Oxford Parents Association
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Reverting to a student loan for the fees is still an option. It is also possible to make early repayments on a student loan.
Check Ts&Cs on the student finance website:
https://www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan/make-extra-repayments
Check Ts&Cs on the student finance website:
https://www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan/make-extra-repayments
On the bed issue, I would have to agree with the above suggestion to speak to someone else.
Housekeeping are probably well used to a fair number mums and dads getting sniffy about rooms and perhaps are stuck on that ‘standard response’.
However if there’s a real sleeping and wellfare issue the easiest way to get them off that page is to speak to someone else in the college, as suggested. It might be better if your son requests a meeting? The last thing housekeeping want is someone genuinely trying to lug an Ikea bed up complete each term, but they possibly do get a lot of ill founded parents requests every year. Not that this is.
Housekeeping are probably well used to a fair number mums and dads getting sniffy about rooms and perhaps are stuck on that ‘standard response’.
However if there’s a real sleeping and wellfare issue the easiest way to get them off that page is to speak to someone else in the college, as suggested. It might be better if your son requests a meeting? The last thing housekeeping want is someone genuinely trying to lug an Ikea bed up complete each term, but they possibly do get a lot of ill founded parents requests every year. Not that this is.
On the bed issue, your best bet is for your son (not you) to speak to college welfare explaining the impact on his health and wellbeing and the steps he is suggesting to solve it. Academic staff will not really be able to get involved, but the welfare team may be able to explain to housekeeping that this is a genuine health concern not just a fussy student or an over-involved parent.
But it is important that he does it not you. Since students are legally adults, colleges much prefer to deal with them direct than with parents (where they are limited in what they can say as they are effectively discussing an adult’s health with a third party and if the student turned around and said “why did you talk to my mum about that” they could be in a lot of trouble.)
But it is important that he does it not you. Since students are legally adults, colleges much prefer to deal with them direct than with parents (where they are limited in what they can say as they are effectively discussing an adult’s health with a third party and if the student turned around and said “why did you talk to my mum about that” they could be in a lot of trouble.)
Original post by xyz1234567
On the bed issue, your best bet is for your son (not you) to speak to college welfare explaining the impact on his health and wellbeing and the steps he is suggesting to solve it. Academic staff will not really be able to get involved, but the welfare team may be able to explain to housekeeping that this is a genuine health concern not just a fussy student or an over-involved parent.
But it is important that he does it not you. Since students are legally adults, colleges much prefer to deal with them direct than with parents (where they are limited in what they can say as they are effectively discussing an adult’s health with a third party and if the student turned around and said “why did you talk to my mum about that” they could be in a lot of trouble.)
But it is important that he does it not you. Since students are legally adults, colleges much prefer to deal with them direct than with parents (where they are limited in what they can say as they are effectively discussing an adult’s health with a third party and if the student turned around and said “why did you talk to my mum about that” they could be in a lot of trouble.)
Totally agree, he should have done it all himself. The reason I’ve got involved because Accommodation team was footballing him, as they now footballing me. We’ll try to discuss it will Wellfare.
Original post by Scotney
Hi Muttley can you suggest a suitable storage company for above poster
A quick google found this: https://lovespace.co.uk/student-storage/oxford/
Why are these colleges not providing standard sized beds?
Original post by Anonymous #29
Totally agree, he should have done it all himself. The reason I’ve got involved because Accommodation team was footballing him, as they now footballing me. We’ll try to discuss it will Wellfare.
https://lovespace.co.uk/student-storage/oxford/
Original post by Anonymous #4
Thank you, St John’s has refused to accept regular payments on the grounds that the college pays fees for self pay students to the Uni at once. They asked about the reasons why we want to pay monthly, we’ve said because we get a monthly salary and also Student Finance company pays fees termly. They’ve said this is not a sufficient reason.
At St Hughs we pay the whole uni fee at the start of the academic year but the college rents termly.
Original post by Scotney
Also every college is a law unto themselves on these matters and some are more accommodating than others.He could put the mattress into storage for the summer.Colleges do generally insist rooms are completely cleared in the summer as they are often let out during the holidays Ps I do not think calling housekeeping silly is the way to go imo.Always be polite as it generally gets you further in these matters.They are being a bit difficult but 190cm is standard for UK singles.
I think that the college admin/housekeeping staff are being silly. By all means be polite, but the suggestion that a college can't store a mattress during vacations is daft.
On another topic, can the Dark Blues avoid another four nil whitewash on the Tideway this weekend?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SYYusWxntw
One of my friends from college rowed twice for Oxford in victorious Blues boats. He is my college's only Olympian to date (although we did have CB Fry). I was not a sporty student, and to this day I have no clue where in Oxford my college's sports ground is. I often got up very early when I was an undergraduate, but not to go to the river with the rowers. I used to get a lot of essay writing done before 8am, have an early tutorial, get the reading list for the next essay, and then goof off for the rest of the day. All nighters popping Pro Plus pills never worked for me.
By this means I also avoided the fearful college sausages and leathery toast at breakfast in Hall, but these days I quite like them when hungover the morning after a Gaudy.
