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...

Thank you everyone for your very helpful comments. You are correct beeswain that they are doing a maths based subject.
My main take-away points are - start early, apply everywhere, apply to places you are interested in even if they haven't got anything advertised, ask tutors/staff if they know of anything suitable.
Needs to get polishing their CV I think, when they return from their travels.

Thank you so much, I cannot stress how helpful all your comments and advice have been this year. It is such a different world to mine, and although exciting, very daunting, and hard to know how to advise.

Hi, hoping to pick the brains of those with Cambridge experience. DD starts in October and we live less than an hour away. For various reasons relating to shared care agreement with our gp for adhd meds, I am worried about her moving to the local Cambridge gp surgery as she will likely lose shared care and also will have to deal with finding meds herself (massive shortage requires me shopping around multiple pharmacies each month). As Cambridge term is less than half the year I am thinking she might be able to stay with local gp but obviously this isn't ideal for other reasons if she wants to see gp in a hurry etc. Has anyone's DC also stayed with home GP surgery and found any solution whilst at Cambridge? thanks

In earlier times college required students to register with a practice in Cambridge. Each college specified which one: it wasn’t the same for all colleges, which evens out the load between the city centre practices.

We live in Cambridge. DS had been registered with my Cambridge practice all his life. IIRC when he became a U of Cambridge student he had to reregister with the one his college specified. I can see the point of this if the student gives permission for his information to be shared with the college nurse, for example. The college and the practice will have a working relationship already in place.

However, this situation may not still be the same, and in your DD’s case college might be happy for her to continue with her present practice anyway. She needs to get in contact with college, explain the circumstances and ask.

I’m not 100% sure who she should contact if she doesn’t yet know who her College Tutor will be, but I’m sure someone on this board will be able to advise.

DD (just finished Y1) felt she had to change to a Uni GP based on college requirements. For her it wasn’t an issue as no major health issues and our GP was not the best.

She needed an urgent appointment in her first term as she was so unwell and called at 4pm and got an appointment for 7am the next day with a blood test later that same day. They had excellent understanding of student life / health issues etc. If that had been at home the whole process would have taken about six weeks. We live an hour and half away so now if she needs a GP appointment she can call the uni surgery and get a telephone appointment. She has a repeat prescription and they just update the chemist that it needs to be assigned to. Best of both worlds.

Ok thanks both. So it sounds like she would need to email college in the first instance to find out which gp surgery they use, and if that surgery refuse shared care (likely) then request an exemption to college requirements. I guess if she is with home gp she can still have phone appt during term time and ask for any prescription to be sent to Cambridge?

DS had to register with a Cambridge GP as a college requirement, but I don't think has ever been!

DD (not at O or C) finds the GP care at uni to be fabulous - always gets an appointment quickly and they have a very strong understanding of studenty type issues. DD has had to speak to her GP this summer and they have been amazing, so I (maybe?) wouldn't stress too much if you did have to move although I'm sure they can make exemptions and it's definitely worth asking.

Hi @Picklepumpkin54

I think the college nurse/matron would be the best person to advise your DD as this can't be the first time someone has had such an issue. Hopefully the nurse will have an email or direct phone number on the college website. Keep us posted.

Thanks @Malbecfan yes I’ve found an email for the college nurse so that sounds like the best plan.

Hi all, very excited to join you - DS had his place confirmed at Caius this morning. Please tell me everything I need to know …

@SOWK Many congratulations to your DS - how very exciting. I've had DC1 just graduate at Oxford and DC2 heading to Yr2 at Oxford so not much help on Cambridge but others here will be able to help.

It's a very friendly thread sharing the ups and downs of college life as well as tips on practicalities.

Many congratulations to those students getting their places at Oxford and Cambridge today! My D1 graduated from Oxford last year and is still there (it's a hard place to leave) working and applying for post-grad.

