oopalfrootz

Oxford is a brilliant city to be in - not just because it's 'pretty' - it's full of opportunities (but then so is London, isn't it?). It is certainly a mad place to live in. I would stroooongly recommend it as a place to study, especially if you're only here for a year or two (after 3.5 years, the novelty is wearing off for me I admit, but I loved it for the first three). 
 
Chris Gray is the Vice Pres for Graduates of the student union; you can get him on graduates at ousu dot org.

OMG, I misread the title as "my advisor invited me to move in with them?" Ummm, what?
 
Seriously, though, I know two people who transferred into our program and had to repeat some courses. One person followed their advisor, and the other person didn't like their first school. It sucks that you may have to repeat some things, but in the end I think your decision depends on your dissertation work.

i would find it a bit obnoxious at the time but it wouldn't make me think any less of you

Oxford WILL always support you in times of financial difficulty - particularly if you pick your college right (look at their funding pages, and/or choose historically "rich" colleges). But legally you still have to prove you will be able to have enough money to pay for it before you get there. Finances really, really should not get in your way if Oxford accepts you and you would have chosen it as your top choice. It's something a great number of people here are passionate about. You can always contact the student union grad officer if you are worried; they will do their best to help. (Dare I say it's also exactly the small city life!)
 
Between UCL and LSE... I don't know enough about your particular field to be able to give a proper opinion - but yes, in general opinion they seem to be neck and neck...

my girlfriend of 4 years and I will both be attending doctorate programs this fall...but 700 miles apart.

sadly, we decided it would be best to end it since neither of us wants a relationship where we maybe see each other once a year. plus, it gives us a chance to grow individually instead of relying on each other like we did in undergrad.

those are the positives, but it still really sucks.

Hm. Perhaps you underestimate her. My supervisor took only a few days off when she had her kid, and we didn't lose out on her time. Her group is clearly one of her priorities, or she wouldn't be in this job. She's thought about how you'll be doing wrt this! It's misconceptions like this that lead to sexism in hiring, to be totally honest... don't worry! 

It sounds like a lot of the feedback you will need / get will be virtual (over email, etc) -- I'm not sure why a pregnancy would impact your advisor's ability to respond to you, except for perhaps the weeks right when she has the baby.  She isn't falling off the face of the planet... but maybe that's just my perspective.  My sister-in-law had a baby in August, and a friend just had her baby in mid-February -- they are quicker back to their computer than anything else, so I could see this actually as a benefit to you.  It would be prudent to at least have the conversation to find out if she plans to return to her position after whatever amount of appropriate time and continue to advise you with a possible December finishing date.  Other than that, if you end up keeping your advisor and finishing on schedule, just try to email her whatever you need to get you through a few weeks during that time in mid-summer.  

I am a phd student, ABD, writing my dissertation. I am planning to finish December, 2013. But I just learned that my advisor is pregnant (and I learned it from someone else and I asked her, she confirmed). I will be working on my dissertation over the summer and plan to make a timeline, which forces me to submit chapters and receive feedback over the summer. However, she is probably due in mid-summer and I am not sure how to approach the subject.
 
I am happy for her, but I am worried about my progress as well. To complicate the issue, I should add that I will be moving out of this state and live in another state starting with early-August, 2013.   
 
Was anybody else in my situation as well? Thanks for your responses in advance.

I have an MA from a UK institute (Russell group) and have been accepted into all programs applied to.... Englands education system isn't awful...

Both of you are wrong, it's a British school so clearly they send wizarding owls.

I also think there's a double standard about beards - since in many places it's considered okay for a man to have a beard, but not for a woman.

I want to focus on chemical biology/ bio-organic chemistry.