Current Oxbridge students - continued again...!

[Panicmode1]

Think the other thread is full....!

I went to several at DS1’s College when he was at Oxford and have been a couple of times to DD’s college. Always a lovely occasion.

I agree with you. Most of our social circle don't go to Oxbridge so it's something I can't talk about without feeling embarrassed. I am also worried that DC won't do well at some point and then there will be schadenfraude from other people (which is a bit odd because i think my friends are very supportive!)
Mostly I say DC is working very hard and doing ok. Which is true I think!
They have signed up for the telethon so are trying to improve their conversational chit-chat!

I was never asked either by DC1- I think DC1 are quite keen to keep me at arms length which is completely understandable.

Coincidentally DC2 is at my old college (they applied elsewhere and were reallocated) and so we will both be at Boat Club Dinner this year as alumni are asked and DC2 is a keen rower.

Thank you @Malbecfan. We did, something of a family group as there were 6 of us. All very unhurried and civilised. It was preceded by walks back and forth over the Cam through the college and elsewhere. I returned home late - 'school night' - while the rest of the family stayed over in C. From DS' viewpoint it was duty done but he, a shade uncharacteristically, is very family oriented and dotes on them all. Second phase of the tour took place on a beautiful if breezy morning earlier today. DS is busy finishing work before term end on Thursday. Home at the weekend when Finals revision starts in earnest.

I do take the point from those who are too remote from O and C or otherwise kept at arm's length. I am just very glad that the opportunity presented itself when it did. Well-timed as he will be shut away revising over Easter and then he leaves for the West Country at the end of 3rd year for his summer internship until September. Thereafter, who knows?

Sounds lovely Clemenc0.

I can reveal the mystery destination. The girls have arrived in Turkey. Thankfully Antalya and not Istanbul. They weren’t allowed to take any clothes beyond what they were wearing. Glad I’m not picking her up from the airport on Sunday.

Should be fun HoneyMobster :) And could have been far worse....

Amazing @AsTearsGoBy ! Congratulations!

Well, I did ask: who knows?

Unfortunately, DS' summer internship has been withdrawn as the offer was conditional on security clearance. Beyond that I can't say more except that he had to do mountains of paperwork as well as extensive queries through the family to get to the last hurdle.

However, he has pulled himself together and is back to revising.

@Clemenc0 sorry to hear that, he must be disappointed - hopefully another opportunity will arise.

It feels a bit weird that DS doesn't have any exams to revise for this summer! (Even when his A-levels were cancelled in 2020, he still continued doing the revision and setting himself past papers in lieu of the public ones.)
He has submitted a literature review and has to provide an end of first year report. He doesn't share regular updates with me, but the technical details are beyond my understanding anyway, although he has done a good job of explaining the scientific principles behind what he's trying to do.

He's planning to take a couple of weeks off for Easter and it will be lovely to see him.

Thank you @Ironoaks. Much appreciated. From what he has shared it is clear that Developed Vetting is a very tough and tiring process. I am humbled that he told me anything about it at all.

Gah @Clemenc0 how challenging at the last hurdle. I do remember applying to GCHQ for a role and failing due to my six month (broke up soon after, suspicious, not!) boyfriend failing the checks.

As a recruiter I have also had ‘recalls’ for team members who took up roles with my team (private sector) to then either work with us for a year amd pass an assessment or be recalled. It all makes for a long checking process.

So sorry to hear this @Clemenc0 DV is a very long process and I guess rightly so, but hard when you've gone so far down the road.

DS arrived back from C last night for a few days - for friends' birthdays, his birthday (21st), DH's birthday and Mother's Day - so we won't see him much, but it's nice to catch glimpses!

What a shame @Clemenc0- does that mean anything future times requiring clearance will also be ruled out?

Apparently not @HoneyMobster.12 months is the minimum lapse before reapplication. Though without an inkling of what contributed to the decision I'd be wary of a double dose of rejection so early in one's career.

