Negatives of Oxbridge

Question slightly off topic, but I need answers! I understand that term time in Oxford is brief (8 weeks?), and so do you return home between every term? This sounds pretty unappealing to me as it would mean spending more time at home than at University!

Question slightly off topic, but I need answers! I understand that term time in Oxford is brief (8 weeks?), and so do you return home between every term? This sounds pretty unappealing to me as it would mean spending more time at home than at University!

I don't know about Oxford but at Cambridge, we get a week either side (at least) of the eight week term in Cambridge, with no work or lectures, just having fun. It's great. So you end up with about 30 weeks in Cambridge (at least). You are under no obligation to spend the extra two weeks in Cambridge. However, you do have to pay for it (apart from the week at the end of michaelmas when you can sublet your room back to the college.

...However, you do have to pay for it (apart from the week at the end of michaelmas when you can sublet your room back to the college.

Aw, I think we still pay the whole lot at Churchill even then. And I need to leave early so I can work to pay for all this rent I'm not using.

ISA: You don't understand until you see it. I saw levels of social retardedness that were absolutely stratospheric, including extremely poor levels of English from internationals who have allegedly passed English tests in order to go to Oxford, 25-year-olds with the social skills of 15-year-olds, and people who don't know how to park bicycles.
And yes, when I said it was difficult to get involved with university activities, I did include the student journalism etc in that. Can't speak for the Union as I was never interested in being a member and was advised by others that the joining cost wasn't worth it.

You strike me as being someone besotted with the Oxford dream, which doesn't much match the reality. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my year there well enough, but more fool you if you've bought into all the shiny advertising. I think you want to go there for all the wrong reasons, and this will only show if you ever have an interview there.

Who is Sarah?

You spend more time at Uni while you're there - longer terms!

you can moan about it with your new found friends at Durham

There's no way you'll have to spend the next three years of your life crapping out work to stupid deadlines, and staying up 'till 5am to finish an essay.

There's no way you'll have to spend the next three years of your life crapping out work to stupid deadlines, and staying up 'till 5am to finish an essay.

Because the terms aren't so intensive. I know that at Durham we have shorter terms than many unis (with the Oxbridge term system) and, before you know it, it's late November and you have essays to rush and hand in. It would be even worse at Cambridge, given the amount of work that's expected of you.

Besides, the summer is too long.