Good morning, pleased I will be joining you as DS has got into Cambridge :)

@SOWK and @IThinkImAMathmoMum congratulations to your DCs.

DS graduated in June and will be returning to Cambridge (same college) to start a PhD.
This week he received confirmation of accommodation; he got his first choice (near the lab, not too expensive) so he is happy.

I don't know if anyone else is experiencing this, but having felt so intensely about the application process and having a DC at Oxford (Oxford FFS!), it seems unsettling to have disengaged from the whole thing now that DD has graduated and is job hunting. It's been such a joy to read about everyone else with DC going through the same weird and wonderful years.
I plan to also disengage from these pages now (let's see how that pans out), but I couldn't leave without congratulating all the new parents and wishing your DC well on their journey. I might lurk from time to time to see how familiar faces are doing.

Congratulations to all the DC getting their places confirmed today! As others have said, this is a wonderfully supportive thread. DS just graduated with his BA last month and will be starting his masters in October (both at Oxford)

Please do pop round for a cup of tea and a chat now and then, Dahlia!

Hello Picklepumpkin, I have similar worries. I'm sure you have done already, but talk to your local ADHD services first before making any changes. We are with the local service that your DD would be using and they have specifically said NOT to change GPs!

Getting the ADHD meds sorted is such a nightmare. 😓

Congratulations to the new joiners and I will miss the wisdom of those now leaving (albeit dipping in and out!).

DS is looking forward to his 3rd year starting...his internship has not been what he hoped and he's been bored witless, so am glad he will be using his brain again in a month or so's time, before he combusts, and takes us all with him 🙄😁

Thanks @ExtraordinaryAvocado do you mean that you are with a cambridge gp already ? Having spoken to her prescriber (private) we have also been advised not to move gp.

Hi, we are in this position with D2 (not Cambridge though). The ADHD team recommended her not to change GPs but stick with the home GP. So I would check with them first and see what they advise - it should be straightforward getting px sent to a pharmacy near college. And then contact the college - they are keen for the students to be registered with their college GP and college nurse, but this must be a situation they've come across before. The university student support team should also be able to help.

The shortages of medication is hugely frustrating, we also have the monthly trawl round local pharmacies trying to locate supplies before the px expires. Good luck with it all.

Hello @Picklepumpkin54 yes, we live in Cambridge - the advice from the NHS Cambridge adult ADHD team was to stay put with local GP regardless of university choice. So exactly as @JulesJules describes.

Thanks very much for your description @JulesJules that's exactly what we have been advised too. The monthly trawl is just the pits isn't it. 😥

Thanks @ExtraordinaryAvocado and @JulesJules . The irony is that someone with ADHD is going to be worst placed to plan ahead enough to order in time and ring round pharmacies to find meds!

Absolutely @Picklepumpkin54 . Makes me cry. But it's really nice to talk to other parents who understand!

Welcome to the new members here and congratulations to your DC.

Like quite a few here, my older DD studied at C then stayed on at the same college and is 3 years into a PhD. Her funding runs out at the end of March and she has signed up for another year in her house, so I hope that focuses her mind somewhat. However, she messaged me yesterday to say that the repeat experiments had gone better and faster than expected and her Head of Dept had suggested she has a holiday so she's decided to walk the coast to coast walk from St Bees to Whitby with her housemate and uni friend. Each to their own I suppose!

DS's place confirmed in Cambridge today - a bit shell-shocked but he's absolutely delighted. He came home and went straight to book his first solo trip overseas using his summer earnings. Student bank account then opened and is now onto his "what to take list". I am happily noodling around as took the day off work and we went and stocked up on stationery, the Bloomsbury student planner and a guide book in Waterstone's earlier.

Has requested fish and chips weirdly before going out with friends late. I am absolutely exhausted after getting everyone up at 6.30 and working until 10 last night to finish things off....

He has very severe food allergies and wonder if any other parents have advice for coping with this when so much emphasis seems to be on formals?