I think she would just like a little welcome email from the college so she knows it’s not all an illusion! (When her sister made her offer for Warwick last year, she got a welcome email from them on results day, and another one a couple of days later with details on how to register, when to arrive etc.)

@Riverpebble I’m a lone parent with a low income and have a DD going into 2nd year at O (educated in the Independent sector from 11-18 via 100% scholarship/bursary).
She gets the maximum student loan, an extremely generous bursary from the University, along with equally generous subsidies from her college.
She has lots of friends from both ‘sectors’ with a similar socio-economic status, along with lots of friends, again from ‘both sectors’, with a more affluent socio-economic status.
It’s not an issue at all and there’s no need to worry about fitting in.

Out of interest does she feel the maximum student loan amount (£9-10k?) is not sufficient. I thought the idea of that was that it was enough to survive reasonably comfortably? Great that she gets the extra money but just wondering as we budget for DD2. Son is in London and the equivalent London number of £13k is really not enough.

@Hertsessex DD feels she would not ‘survive reasonably comfortably’ on the maximum loan - currently £9978 for the academic year 2023/4- without the extra financial support she gets from Oxford and her college.
As mentioned in my reply to Riverpebble I am a lone parent. I was in receipt of Child Tax Credits prior to DD going to University (she was in receipt of FSM when at state primary).
Lots of her friends from a similar socio-economic background have to contribute to their household’s income when home for ‘the vacation’ periods.
So, their loan isn’t just whilst they are in university.
Also there is the factor of travelling costs - particularly for those that have to ‘clear their room’ each term. I’m in the NE.

Then there are ‘hidden costs’ such as printing if a student needs to read a ‘hard copy’ rather than on screen.
There was a recent thread on MN that highlighted that student loans have not kept pace with inflation.