"Dude, where's my gown?": The Oxford Chat Thread Mk.III

I've knocked up a little spreadsheet that is giving me hours of procrastinating fun. Into two of the cells I've entered my own conservative/realistic estimate of the marks I might get for my Thesis and Extended Essay. Then I've taken the worst collection mark I've ever got for anything, and entered it into another five cells, representing my five Finals exams. Totalled them and divided by 7.

Then it's just a matter of shaving a mark off here and there, or adding one if necessary, checking that the average is still above 58.51, then shaving off another mark, or adding one, and repeat :juggle:

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1181

Fullofsurprises

20

Original post by shoshin

I've knocked up a little spreadsheet that is giving me hours of procrastinating fun. Into two of the cells I've entered my own conservative/realistic estimate of the marks I might get for my Thesis and Extended Essay. Then I've taken the worst collection mark I've ever got for anything, and entered it into another five cells, representing my five Finals exams. Totalled them and divided by 7.

Then it's just a matter of shaving a mark off here and there, or adding one if necessary, checking that the average is still above 58.51, then shaving off another mark, or adding one, and repeat :juggle:

Congrats on this, you are using your time wisely. :five:

Also you will be able to spend an extra hour in the bar/club/Bod (<< this last one was irony) every time you go above the critical mark.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1182

medbh4805

20

Did anyone here rusticate (for any reasons)? Did you start feeling negative about Oxford a few weeks in? I feel really ambiguous about coming back... is this just normal bitterness, will I get over it? :redface:

Reply 1183

The_Lonely_Goatherd

OP

20

Original post by medbh4805

Did anyone here rusticate (for any reasons)? Did you start feeling negative about Oxford a few weeks in? I feel really ambiguous about coming back... is this just normal bitterness, will I get over it? :redface:

I was asked to rusticate but stubbornly refused to :tongue:

I was very negative about Oxford a few weeks in, to the point that I was quite suicidal within weeks of starting :s-smilie:

You may get over it, you may not. It all depends really on why exactly you are bitter and ambiguous (to use your words). Like in my second year, I would promptly start shaking as soon as term started, yet when term finished and I returned to London, I was always fine. Eventually by third year, the shaking stopped altogether :iiam:

If you ever need to rant, do feel free to PM me. It's no secret that I didn't have the best Oxford experience :colondollar:

Reply 1184

medbh4805

20

Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd

I was asked to rusticate but stubbornly refused to :tongue:

I was very negative about Oxford a few weeks in, to the point that I was quite suicidal within weeks of starting :s-smilie:

You may get over it, you may not. It all depends really on why exactly you are bitter and ambiguous (to use your words). Like in my second year, I would promptly start shaking as soon as term started, yet when term finished and I returned to London, I was always fine. Eventually by third year, the shaking stopped altogether :iiam:

If you ever need to rant, do feel free to PM me. It's no secret that I didn't have the best Oxford experience :colondollar:

Spoiler

On the other hand I've been feeling more and more negative about my course and wondering if I should have done a more 'practical'/scientific degree and whether I should just drop out of Oxford altogether and start again with the open university. It's hard to see how much of that is genuine and how much is coming from the negative experiences at the end of last term though. :s-smilie:

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 1185

The_Lonely_Goatherd

OP

20

Original post by medbh4805

Spoiler

On the other hand I've been feeling more and more negative about my course and wondering if I should have done a more 'practical'/scientific degree and whether I should just drop out of Oxford altogether and start again with the open university. It's hard to see how much of that is genuine and how much is coming from the negative experiences at the end of last term though. :s-smilie:

Oh hun

I'm so so so very sorry that you had to go through all of that. There was me thinking I'd had a bad time at Oxford! :erm:

You're very brave to write about all this in a public forum and I'd like to commend you for that, and thank you for your bravery on behalf of myself and all others who have gone through similar things but don't have the guts that you have :lovehug:

Colleges are really REALLY inept when it comes to suicide attempts, I can confirm that much. In fact, colleges are pretty much inept with mental health problems, full stop. There have been slight improvements since I left, but clearly not enough if this is how your college dealt with you :frown:

I'm a bit baffled as to why they weren't gonna let you back to your room. I can see how that must have been extremely difficult and upsetting for you :sadnod:

I'm glad you got someone to shout at them. The whole "cognitive distortions" bull**** makes me wonder if you had my counsellor that I had at the Counselling Service (PP? Male, looks a bit like James Nesbitt).

