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[lolitics_meme]

Hello and welcome!

We have gathered here to celebrate politics in a special way. All those beautiful puns brought to us by the election coverage and, of course, the people involved, have already sparked the imagination of most of us. This is the place to show your ideas to a (hopefully) big audience.

You want to read what David Cameron and Nick

Comments

captcha: mense becoming lolwut

[anonymous]

This may not be the right place, but I'm not sure where else to ask - I want to write fics and things about Cameron and Clegg's days at Oxford and Cambridge, but as an American have little to no idea of the customs/social stereotypes etc of that, and barely any idea of schools in the UK at all. Are there any websites or books I should be reading to learn more? Fiction more than welcomed.

Any help at all would be extremely appreciated; I would be willing to offer smutty ficlets in return for links/information? Thank you in advance~

Re: captcha: mense becoming lolwut

[anonymous]

Hello! Anon here is preparing a basic introduction to public schools and Oxford and Cambridge. :) Will share later today.

Re: captcha: mense becoming lolwut

[anonymous]

Ah, thank you so much, Anon! I am excite.

Introduction to public schools and Oxbridge (facts, not fic!) 1/3

[anonymous]

The term ‘Oxbridge’ is usually used to refer to both Oxford and Cambridge universities, in recognition that an education at either university is pretty different to an education anywhere else. You might describe someone as “Oxbridge-educated” when you’re not sure or don’t care which university they went to - for all their rivalry (see: the Boat Race - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boat_Race) , Oxford and Cambridge are more like each other than anywhere else in the world

Re: Introduction to public schools and Oxbridge (facts, not fic!) 1/3

[anonymous]

Sorry to butt in, but I thought Clegg went to Westminster? The rest of this was really informative, but just that bit stuck out. Feel free to throw rocks at me if I'm wrong, of course. :P

Re: Introduction to public schools and Oxbridge (facts, not fic!) 1/3

[anonymous]

Gaaah! Thanks for pointing that out! No rocks necessary, you're absolutely right. Thanks anon. :)

http://www.westminster.org.uk/index.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_School

Introduction to public schools and Oxbridge (facts, not fic!) 2/3

[anonymous]

So Cameron and Clegg were both highly privileged - both educated at prep and public schools. For a lot of people, university is their first time away from home, but Cameron and Clegg will have been used to being away from their families for long periods of time. They also both had gap years. Gap years are more available these days, but back then (and still to a certain extent now), they were the sign of having money - you basically spend a year doing whatever you want between school and university...a lot of people do a mixture between travel and work, and the more pretentious people might say, “I’m going to find myself”. Wikipedia doesn’t say where Cameron spent his, but apparently Clegg spent the year before university as a skiing instructor in Austria, and even younger than that, at the age of 16, he went to Germany as an exchange student. So they will have both been independent - if you’re writing about them early on in their time at university, be aware of that: they’re unlikely to be homesick or anything like that, although

Re: Introduction to public schools and Oxbridge (facts, not fic!) 2/3

[anonymous]

Addendum here, from someone who went to Oxford in the early/mid-90s, about getting into Oxford.

Firstly, applying to Oxbridge, you don't apply to the university, you apply to three colleges at the university, and one of those colleges has to accept you.

Secondly, in my day (creak, groan, I feel so oooooold) and almost certainly in Camerons, there was the Oxford entrance exam--three fiendish 3-hour exam papers of which two were on your subject and one was full of questions such as 'which has killed more people, religion or science?') which are meat and drink to those who read meta, but were apparently designed to separate the book-fed swots from the genuinely intelligent. It was abolished round about '95/'96 (cite), having been in place at least ten years, so probably did cover Cameron's day.

Feel free to ask if OP or anyone has any specific questions. (I'm in the unique position of having attended a state primary school, a prep school, a state high school, a public school, an oxbridge college AND a redbrick university)

Re: Introduction to public schools and Oxbridge (facts, not fic!) 2/3

[anonymous]

Seconded on the recommendation for the History Boys! Great film

Like the OP writer says, it's not the situation Cameron or Clegg would have been in, but it's interesting to think that while they were applying with relative ease, to universities their relatives had gone to - and where many of their friends would be going - with the best advice and instruction that money could buy, there were people all over the country like the guys in the History Boys who were doing something new and weird and confusing, being taught by contradictory teachers and mostly thinking there was very little chance of being accepted. It's a film about people who are different (in the words of one character, "I'm Jewish, I'm small, I'm homosexual, and I live in Sheffield...I'm fucked"), and the strange ideal they're aspiring to is the norm for people from backgrounds like Cameron's and Clegg's.

Re: Introduction to public schools and Oxbridge (facts, not fic!) 2/3

[anonymous]

*sigh* Oh, the History Boys is such a great play/film :)

"Durham was where I had my first pizza. Other firsts too, but it's the pizza that stands out."

Re: Introduction to public schools and Oxbridge (facts, not fic!) 2/3

[anonymous]

I applied to Cambridge three years ago and they still wanted marks then. I'm not sure if this has changed since the introduction of the A* grade - I know we all had to resend our DOS our marks last year so the college could work out if / how they were going to change their admissions offer.

They weren't really interested in extra-curric at interview though, might depend on college / subject though. I've heard some were more keen on hearing about sporting / musical achievements.

Re: Introduction to public schools and Oxbridge (facts, not fic!) 2/3

[anonymous]

I'm really glad they weren't around when I sat mine, it just seems like a lot of extra pressure. I cried my eyes out because one of my As was low - I dread to think what I would have been like if that had meant it was 'just' an A. :/

Lol. I just gushed like an idiot about how much I loved history for twenty minutes. She asked me what else I liked to do that didn't involve history and I was like '...' So, yeah, I am glad it's more academics driven! XD

Re: Introduction to public schools and Oxbridge (facts, not fic!) 2/3

[anonymous]

Oxford may only want grades, but Cambridge certainly want marks, and Cambridge has adjusted its "usual" offer to be A*AA while Oxford's remains AAA I believe.

OP

[anonymous]

Thanks for the annotations. :) I wasn't referring to Bennet as an outsider, more the characters in the film/play, but reading it back that's not clear so thanks for pointing it out. :D

Not entirely sure of the current interview process, but UCAS personal statements need to have evidence of extracurricular activities, and I was always taught that, whilst grades are the most important thing, it's important to be able to prove you have a life outside of your studies.