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.

Has anyone Oxford-focussed ever had to load/unload in Circus St?
Traumatic!
Thank goodness he doesn’t have to clear his whole room every vacation, as he did last year.

Barely hearing from DD. Just the odd text to say she's having a great time! Which is rather lovely. Her Freshers' week timetable is packed.

Same here. DS (only child) went off to do his postgrad (he came home for final year - were London based and his flatmates decided to move across town and he decided he’d rather come home to home cooked meal and room service 🤣).

He was in dorms before but this was next to my office so at least he ‘felt’ close and we’d meet for lunch every so and often.

Lordy I miss him - occasional message (basically ‘weeeheeeee! I’ll never leaving this place!’ Which is of course bloody brilliant but I’m so sad!).

Sigh… it gets better, right?

I posted the advent calendar display in the supermarket asking which he fancies. Got a reply in two minutes 🤣

Great idea. I'll try that next. I fear the cat pics might wear thin after a while.

At the moment, DS is giving us a daily check-in by WhatsApp with a short summary of events; this is what he did on his gap-year too, and then it dwindled as he settled into routines. He's been to his first few lectures, and lab work starts today, with supervisions next week; it's been an intense week for him.

He's trying out for a sports team and a band this weekend, and thinks he'll have time for one more "other" society but isn't yet sure which. I think that sounds sustainable, but obviously the workload hasn't kicked in properly yet!

Am I the only person getting fifty texts a day?! Makes sense - DD basically talks constantly.

I get the odd flurry of WhatsApp messages - usually asking me for some info - not usually replying to my queries (ie did you get the gift card?).

Yes. Feel like I've done Freshers week. All good fun, glad to hear your new starters are all settling well.

DD, year 2, signed up over 150 new freshers for her club. She is chuffed.

That sounds like a good haul of newbies! What is her club?

An engineering club 😃

Amazing! Well done to her. Was just curious to see if it might be something DD had joined but her interests are firmly on the theatrical side!

Sounds like you might see some good shows at Cambridge over the next 3 years!

Ah, actually Oxford, should have checked in the thread first!

But yes, hope so!

I’m sure the amateur shows in Oxford will be very good!

I Wish!!! Ds is more of a “needs to know”, we’ve had something everyday and I do think he’s both busy and making a conscious effort to stay in touch but there’s so much more I’d like to know than the odd snippet. I’ve been trying to play it cool but tonight I sent a barrage of questions (it was only 3 actually!!) - read but no reply. What I do know is that he’s settled in, made “normal” mates, and enjoying it, I guess thats all I should need.

LOL!

DD is very much an oversharer. When she was in primary school and other parents were telling me they had no idea what their kids were up to as they'd ask them and get 'nothing much' in reply, I was getting a blow by blow breakdown of the day which sometimes lasted several hours and which I had to pay full attention to as she'd want to discuss it all.

It is swings and roundabouts really. I mean, I could have happily skipped 99% of those blow by blow accounts but on the other hand it's great to hear what she is up to.

She called earlier and told me about her auditions today. And just sent a video of her bedroom floor which is surprisingly clear. I mean, shockingly clear. Maybe she has finally grown up?!

I think they are very busy. DD seems to have had stuff going on all day every day. Once term proper starts they will have a bit more breathing space.

I am trying so hard not to bombard DS with all the little questions I have! Those will wait until he comes home in December. I agree with @MonGrainDeSel that they are all very busy in these first few weeks. How much things calm down will depend a lot on the subject; the 'humanities/sciences' split is, I think, even bigger at Oxbridge than elsewhere. Everyone is given stupidly large amounts of work, but essay-subject students are given much more freedom to manage their own time and workload, whereas STEM/Medical students have a full timetable of lectures and practicals (DS is not looking forward to Saturday morning lectures today!)

Back in the day, I did a joint honours course with a humanity and a STEM, and the difference in style was chalk and cheese (but the workload and difficulty was much the same!) I can't imagine it's changed much in the fundamentals.

@MonGrainDeSel that was my DD at primary school too, and high school for that matter! Lovely to hear everyone settling in. We didn't get too many messages as a Fresher, but as a returning student I've had loads of updates. I dare say it'll tail off when term proper starts on Monday, although when deadlines are looming, it's a more manageable way of keeping parents happy than committing to a call!

Yep, secondary school also featured long explanations of who had said what to whom and what this really meant!

I am grateful for all the messages, really. It's nice to hear what she is up to and I know it's just that she is having a really wonderful time and wants to share her happiness. And lovely to see photos of what she has been up to, as well. It would be awful if she was messaging because she was unhappy.

I’m finding it really tough. The last few months have been pretty tough - ill health, family drama (pretty serious stuff) one sister terminally ill and another sibling had a stroke, in-law with cancer and heart problems… did I mention a wee bit depressed…? I feel that I’ve ’missed’ the last few months with him being home with us because all I really wanted to do was curl up and hide under the bed!

We didn’t even get to go on holiday this summer (work and we couldn’t leave the family drama as it kicked off bad and we needed to be around).

DS is on a postgrad and was home for his last year so we had him home for almost a year and a half. He was working like stink then had work over the summer (home based but rarely saw him!). But he was always there… random hugs and cups of tea (from him - he makes terrible tea), always came to see me when I walked through the door to take my bags and ask how my day was…

Im so happy that he loves it up there - he’s having a blast from what I can tell - out every night, doing all the ‘Cambridge stuff’, says in (rare)
WhatsApp that his flatmates and course mates are great and he loves it.

I know - this is a ‘me’ but after 22 years of being there it’s really lonely. Now I’m wallowing in ‘well, it’s just old age and death now…).

Get a grip HBP…!!!

Ok moan over - time for a stretch, more coffee and to tackle that bathroom floor and get some laundry on…

@HoneyButterPopcorn sorry to read about your rough few months.
When DD1 was a postgrad, she rarely updated me on day-to-day stuff and of course she stayed around after the end of undergrad terms so we saw her less. However, I asked her to nominate a time for a chat every couple of weeks and that worked. Sometimes she would message asking for advice which was nice (how to deal with a particularly cocky kid in supervisions). As I was an experienced teacher , it was nice to be able to add something useful.
Your DS will be getting established. Hopefully he’ll be available very soon. Message and ask when he’ll have a few minutes.

@HoneyButterPopcorn Sorry you are having such a tough time. I hope you have some support around you.