Has you DS actually had fun at Oxbridge?

[BigToe2]

I don’t often read about friends made, fun had or good experiences at Oxford or Cambridge. Pressurised environment is always mentioned and regret of not going to Durham, Bristol or Warwick etc. Does anyone have anything positive to share about their DCs experience.

Also
Have they managed to maintain old hobbies?
How have they coped with eating arrangements?

Did a negative turn out to be a positive?

Yes but referrals to camhs have doubled in 6 years so the intake is coming in with far more mental health issues than before, would be very surprised if every university doesn't have far more mental health issues to deal with than before. It obviously gets publicity when its Oxbridge.

There are certainly students there who feel pressured - DD is not one of them, nor does she work long hours, and think only one of her friend group does feel pressured (girls London school so imagine there was pressure before). All of them in her group have at least 5 hours a day for hobbies and DD certainly has almost half the year as holiday to work earning or holiday. Her private school friends are far wealthier than us (DD was at a comp) by many multiples and had much greater sporting opportunities at school though DD has managed to mostly catch them up in that. She's currently in China racing for Oxford against Princeton, Stanford, Cambridge, Otago and McGill and Chinese universities on a fully funded 2 week holiday to China with a few days of rowing comps. She is very grateful and realises how lucky she is to have this opportunity and has welcomed and been welcomed by the private school ones included staying at their holiday home on a lake in the Alps.

I didn't enjoy it, but with hindsight I should never have studied the subject I chose. I wasn't really that interested in it, which made it a real slog. Also, I was socially awkward and had a long-distance boyfriend I visited every weekend, so I really didn't help myself socially! None of that was the university's fault.

Loads of my friends absolutely loved it. Especially the ones who got a First, a Blue and a spouse 😂