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Negatives of Oxbridge

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Reply 60
Avatar for Angelil
Angelil
19
im so academic
That's really put me off. :frown:

I'm just thankful it's Oxford and not Cambridge! :smile:

As I keep trying to tell you, much of the same applies to Oxford.

You should pipe down anyway, seeing as you don't even have your GCSEs yet...

recneps
One of the things no-one seems to have mentioned is that in order to get most oxbridge degrees you have to satisfy residential conditions as well as the academic ones. Essentially you HAVE to stay in cambridge during term time, and apply for an "exeat" (permission to leave) if you want to go away for the weekend. Which is really causing issues for one of my friends who is at cambridge and the inability to leave for weekends is destroying his relationship with a girl at another uni.

Some colleges are also apparently very strict about visitors staying over.

Depends on your college really. Most don't give a ****.
Reply 61
Avatar for 02mik_e
02mik_e
14
rotor
Off topic, but you annoy me so so so so SO much.
Pass your alevels, then chose a subject, THEN uni.
Dont try and choose a uni before you choose a course. For instance history at oxford is completely different to the course at UCL. You may have the grades for oxford, but prefer UCL's course.
Thats just an example.
Choose a subject then a uni.
grr

:rofl: you go girl! :biggrin:
Supergrunch
Erm, the same pretty much apply to Cambridge too. :rolleyes:

Bah, we have a Poundland! And it sounds like we might be a bit better organised, going by this thread.
alex_hk90
And although I wouldn't know myself, I've heard that if you're into 'serious clubbing' then the 'scene' isn't great.

Maybe, but I've had a surprising number of flyers promoting various grindcoremashhardstepindiedubthwack nights.
Reply 63
Avatar for rotor
rotor
14
02mik_e
:rofl: you go girl! :biggrin:


:p: It just had to be said haha!!
BurningSnowman
Bah, we have a Poundland! And it sounds like we might be a bit better organised, going by this thread.

Excellent, where can it be found?
Supergrunch
Excellent, where can it be found?

In the Grafton Centre, apparently. I've only been here a couple of weeks myself, but I think I walked past it when I was up there.
Reply 66
Avatar for Teebs
Teebs
16
recneps
One of the things no-one seems to have mentioned is that in order to get most oxbridge degrees you have to satisfy residential conditions as well as the academic ones. Essentially you HAVE to stay in cambridge during term time, and apply for an "exeat" (permission to leave) if you want to go away for the weekend. Which is really causing issues for one of my friends who is at cambridge and the inability to leave for weekends is destroying his relationship with a girl at another uni.


Erm what... I know Oxford has similar 'rules'. I also know I've disappeared several times through a term and certainly haven't asked permission. I have never ever heard of someone asking permission to be away for the weekend at Oxford or Cambridge. Either what your friend said is ******** or he has chosen the worst ever college.

My only complaints about the place:
a) Workload - I've had to have work done for Friday, Monday, today and tomorrow and I am feeling it.
b) A couple of bad tutors, but I'm quite sure you get these at any university and it's just luck of the draw.
Reply 67
Avatar for MSB
MSB
17
im so academic
They are just stairs lol! :p:

It's not like it's crocodiles in your en-suite or elephants in the backs etc. :rolleyes:

But on a serious note, if there are crocodiles, elephants etc in Oxbridge, I'm so not going there! :eek:

You try walking up and down them.
Reply 68
Avatar for LH123
LH123
17
I hate these threads, they make me question why I ever applied. :p:
recneps
One of the things no-one seems to have mentioned is that in order to get most oxbridge degrees you have to satisfy residential conditions as well as the academic ones. Essentially you HAVE to stay in cambridge during term time, and apply for an "exeat" (permission to leave) if you want to go away for the weekend. Which is really causing issues for one of my friends who is at cambridge and the inability to leave for weekends is destroying his relationship with a girl at another uni.

Some colleges are also apparently very strict about visitors staying over.


:eek: are you serious?
how do they know if you go away for the weekend?
im so academic
I would say that's a positive, the reason being that you are with people with the same interests as you etc.

