Current Oxbridge students - new year, new thread

[TenSheds]

Fresh new thread for Oxbridge parents group therapy! With freshers moving in and existing students returning, reckoned someone ought to take the initiative so there's a home for all the news, blues and reviews.

The last continuation thread filled up before anyone set up a new one so hopefully existing and new Oxbridge parents find this one.

That's brilliant news @Clemenc0 congratulations to your DS.

My DC2 (3rd year MFL) had a smaller but also pleasing success this week- they passed their para legal exams in a specific area so can offer advice pro bono advice over the summer - longer term plan is the Bar. These para legal exams are regulated by the government with a 65% pass rate so great to have this done. Various legal work shadowing and internships arranged over the summer before buckling down for final year in October and law school applications.

That is good to hear @Juja. Good to hear that DC is getting stuck into the real world of work in a paralegal capacity. That has to be invaluable these days. I wish your DC well in future success.

Great news @Clemenc0 and @Juja

First year finishing and I was looking forward to having DD home for the summer, but after organising a last minute internship in Cambridge I am going to have to wait until the end of August, with a short visit back at the weekend. It's been a roller coaster year.

Thank you to @Dunnet , @HewasH2O and @Stockpot .This morning I took DS back to the nearest bus station that will get him back to C. in half an hour or so. He has a number of things to sort out before he returns in September. His GF is off to O at about the same time to start her PhD there. He may take her room over when she leaves. He might otherwise go back to a college room depending on costs and his stipend. There is always something to get on with in life. His mother has chemo to which to look forward very shortly after graduation. Otherwise we look forward to perhaps meeting GF's family from across the pond while they attend hers (M. Phil).

Congratulations to the DCs of @Clemenc0 and @Juja . DS got his masters results today and is gutted that although he got a first in his exams, his project was a 2:1 so he's got a merit rather than an distinction (?) in his MEng. I am immensely proud of him, but as someone who has always got the highest marks throughout his academic career to date, he is disappointed.

My mother had her first chemo last week and had a good week afterwards but the heat this week has been problematic and she ended up in A&E on a drip to rehydrate her....it's a bit of a rollercoaster, but I'm grateful for every day and every hug at the moment.

Graduation is on Friday so I'm looking forward to celebrating with DS - hopefully he will feel proud of himself by then. DD isn't going to get a graduation from Nottingham - just a 'celebration' and they may get a classification later in the summer....!!

Does anyone have experience with private accommodation during a Master's course at Cambridge (non-integrated) - cost, availability etc.? DC is considering private house-share with friends from different colleges vs college accommodation.

@TravellingLightToday yes, sort of. In my case DD was studying for her PhD rather than Masters, but lived with 4 friends. In the 1st year of them sharing, one was a vet in her final year, one was working for a college and couldn’t bear the thought of living there too, 2 were PhD students and one was a PGCE student. They got on brilliantly. The following year, the vet moved on, the PGCE person found their 1st job and someone from their course and also starting at the same school moved in.
A year later, the landlord wanted to sell up. The college-job person moved in with their partner so the remaining 4 looked for a different smaller house. They stayed together until last weekend when my DD moved out to live with her BF. The other 3 have a mutual friend taking DD’s room.
Be careful with guaranteeing contracts. I made life more tricky for DD by refusing to guarantee a joint & several contract. I was happy to be liable for her share, but not the share of people I didn’t know. Of course, I now know them well, but it did limit them a bit in terms of which landlords would offer it.
Edited to add: it is quite a lot more expensive than college accommodation but there is no moving in/out every term. DD loved having a proper kitchen with a decent freezer. They lived a bit away from the colleges in a “normal” street so got to know different parts of Cambridge.

PMed you @Panicmode1

@Panicmode1 it is so tough when they work so hard and then don't get the grade they were hoping for. You know it will be fine but so hard as a parent to see them upset especially if it is the first bump.

DC1 had this with his undergraduate project and felt sad for some time - it has taken them a year to be accepting. Their world has been such a bubble I found even saying; "A 2.1 from Oxbridge is amazing," fell on deaf ears.

