Current Oxford/Cambridge students support/chat continued (2)

[Panicmode1]

The other thread is nearly full so I took the liberty of starting a new one...

Thanks all. I know, as well, that if he did have a breakdown, life isn't over either - plenty of people live good lives with MH problems. Thank you especially to @ofteninaspin and @Panicmode1. I have two friends whose children have had major episodes at 19 and 20 and are still in the thick of it. I guess at least I know some of the things to look out for.

@mutterphore on a positive note, the pass rates are going up with each sitting of SQE1. It is more likely than not that your DSs will pass, as there are more first time passes than resit passes.

CIMA introduced a very similar exam & question style around 12 years ago for the accountancy profession.

The best advice I can give is that they narrow the options down, then essentially "phone a friend" by looking at the remaining choices available and deciding which option a lawyer they trust would select. It's harder though if the answers ask you to "select all that apply". The questions will have been quality tested more times than you can imagine.

Thanks for that more optimistic insight, @HewasH2O about the SQE1. Also, that sounds like a very wise approach to the multiple choice questions. I do wish the exams were more traditional and essay based but I suppose those are also harder to mark.

You don't need to be able to write an essay to be a good lawyer. That tests a different skill base. Your DS have done so well so far. I'm sure their success will continue.

Happy Easter all. We've much enjoyed having DC1 & 2 back for Easter.

Good to hear everyone's news - sounds like life after Uni has many bumps and trip hazards - though super impressed but the resilience of everyone's DC.

DC1 head down for his two weeks here writing his third extended essay, one required for each option and they make up some 'unspecified part' of the option mark with the exam being the majority. All three extended essays have to be submitted mid April then 5 weeks till his six finals papers. As with all O finalists it's a pretty brutal next two months following a demanding Trinity term. At least we've been able to feed him - free food much appreciated.

DC2 being a year 1 has had a much more relaxed break - doing a mixture of paid work, seeing friends and a little academic work. Busy planning her summer when she plans to write a novella - with support from her College's generous travel fund. Tough at the top! But she's loving the course and looking forward to being college Boat Captain next year.

Sorry I've been a bit busy with other things to be here very much. However, I'm hoping that some of you can help @ofteninaspin @mutterphore especially.

DD's MA graduation is tomorrow. We're in C now (the M25 was a nightmare yesterday) and met up with her last night. I have a birthday present/experience in the city centre today - birthday was last week - then the ceremony is tomorrow. She has promised to collect the tickets today as I know we need them to get into the Senate House. But where do we actually go? I've read the online stuff but it's not clear. In my defence, I am really stressed and DD's original graduation in 2021 was a "Covid Special" with no guests or touching hands/whatever. Thanks in advance.

To make you laugh, I nonchalantly asked DH what he was going to wear, so he tried his suit on. The trousers were a struggle to fasten so he is now running up & down the stairwell in the hotel and will be joining DD on park run tomorrow morning! He is far too mean to shell out for a new one.

I obviously can't answer the question, but have a wonderful celebratory weekend 🙂

I think you just follow anyone looking as though they are going to a wedding! Or not. Literally anything went at Oxford in Sept, including a Wimbledon umpire's blazer.

@Malbecfan

Join where it says guest queue and someone will help you from there.

Congratulations @Malbecfan - hope the weather is kind to you. Lovely to get your moment of the crap Covid years.

Enjoying having both DS1 and DD at home this week. Poor DD is stressed about her Year 2 medicine exams - these take place as soon as she gets back. DS1 is pretty chilled. His dissertation is going well and he's waiting to hear back about one more Finance job. He's holding two offers and has turned down a third.

@Malbecfan, for DS’s graduation last summer, we followed the procession from college and then joined a queue outside Senate House.
Don’t forget your tickets - they are checked - and have a lovely, lovely day of celebration.

It’s forecast to be 20C around lunchtime in Cambridge tomorrow, with rain not very likely. 😀

Wishing you and family a lovely day, @Malbecfan

@Malbecfan I hope your have a brilliant time in Cambridge at your DD's MA graduation tomorrow. Looks like @Scoobyblue's instructions are spot on. I remember we had to queue from very early on before the actual time slot for DS1 and there were lots of people trying to push in at the very front of the queue, last summer but that might have been because it was a very busy undergrad. ceremony (not actually a real graduation but simply a 'Leaver's Celebration' as they had to call it, as lots of degrees hadn't been marked of course).

The people acting as ushers for the queue leading to Senate House were really lovely and we chatted a lot to one of them whilst waiting and she stopped people trying to push in ahead of us. We had a lovely meal out at Brown's afterwards and it was a boiling hot day. Looks like the forecast for Cambridge is really warm for this time of year too, so it should be a great event. I did chuckle at the thought of your poor DH running up and downstairs in the hotel to take off an inch or two so his trousers fit better! Hope he doesn't overdo it on Parkrun! BTW, wear comfortable shoes as there's lots of standing around. I was in agony by the end of the day having bought new sandals for the event.

@HoneyMobster well done to your DS holding so many job offers. That's a really good position for him. Good luck to him completing his dissertation. Particularly good luck to your DD with her Year 2 medicine exams - notoriously difficult but I'm sure she'll do very well.