DD has accepted the offer of a fully funded PhD (not O or C). We are mightily relieved as she had no Plan B

That's fantastic @pepperaunt what an achievement!

Brilliant, well done to your DD @pepperaunt !

Great news @pepperaunt !

@Clemenc0 it's a tricky one. Nothing to do with his ability, so he needs to take comfort from that.

Not much news from here but I found typos in DD's thesis so we will be having a lengthy video call tomorrow to go through them. She is hoping to submit it this coming week.

It's amazing having ds home (very briefly - we were away when he came home and he's off for a 48 hour holiday abroad with his girlfriend). As of Friday a grandparent is on a sudden health decline which may be terminal so we will be going to see them. I keep looking at ds who is very definitely a man these days and still seeing him as at most an 8 year old. All a bit overwhelming isn't it.

Sorry to hear about the grandparent @PermanentTemporary . Hopefully you will see DS very soon.

DD's thesis is being submitted today. She has meetings about her new post and wants to get a couple of papers out between now and October. She is hoping to come home at the end of the month, which would really suit me in terms of having help with DF, but in the meantime she is running a marathon next weekend, then meeting us for an important football match the following one for DD2's birthday.

Do you still want me here? I mean as of tomorrow when her funding has run out, I'm not sure if she still qualifies as a student, although she hasn't graduated yet...

@Malbecfan I suppose my view is that people should stay on the thread until they naturally feel that it's no longer of interest?

@Malbecfan Yes, I still would like you to stay on the thread, if you are happy to. I always like reading your DDs' updates and it's interesting to hear about DC's lives beyond Oxbridge.

DD has been home since Wednesday, she received good reports from her supervisers and DoS this term, so very proud of her. On the internship front, she had couple of internship interviews but if nothing lands then it'll be casual work over the summer. I had a browse through the main jobs sites over last couple of months and there hasn't been loads of internship opportunities about to apply to, its doesn't seem to be a buoyant market at all, hardly any churn of opportunities posted. Of those that she's applied to, she doesn't hear anything back from a number of them, makes you wonder if they are being serious when they post or just wasting everyone's precious time. But I don't know if this is normal compared to previous years.

@Malbecfan I agree it’s lovely having people pop back in to this thread to update.

DC1 (graduated last year) has just applied for a competitive fully funded social work training programme- apparently 1 in 10 get through so fingers crossed. Similarly parental typo checking services were provided.

DC2 is still engrossed in uni rowing though hard to say more without outing (no pun intended!) but it’s all quite tense. Whatever happens they’re looking forward to being back to college rowing next term.

@PermanentTemporary hope the next few days and weeks are manageable- it’s a tough time for you and your DF.

Like you my 6’5” son still seems young - but he’s doing a very responsible job. Where did those years go. The combination of parents aging and dying and children reaching adulthood is discombobulating I find.

Sorry to hear that Clemenc0 - very frustrating and disappointing.

PettsWoodParadise I'm just wondering if I should tell the DC I currently have going through the process to break up just in case there are skeletons in the cupboard.... (I think we're ok on the family front - because another DC got through a couple of years ago). Do they tell you what the weak link is when they say no?

Just arrived home after the most perfect wedding at Queen's. The chapel must be the prettiest in Oxford - just beautiful. We were so lucky with the weather and the blossom was everywhere: there are small blossom trees lining the path across the front quad which provided very sustainable confetti in the breeze both before and after the service. Wonderful choir (probably goes without saying). Really proved vital for those high notes :) Queen's did everything flawlessly so a big thanks to them. The bride's father said how fortunate all these young people are to be able to go to university in such wonderful surroundings, which is so true. It was certainly what I thought when I walked back up Queen's Lane and back to North Oxford at around 10pm, having left the young ones to it (annoyingly all my 80's music - actually danceable to - started up just as I got around the back of the college. Still, the heels had proved killers, literally, so maybe a dignified exit was the best thing to do).