Moving onto great new opportunities helped DC1 as it gives perspectives but that takes time. Part of DC1's problem is they had a passionate and committed but young supervisor who clearly didn't 'coach' them to meet the project marking requirements. But they learnt lots.

That all sounds very familiar @Juja- even down to me saying the same thing about an Oxbridge masters....! He had a very poor supervisor for the project too and he found it very frustrating...he chose it because it was an area he wanted to go into but the company he was eyeballing to apply to, 'only accepts firsts'...not sure that is necessarily true but he feels very down that it may not be a pursuable avenue. He does have a (very good) job lined up but it's not exactly what he wants so was hoping to apply to other things and feels this has limited his options.....

That sounds really frustrating @Panicmode1 , I think itself worth him applying anyway. Sometimes these things aren’t hard and fast. Also, it’s easier to be at peace with it, if he knows he tried.

There are more ways in than necessarily through classic grad schemes. Everyone thinks they must have that vital place, but sometimes getting in front of the right people, possibly through other routes, can open more opportunities

@panicmode I do feel for your DC. I remember when DS missed a first by 1 mark last year. He had to jump through some hoops, a bit reluctantly initially, with his DoS and being of the male type he left it to the last minute and put us through the wringer before he was accepted. He has, it seems, been trying to redeem himself. It happened this year. Maybe it just takes the love of a good woman; but that is another story...see below:

On the non-academic side of things, DS and Gf have had to agree to part. A pity, as it has been short, intense and been very good for him. He is staying at C for his PhD and she is now going to Scotland for hers, in lieu of O. Sustaining a relationship over that distance and for 3+ years is not practical and can be painful to live with (1976-7 comes to mind in my life when I tried it - that rarely ends well). A tough week for him emotionally. A septuacentennial ball at his college yesterday evening with a hangover to match meant that he was not in the best shape for a varsity tennis match today. Let us hope day two goes better. Winning against O may prove difficult, though.

Graduation day at last for DS at C. 50 years to the week since mine at Manchester.

DD has her result a very solid to upper 2:1. It was always a long shot to achieve a first as numbers handed out are slim and she enjoyed a lot of extra curriculars with the theatre scene at Uni but I think the fact it was a chance always hung in the air. We are super proud.

Not inconveniently getting a first has also made DD happier about her choice of moving into teaching. Her DoS had been trying to persuade her to do a masters but DD wanted a firebreak from uni life. Induction this week for new staff at the school she is training at went well and DD has a range of summer tutees lined up to help out with with the awkward fact she is paying for the privilege of teaching 4 days a week at a school, studying 1 day - all for minus £10k.

Lovely news @Clemenc0 & @PettsWoodParadise. What will she be teaching her very lucky pupils?

Thanks @HewasH2O she will be teaching English and Classical Civilisation at secondary school level.

It seems schools still value an Oxbridge qualification and there was a bit of a bun fight for her. Compare to Civil Service and other jobs where she was asked to strip all mention of where she studied and was disqualified from one role as she inadvertently left in her Cambridge email.

Lucky thing. When DD was looking into Teach First in her 3rd year (with PPE) they were only interested in her teaching maths instead of anything with words not numbers.

Thank you @HewasH2O. It was a lovely day with a group made up of both sides of the family.
C has been a good place for our DS, one in which he has thrived on his twin passions of hard-core mathematics and tennis. Fortunately for him, that continues in October.

Well done to the graduates - @PettsWoodParadiseand @Clemenc0

DD has finished fourth year. Last exam was yesterday morning. She has a two week break before 5th year starts. Fortunately most her placements seem to be quite local to Oxford.

DS1 is thriving. Now in his 2nd job after being headhunted. Still popping back to Oxford for alumni sport opportunities 🏏 🏉

Congratulations to the graduates - our turn tomorrow and I think it is going to be a rather warm, emotional day.

Can't believe that we are at the end of DS's Oxbridge journey - feels as though he only just got there 😂

Congratulations to your DS @Panicmode1 do I remember he might be in the morning (and our DD is afternoon) so we are unlikely to bump into each other?

Best of luck for tomorrow @Panicmode1- good that it’s not last week. You’d have melted!

Yes @PettsWoodParadisewe are morning.

And agreed @HoneyMobsterthank goodness it's cooler!