What is the Parenting Scheme?

Help Graduate Freshers Prepare for Oxford

The parenting scheme assigns each newcomer an existing MCR member, his or her college parent, whom they can contact before they arrive. The main responsibility of being a college parent is simply writing an introductory email, and responding to any subsequent queries or concerns that may arise. It is being a useful point of contact for newcomers who are able to ask informal questions to someone other than the college offices. As part of Freshers' Week, an event will be arranged whereby college parents and children can meet face to face.

We are sure you can all cast your minds back to the months before you arrived at Exeter, and the various questions/worries on things both serious and merely practical that you had. The college parent scheme does much to alleviate these concerns, and is well worth investing in.

Therefore, we would ask those who are willing to be a college parent to please sign up for the scheme specifying your nationality and subject area. You will be assigned a college child and sent their contact details in August, and will be asked to write to them within a week or so of that. College children will be assigned to parents first according to nationality (as it will be an advantage to know the cultural background/expectations of the newcomer), and then according to subject area.

If you have any question regarding parenting, send an e-mail to Hannah Perrin (hannah.perrin@exeter.ox.ac.uk) or Hannah Graff (hannah.graff@exeter.ox.ac.uk).

We hope that many people will feel that this is worth investing just a little time into, in order to make the arrival of September's freshers a little easier.
Many thanks for your enthusiasm!