You obviously don't understand the format of this thread. We're not looking for you to overturn every point with your adolescent deification of Oxbridge: we want negatives. :smile:
Reply 71
Avatar for Apagg
Apagg
13
rockrunride
I'd rather go to a "lesser" university than be treated like a child.


They don't actually prevent you from working if you want to, they just advise against it. You don't really have time to do it without missing out on something
Ive read through the 'negatives at Oxbridge' thread-
it doesn't surprise me there are a lot of negatives- what I want to know (as someone starting mml at king's cambridge in 2009 :p: ) is

is it worth being there?

what do people think?

just to clarify- when I was reading the other thread I thought 'well yes- but I still think I want to go there because the course looks amazing- it looks tailor-made to fit me, there will be a concentration of like-minded people, I know I loved growing up in Oxford, and I just had a good feel about the place'
so I didn't mean I was rethinking my choice- I'm just interested :smile:
Reply 73
Avatar for MSB
MSB
17
Yes.

There are negatives to everything, except cake.
yellowwdaisy
:eek: are you serious?
how do they know if you go away for the weekend?

Chances are they won't know.
The West Wing
1. The workload is very intense. Seriously intense.
2. We don't get weekends
3. There's no hiding or procrastinating because we have regular small group (max 3) meetings with academics
4. The town is really quite boring once you've gotten over the initial excitement
5. The food is awful and there are limited self-catering facilities
6. Shopping and food are really really expensive because of the tourists
7. We don't get a freshers week, people often get set work in the first 3 days (I was set work on my second day)
8. There are tourists everywhere, you end up having to barge through crowds and be in inadvertant pictures, especially on the Clare bridge


~

I could name another 100 if I could be bothered.


... So you haven't enjoyed it so far? :s-smilie:
I'm feeling a bit worried for my friend if she gets in now.
Reply 76
Avatar for cpchem
cpchem
14
recneps
One of the things no-one seems to have mentioned is that in order to get most oxbridge degrees you have to satisfy residential conditions as well as the academic ones. Essentially you HAVE to stay in cambridge during term time, and apply for an "exeat" (permission to leave) if you want to go away for the weekend. Which is really causing issues for one of my friends who is at cambridge and the inability to leave for weekends is destroying his relationship with a girl at another uni.

Some colleges are also apparently very strict about visitors staying over.

Pfft, nobody ever checks up on these things. Most regulations that exist in the rulebook are completely ignored...
Reply 77
Avatar for Apagg
Apagg
13
recneps
One of the things no-one seems to have mentioned is that in order to get most oxbridge degrees you have to satisfy residential conditions as well as the academic ones. Essentially you HAVE to stay in cambridge during term time, and apply for an "exeat" (permission to leave) if you want to go away for the weekend. Which is really causing issues for one of my friends who is at cambridge and the inability to leave for weekends is destroying his relationship with a girl at another uni.

Some colleges are also apparently very strict about visitors staying over.


Hmm, we have that, but they never check at my college. Are you sure your friend isn't using it as an excuse to break up with this girl? :p:

You're supposed to sign visitors in (no one does) and they're not allowed to stay beyond a certain number of days (I presume to act as a block against people subletting their rooms). Again though, this isn't enforced at all at my college.

Re the comments about the poor level of English amongst internationals, this is not unique to Oxbridge. I recall a newspaper article suggesting it was widespread amongst UK universities who needed the money these students bring. If anything the problem will be smaller at the wealthier Oxbridge unis.

I wish people who aren't at oxbridge would stop parading rumour as fact, in general
Absolutely! MML is a brilliant course. :smile:
They don't know. I went to Cambridge, and at my college they made us sign a stupid form at the start of each term saying how many nights we'd spent away the previous term. I just did what I pleased and then lied on the form. As far as I'm concerned, the rule about 'keeping term' is completely patronising; it's none of the university's business if students choose to spend every weekend away from Cambridge, as long as they keep up with their work, especially when the university is dealing with young people who are legally adults.

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