DS1 starts his first Vac Scheme on Monday and has had to contend with train strikes, booking a hotel and then eleventh hour instructions that the first day is now all online. Sounds like it'll be a rigorous 2 weeks. DS2 starts the first of his 3 Vac Schemes of this summer the following Monday. Immediately afterwards, they have law conversion exams part 2, so virtually no time to revise in the lead up to these. They've therefore been working very hard over the last weeks. I long for the day when both are securely in Training Contracts/ jobs and I can at last stop worrying, although I expect that's lifelong really.

@Malbecfan Hope you are having a lovely day of celebrations, you must be so proud.

@mutterphore All the best to your DSs with their vac schemes and exams.

We 've helped DD with creating her CV only last week. Applied to couple of casual jobs from Indeed and those seems to have disappeared into a black hole...so disheartening. Don't really want her to be at home not working for such a long summer holiday.

@Teriyakieverything Has she thought about jobs at the university? DD had a brilliant 6 weeks as the on-site admin for a US university summer school at her college. Free accommodation and meals all thrown in.

@HewasH2O she did apply to a summer job at C helping out international summer camp students, but unfortunately didn’t get it. I guess they simply had too many applicants for the places.

@Malbecfan I'm glad your DD has been able to have a 'proper' graduation experience. I hope you've had a lovely day celebrating.

DS is due to have his graduation for the BA & MSci at the end of this term. As I understand it, more than one college is scheduled for the same day and the bit featuring DS will be very brief.

I had hoped to watch DS process out of his (central) college then go straight to Senate House as @ofteninaspin describes, but I'm concerned by what
@mutterphore says about having to queue a long time in advance. I'm not fussed about getting a 'good' seat but what if I don't reach the front of the queue / get in before his cohort graduates?

@Malbecfan I hope you had a wonderful day yesterday, the weather was certainly kind.
@mutterphore good luck to your ds's, I hope something permanent comes out of the vac schemes.
DS is home for 1 more week before his final term. Its gone in a flash. I will have to wait until November for his graduation. He's really excited about starting work.

Thanks for all the good wishes. It was definitely an experience and it was even nicer because DD1 was able to get an extra ticket so DD2 could join us. DH and DD1 did Parkrun then we went back to our bargain hotel to shower & change before meeting at DD1's house. 2 of her housemates were also graduating, so their families were there, plus at least 4 other friends so it was a bit of a squash but they laid on a buffet for us and it was lovely. We took a taxi with another family straight to Kings Parade. We had a bit of a wait before they would let us in, then went in for the ceremony. Afterwards lots of photos on the lawn, looking at the official photos, shelling out for them etc. Then all the graduates wanted ice creams in their gowns, so that had to be done before gowns were returned to Ryders or E&R and we wandered back to her college & crashed the champagne in the Master's garden with several other parents. The grads went for dinner and DH and I managed to squeeze in at The Ivy.

@Ironoaks I really wouldn't worry. They only let in people for the particular ceremony their ticket shows. They also filled up from the back, so those walking behind actually ended up at the front. However, the benches are at different levels so we could see. Probably slightly tasteless but it was like a cross between a register office wedding and a funeral at the local crematorium in the way we were politely encouraged to move on so the next one could start. They also only give a limited number of tickets so I'm sure you would be fine. There was some faffing of students as they had to line up in 4s so they all had to be in the right place/order, which again meant there was more time.

@Scoobyblue your instructions were spot on. Many thanks.

Now meeting the DD's for breakfast. DD2 stayed in DD1's bed (most of the other houseguests were on the floors) so we need to go back to her uni to collect her stuff as she's coming home for a break. She was at a conference at UEA earlier so it all worked well coming to C. Lots of driving again for me today...

So glad it all went well @Malbecfan. I hope your DH’s strategy re his suit went to plan too!
Your descriptions took me back to my DC’s graduations - a year apart - and I agree wholeheartedly with @beeswain that those three/four years go by in a flash.

DS is in Cambridge this weekend visiting his girlfriend for the last time before finals. He will go back again for graduation but his Cambridge experience is coming to an end.

Pleased you had a good day @Malbecfan - it sounds like the day ran very smoothly.

DS1 heads back to Oxford for his last term today. Thankfully under his own steam. He is also looking forward to work in the Autumn. His graduation is in September.

DD heads back next Sunday.

Glad you had a nice day @Malbecfan . That will be us next year (integrated masters).
DD headed back to C tomorrow to study for exams. We just don’t understand where the past (almost) three years went.

DS has three exams in April. No exam timetable available yet. He has been doing 3-4 hours a day over the vacation and will keep going until either the exams happen or he runs out of past papers, whichever happens first.

Good luck to all those with exams and vac schemes coming up.

This graduation was really relaxed because it was the BA -> MA one so no exams were needed and it was just lovely for DD (and us) to catch up with friends. Because the original graduation almost 3 years ago was so odd, more parents than usual showed up, but everyone was lovely about it.

Yes, DH fitted into his suit. He celebrated by having a large breakfast this morning (then being a PITA on the way home but that's him). We're now home with DD2 - DD1 is coming back at the end of the month to help out with looking after my dad, for which I am really thankful.