Given all you've said, I honestly think you're better off leaving and starting afresh. However, I'm not sure how student finance would work for you if you did that, and I worry about you being out of a system where people can at least try to keep an eye on you, whilst you wait to start a new uni course. I do think these are important things to consider.

Classics is a really difficult course and I can see why you might be tempted to change. I think you have said something before about thinking about different subjects (forgive me if I'm confusing you with someone else).

I guess to summarise, I really don't know what is best for your mental health: staying or going. Rusticating can be difficult: you are cut off from all college resources, etc. including accommodation, any welfare tutors you may have seen, libraries. The whole she-bang.

Please do feel free to add me on Facebook if you like (I'm friends with suchalady, so you can look at her Facebook friends and figure it out) and to contact me however you wish if you want to chat further or get things off your chest. I don't know much about EUPD but I can empathise with a lot of what you have written :sadnod:

Big hugs from here :jumphug:

Reply 1186

nexttime

22

You know undergrad term has started again when out of nowhere you're getting 20 e-mails per day again.

Reply 1187

DCDude

10

Original post by medbh4805

It's hard to see how much of that is genuine and how much is coming from the negative experiences at the end of last term though. :s-smilie:

Based on a random sample of 2 experiences- one friend whose drink was spiked, and another who was assaulted by another student- and now yours it seems that Oxford as an institution is really not prepared to help students with personal issues. The attitude seems to be 'if there is a problem, either buck up and get through it, or go home until you have sorted it out'.

Like you, my friends didn't think anybody was trying to be mean or unhelpful- they just didn't know what to and were clueless as to just how clueless they were.

Sorry to hear that things are looking so bleak for you just now- I remember your posts from the early days- interview / offer holder threads (doesn't that seem a long time ago), and how enthusiastic you were about *learning*. I kind of lost track since then. Whatever else- @ Ox or someplace else- I hope that part comes back.

Also, I remember that you were looking for au pair jobs last summer- would you be interested this year? (not that I can promise anything, but I could ask around)

Reply 1188

humanb33N

14

Hi guys!

I'm aware that as a year 12, I really shouldn't be posting in here, but I have an urgent question...

Basically there are concerns about my mental health and I'm not really stable enough to sit my AS exams this year. I don't know exactly what is the matter with me because my appointment with a proper mental health specialist isn't until June. But it's been hinted that I might have depression/anxiety/Asperger's syndrome.

Would I have to take up four, completely different subjects when I re-do year 12?
Or would Oxford mind if I did the same subjects (Maths, English Lit, History, General Studies and Physics), plus more subjects? If so, how many extra subjects should I take?
I really don't want to have to drop the subjects that I'm currently doing because they're my best ones :no:

Thank you! :smile:

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 1189

anyone_can_fly

11

Original post by Jess_x

Hi guys!

I'm aware that as a year 12, I really shouldn't be posting in here, but I have an urgent question...

Basically there are concerns about my mental health and I'm not really stable enough to sit my AS exams this year. I don't know exactly what is the matter with me because my appointment with a proper mental health specialist isn't until June. But it's been hinted that I might have depression/anxiety/aspergers.

Would I have to take up four, completely different subjects when I re-do year 12?
Or would Oxford mind if I did the same subjects (Maths, English Lit, History, General Studies and Physics), plus more subjects? If so, how many extra subjects should I take?
I really don't want to have to drop the subjects that I'm currently doing because they're my best ones :no:

Thank you! :smile:

You should really ask an admissions tutor this in order to get a definitive answer (pick a college that you've been considering and email their admissions tutor). However, I'd be very surprised if there were any problem with you doing the same subjects.

