The Student Room Group

Oxford Parents Association

A space for prospective and current Oxford parents to discuss all things Oxford

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
@Scotney
@10271661
@mamabennett

Hi, my younger son attended Exeter college (now graduated) and my younger son is at Oriel, reading medicine. Just thought it might be nice to get to know each other, share our stresses during interview/results day time. And just have a good old gossip. Do ask me anything you like about being an Oxford parent. It's a great experience, and I hope you enjoy it. But if you have any technical questions about admissions, etc, Doones is your man.

Speak to you soon! :shakehand:
Original post by Oxford Mum
A space for prospective and current Oxford parents to discuss all things Oxford
Reply 2
Thanks for starting this thread @OxfordMum. I’m a prospective Oxford parent, hoping that the A levels go well this summer and I’ll be filling the car and heading to Oxford in October to drop my daughter off.🤞🏻
Original post by Oxford Mum
@Scotney
@10271661
@mamabennett

Hi, my younger son attended Exeter college (now graduated) and my younger son is at Oriel, reading medicine. Just thought it might be nice to get to know each other, share our stresses during interview/results day time. And just have a good old gossip. Do ask me anything you like about being an Oxford parent. It's a great experience, and I hope you enjoy it. But if you have any technical questions about admissions, etc, Doones is your man.

Speak to you soon! :shakehand:
Reply 3
Hi, my daughter will study at Oxford this summer. This year the first term starts on the 13th of October. How many days can freshmen arrive early to college, one or two weeks? We are overseas students and need to book a flight.


Original post by Oxford Mum
@Scotney
@10271661
@mamabennett

Hi, my younger son attended Exeter college (now graduated) and my younger son is at Oriel, reading medicine. Just thought it might be nice to get to know each other, share our stresses during interview/results day time. And just have a good old gossip. Do ask me anything you like about being an Oxford parent. It's a great experience, and I hope you enjoy it. But if you have any technical questions about admissions, etc, Doones is your man.

Speak to you soon! :shakehand:
Original post by AUJ200
Hi, my daughter will study at Oxford this summer. This year the first term starts on the 13th of October. How many days can freshmen arrive early to college, one or two weeks? We are overseas students and need to book a flight.

We call it 'freshers' ...
Presumably you've checked on here:
https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/new?wssl=1
(edited 5 years ago)
Reply 6
I'm glad you like it. I have been lurking on TSR for years, and didn't dare to post because I thought it was only for students. My earnest queries seemed a little trivial. I would have liked to have seen a thread like this then.

Filling the car: hope you have a big boot! You will need the normal stuff (but probably not a duvet), plus a couple of cocktail dresses and sub fusc. Then when you pick your daughter back up, there will be even more stuff. The elder child came back with an oil painting (by a fellow student) and a light sabre. The younger one had a birthday recently and was gifted an actual poker table.

Before you set off, make sure you research Oxford's tricky one way system. Hopefully you will have a sat nav on your mobile etc. Also parking can be a nightmare especially right in the city centre. Exeter had to share a few spaces between them and Jesus and Lincoln. Oriel has to share with Christchurch. Don't park in the disabled bays, but you can use the double yellow lines. Once there you need to get a parking permit It is timed, and you can't overrun. I sometimes think this is a traffic warden's favourite time of year. They make brisk business every end and beginning of term.

What is your daughter reading? Let us know the result on A level day. I will raise a glass in her honour, if the outcome is favourable (know it will be).
Original post by 10271661
Thanks for starting this thread @OxfordMum. I’m a prospective Oxford parent, hoping that the A levels go well this summer and I’ll be filling the car and heading to Oxford in October to drop my daughter off.🤞🏻
Original post by Oxford Mum
I'm glad you like it. I have been lurking on TSR for years.


:lurk:

I feel old enough to be an Oxford parent so I'm going to post. Sod it.

Hello
Reply 8
What Muttley says is true. You will need to contact the college to find out when they can come. It's just that during the long vac, many colleges hold conferences and so the rooms may be taken up. The permitted arrival dates may vary from college to college. The porters or admin office are always very helpful in this regard. My elder son had a friend from Belfast who preferred to fly rather than arrive by ferry. I think he only came a couple of days before everyone else though. Please do not book the flights until you have contacted the college and made sure it is ok.

Hope your daughter and her friend have a lovely time studying at Oxford.
Original post by AUJ200
Hi, my daughter will study at Oxford this summer. This year the first term starts on the 13th of October. How many days can freshmen arrive early to college, one or two weeks? We are overseas students and need to book a flight.
Reply 9
I understand there are many Oxford threads, often with people asking if they are good enough. But not one single one for parents alone. As I have said I wanted to speak out on the Oxford general admissions thread when I was a prospective parent, but didn't want to butt in when the thread really belonged to the students, along with their triumphs and their concerns. The parents may have quite different issues they might want to discuss, indeed a couple of parents have already PM'd me with questions.

Certainly Oxford Brookes is a great university and I have already recommended it to several people on TSR. It has brand new, very impressive buildings and is situated in a tranquil location, far away from the general touristy city centre. I wouldn't have minded studying there myself. There are also regular buses to and from the city centre. If any parents from Oxford Brookes wants to come to this thread and talk about Oxford, I will be more than happy to welcome them. :hello:

Oxford Uni certainly may not be the best place to study some degrees, I agree. It depends on your individual choice. However many people from TSR do get to Oxford, and are curious as to what this may involve.

If this thread does not generate any interest and dies a death, I will close it down. But for now, I am very happy to have a chat with any interested parties.
Original post by Muttley79
Brookes is a very fine university - anyone would be proud to have a child study there :smile:

Hello, Snufkin. Do I remember you from TSR a while ago? I seem to remember your avatar. Old or young, you are welcome on this thread. A bit of controversy already on this thread and it's only a few hours old!!!! :s-smilie: Maybe you could play the important role of referee....