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by Muttley79
A quick google found this: https://lovespace.co.uk/student-storage/oxford/
Why are these colleges not providing standard sized beds?
Why are these colleges not providing standard sized beds?
The discussion is about one college rather than several colleges. The beds at that college are the standard length but a tad narrow, perhaps because its rooms are smaller than those of some colleges.
Maybe the student needs to recruit a Classics Don to his cause by saying that the college has given him the bed of Procrustes.
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by Stiffy Byng
Colleges? The discussion is about one college. Its beds are the standard length but a tad narrow, perhaps because its rooms are smaller than those of some colleges.
Maybe the student needs to recruit a Classics Don to his cause by saying that the college has given him the bed of Procrustes.
Maybe the student needs to recruit a Classics Don to his cause by saying that the college has given him the bed of Procrustes.
The room is actually quite big, it consists of two half-rooms and certainly has a space for a 90*200 mattress.
Original post by Anonymous #4
The room is actually quite big, it consists of two half-rooms and certainly has a space for a 90*200 mattress.
Maybe the college got a cheapo deal from some bloke flogging off old submarines, or the Dean is a Puritan intent on discouraging nocturnal shenanigans. Joking apart, the college should allow a big student a bigger bed.
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by Stiffy Byng
Maybe the college got a cheapo deal from some bloke flogging off old submarines, or the Dean is a Puritan intent on discouraging nocturnal shenanigans. Joking apart, the college should allow a big student a bigger bed.
Other colleges also have non-standard singles - these are adults not children at a Boarding school. There's no excuse at all for any college.
No, there isn’t really is there..
Good luck. Go get em. 👍
Good luck. Go get em. 👍
Original post by AnonOxE
Reverting to a student loan for the fees is still an option. It is also possible to make early repayments on a student loan.
Check Ts&Cs on the student finance website:
https://www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan/make-extra-repayments
Check Ts&Cs on the student finance website:
https://www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan/make-extra-repayments
Yes this was my thinking too as a way round it.
Well done,Thames Water. Whichever boats win on Saturday, the victorious coxes can't be thrown into the river by the rowers as is customary. A river that died, but came back to life, is polluted again.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68674088
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68674088
(edited 1 month ago)
PS: Falling out a punt in Cambridge is safer than falling out of a punt in Oxford. There is (or at least used to be) a small chance that if you take an unplanned dip in the River Cherwell you could catch Weil's disease, although this never stopped my lot from plunging in. I don't think that this is an issue in the River Cam. Having said that, the Cam along the Backs is much more crowded than the Cherwell (except by Magdalen Bridge), and at Cambridge they have those gigantic mega-punts for tourists, so a swimmer might be squished.
I suspect that most people who fall out of punts do so sort of on purpose. My daughter has announced that, although she is a feminist, chivalry is not dead, and she shall compose herself on the cushions in the manner of Zuleika Dobson, while the sturdy young men of her college show off their nascent punting skills. It cannot be long before one of them is left holding onto the pole (stuck in the mud) but separated from the punt, and the usual bets can be laid on how long it takes for the pole to tip sideways and drop him into the river.
Cue Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It: "Feet off the furniture, you Oxbridge ****. You're not in a punt now."
I suspect that most people who fall out of punts do so sort of on purpose. My daughter has announced that, although she is a feminist, chivalry is not dead, and she shall compose herself on the cushions in the manner of Zuleika Dobson, while the sturdy young men of her college show off their nascent punting skills. It cannot be long before one of them is left holding onto the pole (stuck in the mud) but separated from the punt, and the usual bets can be laid on how long it takes for the pole to tip sideways and drop him into the river.
Cue Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It: "Feet off the furniture, you Oxbridge ****. You're not in a punt now."
(edited 1 month ago)
Son had his birthday 2 weeks after going up to Oxford.We decided to pay him a visit and he was eager to share his newly acquired punting skills.Family with some trepidation on my part safely climbed aboard a punt by the Magdalen Bridge all ready to enjoy a peaceful picnic on the river.
We made it under the Bridge but an overhanging branch brought a very abrupt halt to the idyllic afternoon we had envisaged.Son was left holding on for dear life to the pole as he went plunging into the Cherwell.His sister of course as sisters are want to do was howling with laughter as he remerged covered in green weed.Very entertaining for the watching tourists too!
He bravely decided to punt on after removing his top which at least got him a few wolf whistles for his troubles!Poor love was absolutely frozen by the time our hour was up and his father resorted to buying him an overpriced tourist Oxford hoodie in an attempt to stave off hyperthermia!
After three years at Oxford and then his time in Cambridge he was an absolute pro and we were treated to several trips down the Backs in Darwin's own punts with expert piloting and commentary!
I think punting at Cambridge is the only thing that Cambridge wins over Oxford on but the historian in me likes looking at the architecture of all the colleges whereas biologist son prefers the meadows of Oxford and the relative peacefulness.
We made it under the Bridge but an overhanging branch brought a very abrupt halt to the idyllic afternoon we had envisaged.Son was left holding on for dear life to the pole as he went plunging into the Cherwell.His sister of course as sisters are want to do was howling with laughter as he remerged covered in green weed.Very entertaining for the watching tourists too!