Good luck with applying, and with your health. :smile:

Reply 1190

humanb33N

14

Original post by anyone_can_fly

You should really ask an admissions tutor this in order to get a definitive answer (pick a college that you've been considering and email their admissions tutor). However, I'd be very surprised if there were any problem with you doing the same subjects.

Good luck with applying, and with your health. :smile:

Thank you, I've just emailed St Hugh's..good luck with your exams! :smile:

Reply 1191

fluteflute

19

You learn something new every day....

Earth Sciences has a stated standard offer involving four A levels - http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses-listing/earth-sciences-geology

I thought that essentially all offers were three A levels.

Reply 1192

bíborcsiga

4

Hi Everyone,

My parents will be visiting me at The Other Place in June and we'd like to go to Oxford as well. Is there a time period during which colleges are closed to visitors (either because of exams or because of balls)? (I know in Cambridge this lasts until everyone has finished exams, which is the 13th of June this year.)

Thanks! :smile:

Reply 1193

nulli tertius

21

Original post by fluteflute

You learn something new every day....

Earth Sciences has a stated standard offer involving four A levels - http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses-listing/earth-sciences-geology

I thought that essentially all offers were three A levels.

It is an alternative offer though.

Earth Sciences is not overwhelmed with applicants. Indeed it makes chemistry look popular. A single course in petrology probably doesn't attract those looking to make squillions in the oil industry.

Reply 1194

Fullofsurprises

20

It's a comin! Oxford --> London in less than an hour. Who'd have ever thought it. :rolleyes:

http://www.cherwell.org/news/uk/2014/04/24/plans-for-new-rail-station-in-oxford-revealed

Reply 1195

nexttime

22

Medics do national post-grad exams allowing a unique insight into which unis' graduates are better than which. Lots of data here (ignore the PLAB stuff).
This graph in particular might be of interest - Oxford with a 95% confidence interval that starts ahead of any other medical school including Cambridge :cool:

Reply 1196

qwertyuiop1993

16

Original post by nexttime

Medics do national post-grad exams allowing a unique insight into which unis' graduates are better than which. Lots of data here (ignore the PLAB stuff).
This graph in particular might be of interest - Oxford with a 95% confidence interval that starts ahead of any other medical school including Cambridge :cool:

Do you have any idea why Oxford has an advantage over Cambridge?

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 1197

nulli tertius

21

Original post by qwertyuiop1993

Do you have any idea why Oxford has an advantage over Cambridge?

Posted from TSR Mobile

Oxford has always been said to favour "academic" over "bedside manner" medics. Is Cambridge the other way round?

Oxford kicks a lot of pre-clinical medics out (the teaching capacity of the university is greater than that of the John Radcliffe). Does Cambridge manage this process differently?

Reply 1198

fluteflute

19

Original post by qwertyuiop1993

Do you have any idea why Oxford has an advantage over Cambridge?

It seems reasonable to suppose that Oxford's more competitive entry is a contributing factor?

Original post by nulli tertius

Oxford kicks a lot of pre-clinical medics out (the teaching capacity of the university is greater than that of the John Radcliffe). Does Cambridge manage this process differently?

Cambridge has just changed (although obviously this won't affect the figures above).

Reply 1199

nexttime

22

Original post by qwertyuiop1993

Do you have any idea why Oxford has an advantage over Cambridge?

Million dollar question.

Original post by nulli tertius

Oxford has always been said to favour "academic" over "bedside manner" medics. Is Cambridge the other way round?

I wouldn't have thought so.

Its also of note that the particular graph i showed, the one where Oxford does the best, is the practical exam to be a GP and has the biggest emphasis on assessing 'soft' skills of all of those exams.

"Dude, where's my gown?": The Oxford Chat Thread Mk.III

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