(Thought it would be something like my son/daughter is going to such and such a college, reading such and such a degree. What's it like?)

Original post by Snufkin
:lurk:

I feel old enough to be an Oxford parent so I'm going to post. Sod it.

Hello
Original post by Oxford Mum
I understand there are many Oxford threads, often with people asking if they are good enough. But not one single one for parents alone. As I have said I wanted to speak out on the Oxford general admissions thread when I was a prospective parent, but didn't want to butt in when the thread really belonged to the students, along with their triumphs and their concerns. The parents may have quite different issues they might want to discuss, indeed a couple of parents have already PM'd me with questions.

Certainly Oxford Brookes is a great university and I have already recommended it to several people on TSR. It has brand new, very impressive buildings and is situated in a tranquil location, far away from the general touristy city centre. I wouldn't have minded studying there myself. There are also regular buses to and from the city centre. If any parents from Oxford Brookes wants to come to this thread and talk about Oxford, I will be more than happy to welcome them. :hello:

Oxford Uni certainly may not be the best place to study some degrees, I agree. It depends on your individual choice. However many people from TSR do get to Oxford, and are curious as to what this may involve.

If this thread does not generate any interest and dies a death, I will close it down. But for now, I am very happy to have a chat with any interested parties.


I agree, you do your thing. It's a cool idea. May I be an honorary parent, please? :tongue:
Of course, with pleasure. And being an honorary parent means you can share our cookies, too!

:tea::cookie:
Original post by Snufkin
I agree, you do your thing. It's a cool idea. May I be an honorary parent, please? :tongue:
Original post by Oxford Mum
Hello, Snufkin. Do I remember you from TSR a while ago? I seem to remember your avatar. Old or young, you are welcome on this thread. A bit of controversy already on this thread and it's only a few hours old!!!! :s-smilie: Maybe you could play the important role of referee....

(Thought it would be something like my son/daughter is going to such and such a college, reading such and such a degree. What's it like?)


Maybe? I've been poking around for 10+ years. This is actually a new avatar but I had a very similar one for agesssssss.

Referee eh... you can trust me to be fair and impartial, no problem. :fuhrer::fuhrer::fuhrer::fuhrer:
I see you are also a maker of sandwiches. That could come in very handy! And are you Norwegian? I was born on May 17th - if you are Norwegian, you will know this is your national day! Is Snufkin from the Moomins?

If you like Tolkien, you may wish to know that Tolkien went to my elder son's college (Exeter). When Tolkien was in the Exeter library, he stumbled across a book in Finnish. As you know, Finnish is quite an unusual language and it inspired him to make up a new language (Sindarin?) for the Lord of the Rings. And you probably know this, but there is a new film coming out about Tolkien's life soon.
Original post by Oxford Mum
Of course, with pleasure. And being an honorary parent means you can share our cookies, too!

:tea::cookie:
Original post by Oxford Mum
I see you are also a maker of sandwiches. That could come in very handy! And are you Norwegian? I was born on May 17th - if you are Norwegian, you will know this is your national day! Is Snufkin from the Moomins?

If you like Tolkien, you may wish to know that Tolkien went to my elder son's college (Exeter). When Tolkien was in the Exeter library, he stumbled across a book in Finnish. As you know, Finnish is quite an unusual language and it inspired him to make up a new language (Sindarin?) for the Lord of the Rings. And you probably know this, but there is a new film coming out about Tolkien's life soon.


Heh, no I'm not Norwegian - but I have a weird obsession with the country (in fact, I'm applying to do a BA in Norwegian as a mature student atm). Yes, Snufkin is indeed from the Moomins. You a fan?

Tolkien :coma: The trailer for the new film about him looks alright, might see it. But biopics are often disappointing in my opinion. He actually constructed several 'Elvish' languages and a whole language evolution history to accompany them, Sindarin was one of the last. Quenya was the first I think. Awesome guy.
I can remember seeing the Moomins on TV when I was a kid. I thought they were alluring because they were like nothing else I'd ever seen before.

As for Norway, I have been to the fjords before and they were beautiful. The first time I saw them was when the eurovision song contest was held in Norway and there was a clip of the fjords then. I went to the fjords on the Queen Victoria with my kids. My elder son loved the fjords so much, he wanted to move Oxford there and call it Oxfjord! Now he works for P&O/ Cunard so we can go very cheaply.
Original post by Snufkin
Heh, no I'm not Norwegian - but I have a weird obsession with the country (in fact, I'm applying to do a BA in Norwegian as a mature student atm). Yes, Snufkin is indeed from the Moomins. You a fan?

Tolkien :coma: The trailer for the new film about him looks alright, might see it. But biopics are often disappointing in my opinion. He actually constructed several 'Elvish' languages and a whole language evolution history to accompany them, Sindarin was one of the last. Quenya was the first I think. Awesome guy.
I am not a pushy parent. My son decided himself he wanted to apply to Oxford aged 11. My younger son followed suit after the elder one got in. I never pressured my kids but enabled them to achieve. They have been extremely happy there. The older one has already graduated and misses it every day. That makes a world of difference. I have been PM'd by several students who are very keen on getting in themselves and wanted my help. No parents were pulling their strings.
Reply 18
Hi all, this thread has now been re-opened on request from the OP.

:yay:

PS. It shouldn't be necessary for me to say this but can participants respect each other and keep it constructive. Problem posts will be removed and such posters will be carded.

Original post by Oxford Mum
A space for prospective and current Oxford parents to discuss all things Oxford
(edited 5 years ago)
@AUJ200
@10271661

Hi everybody, thread is open again for business! Is everyone having a good bank holiday?
(edited 5 years ago)

Quick Reply