He bravely decided to punt on after removing his top which at least got him a few wolf whistles for his troubles!Poor love was absolutely frozen by the time our hour was up and his father resorted to buying him an overpriced tourist Oxford hoodie in an attempt to stave off hyperthermia!
After three years at Oxford and then his time in Cambridge he was an absolute pro and we were treated to several trips down the Backs in Darwin's own punts with expert piloting and commentary!
I think punting at Cambridge is the only thing that Cambridge wins over Oxford on but the historian in me likes looking at the architecture of all the colleges whereas biologist son prefers the meadows of Oxford and the relative peacefulness.
Original post by Scotney
Son had his birthday 2 weeks after going up to Oxford.We decided to pay him a visit and he was eager to share his newly acquired punting skills.Family with some trepidation on my part safely climbed aboard a punt by the Magdalen Bridge all ready to enjoy a peaceful picnic on the river.
We made it under the Bridge but an overhanging branch brought a very abrupt halt to the idyllic afternoon we had envisaged.Son was left holding on for dear life to the pole as he went plunging into the Cherwell.His sister of course as sisters are want to do was howling with laughter as he remerged covered in green weed.Very entertaining for the watching tourists too!
He bravely decided to punt on after removing his top which at least got him a few wolf whistles for his troubles!Poor love was absolutely frozen by the time our hour was up and his father resorted to buying him an overpriced tourist Oxford hoodie in an attempt to stave off hyperthermia!
After three years at Oxford and then his time in Cambridge he was an absolute pro and we were treated to several trips down the Backs in Darwin's own punts with expert piloting and commentary!
I think punting at Cambridge is the only thing that Cambridge wins over Oxford on but the historian in me likes looking at the architecture of all the colleges whereas biologist son prefers the meadows of Oxford and the relative peacefulness.
We made it under the Bridge but an overhanging branch brought a very abrupt halt to the idyllic afternoon we had envisaged.Son was left holding on for dear life to the pole as he went plunging into the Cherwell.His sister of course as sisters are want to do was howling with laughter as he remerged covered in green weed.Very entertaining for the watching tourists too!
He bravely decided to punt on after removing his top which at least got him a few wolf whistles for his troubles!Poor love was absolutely frozen by the time our hour was up and his father resorted to buying him an overpriced tourist Oxford hoodie in an attempt to stave off hyperthermia!
After three years at Oxford and then his time in Cambridge he was an absolute pro and we were treated to several trips down the Backs in Darwin's own punts with expert piloting and commentary!
I think punting at Cambridge is the only thing that Cambridge wins over Oxford on but the historian in me likes looking at the architecture of all the colleges whereas biologist son prefers the meadows of Oxford and the relative peacefulness.
That is the classic way to do it!
I recall that, as an undergraduate, falling out of a punt was an opportunity to assume a state of waterlogged semi-undress in the presence of that hyper-brainy English Lit scholar from Lincoln College on whom I was crushing, as the afternoon went on and the pile of empty wine bottles grew larger.
I assume that you are familiar with the story of Maurice Bowra at Parson's Pleasure.
Oxford has nothing to rival the Backs, but Cambridge has nothing to rival Radcliffe Square. On the rivers, I prefer punting upstream from the Cherwell boathouse (which is a good restaurant) and reaching the pub and the picnic fields north of the ring road.
I shall say nothing about the lamentable Cambridge habit of punting from the wrong end of the boat.
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by Stiffy Byng
Has your son been speaking to administrative staff or academic staff about this? I would have thought that a discussion between your son and the senior Fellow in his subject about the problem might induce the Fellow to talk to the admin staff and persuade them that they are being silly.
Has your son spoken to the Dean of the college? If all else fails, if your son's college has what at my college were called "Warden's Collections" (a once a term one to one meeting with the Head of the College), you son might say -
"I'm sorry to bother you with this, Warden/Master/Provost/Rector/Principal/President/El Supremo/whatever, but I really can't sleep well in my room and it's impacting my work and well being. Frankly, I think that the college is being silly about this. Please can you give the housekeeping team a nudge?".
I would expect the typical Head of House then to say to the Dean or Domestic Bursar "WTF, Dude?", but more politely, and in Latin.
Has your son spoken to the Dean of the college? If all else fails, if your son's college has what at my college were called "Warden's Collections" (a once a term one to one meeting with the Head of the College), you son might say -
"I'm sorry to bother you with this, Warden/Master/Provost/Rector/Principal/President/El Supremo/whatever, but I really can't sleep well in my room and it's impacting my work and well being. Frankly, I think that the college is being silly about this. Please can you give the housekeeping team a nudge?".
I would expect the typical Head of House then to say to the Dean or Domestic Bursar "WTF, Dude?", but more politely, and in Latin.
Hilarious
Oh well ,there's always next year. Well done Isis! EDIT: sorry, not Isis, Osiris. Now I sound like I'm singing The Magic Flute!
(edited 3 weeks ago)
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